Kyler Murray shines in new episode of Cardinals Flight Plan
QB Kyler Murray has received a lot of flack in the media over the last two years, some deserved and some very out of line.
The latest episode of Flight Plan, which you can watch at the bottom of the article, does a great job at showing the inner thoughts of a young player that has been hard to pin down at times.
How is dealing with the ACL rehab and the new staff shows off a new side of Murray that many fans have not yet seen.
Andrew Heidemann
In the brand new Flight Plan Episode we see a more personal side of Kyler Murray that many haven’t quite seen before.
We see a Kyler who is calm, focused, and a little more emotional.
The episode gives us a brand new insight into the man that Kyler has been evolving into since entering the league in 2019. The insight into how his injury has affected him is portrayed very well by the production and editing team.
The episode also drops little inside jokes like Kyler saying “The world thinks all I do is play Call of Duty” which resonates with the fanbase on the internet.
The new coaching staff showing up for Kyler’s statue unveiling during the draft process drew a lot of criticism from the national media but to Kyler it showed him how much they cared, especially with them being so brand new.
Finally, it looks as if Murray is happy with the new coaching and front office changes in the episode as he is smiling and a lot more confident when talking about them. This was an amazing episode and has given me more confidence in Murray being the leader of this team for years to come.
Jackie Samaniego
Kyler Murray is evolving as a leader and a person.
In the latest episode of Cardinals Flight Plan, viewers get an intimate view of Murray’s rehab and where he is at mentally. It’s important to document the process because this is the first time in Murray’s career he is dealing with a major injury. You can even argue this is the first time in his football life that he has been faced with any adversity.
Early in the episode, he highlights that he has never been on the losing side while playing sports. Being drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL always means you are going to be on a bad team and wins will not immediately come. Becoming an Arizona Cardinal and being on a bad team was the first challenge Murray has faced.
With great success (in high school and college) comes heavy criticism. Kyler is well aware of the narratives around him and even pointed out that he is not in fact a professional Call of Duty player.
He also highlights that sports have always consumed his time and has been playing and practicing all year round. Even on a trip to Hawaii, Murray is filmed working out and rehabbing.
Viewers also got to see Kyler’s statue unveiling at OU, a big moment for him considering all that he is currently dealing with. Coming off of a mediocre season, it’s easy to forget that Murray was a former No. 1 overall draft pick for a reason.
You could tell being back at his former school and seeing the overwhelming love and support from Sooner fans meant a lot to him.
It is no secret that Cardinals fans have been on the opposite side of the spectrum of Murray. On the topic of support, we got to see the new coaching staff show up for his statue unveiling. Kyler noted that it meant a lot to him given that these guys have not been in their new positions very long.
This is the first major coaching change he’s been through in his career, and it’s not just the head coach, it’s a whole new staff.
The main thing that stuck out to me in this episode is Murray saying he feels “free” with these new changes and the camera cuts from him to new GM Monti Ossenfort. He mentions the changes upstairs, the organization, and the leadership make him feel like “the sky’s the limit”. There is a sense that under the new regime, Kyler has been feeling more supported.
This episode of Cardinals Flight Plan gives viewers the sense that he is maturing and seems to be in a better space. Since the staff changes there have been more positive headlines surrounding Murray and I don’t think that is a coincidence.
It feels like his slate his being wiped clean and he can show he has taken the steps to be a better leader.
Perhaps the ACL injury will be a blessing in disguise and we can see a new and improved player and leader in Murray.
Kyler Burd
“I feel free in a sense…especially with the change of upstairs and the organization. I feel like they’ve done a great job ever since they came in holding people accountable. You know, the leadership, they’re really trying to build something from the ground up.” – Kyler Murray
Over his past four seasons in the league, Murray has established a reputation as a man of few words. It is clear that his comfort zone is not with the media. He is rarely effusive, but in the latest Cardinals Flight Plan episode he opened up in a way that most fans have not seen before.
Really, it felt like we all had more access to the internal thoughts and feelings of the young QB than ever before, and many of the misconceptions of a shy, aloof, immature kid are thrown by the wayside after watching this episode.
Murray demonstrates throughout the episode his maturity in his approach to rehabbing a serious injury and his competitiveness comes through whenever he talks about returning to the game.
It’s often been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in some ways I see that in Murray’s attitude.
Before the NFL, Murray led a pretty blessed football life, going undefeated in high school and winning the Heisman at Oklahoma. He walked into a tough situation in Arizona and although he led the team to a 7-0 start and 11-6 finish in 2021, a regression in 2022 coupled with a major ACL injury in December led to questions about the young QB.
Many of those questions revolved around his leadership ability and his relationship with his teammates and the game of football.
A multi-sport athlete his whole life, Murray is the only athlete to ever be drafted in the top ten of both the NFL and MLB draft.
Because of his talent in baseball, it has hung like a spectre over Murray ever since with many questioning how much he really loved the game. That question became even more prevalent when the Cardinals extended his contract early and handed him a 5-year, $230.5 million deal before the 2022 season.
Thankfully, this episode seems to dispel many of those negative assumptions. I see a 25-year-old who had the most important thing in his life, football, taken away and who just wants to get back to what he loves doing.
I think this injury, the first major one of Murray’s football life, has brought home to him how important the game is and helped him along the path of maturity that all young athletes have to walk.
Watch Cardinals Flight Plan on YouTube
