Revenge of the Birds
Right after the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in front of a national audience to advance their record to 3-5-0, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon held his post-game press conference.
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When asked how he thought QB Jacoby Brissett played against Dallas, Gannon stated:
“I thought he played well. Thought he operated. We had one protection issue. That’s on me. We got to do a better job with that. We just got to keep him clean, and he shows how he can deliver the football. He battles. He has gotten us out of a hole a couple of times now in the last couple of games. He’s resilient, bounces back, and plays the next play.”
Today, Gannon’s assessment of Brissett and the quarterback controversy became moot when the Cardinals placed Murray on the IR list. The placement does not seem to be season-ending, as Murray will have a chance to return with a minimum of four weeks on the list.
Gannon told ESPN Arizona:
“I really do [hope that happens],” Gannon said. “We got a lot of ball to play, and one day at a time. And where he sits right now is he’s got to pour into his health bucket and get ready to get healthy.”
This weekend’s game, Arizona faces division foe Seattle Seahawks (6-2-0) on the road in the afternoon slot. In their first matchup, the Seahawks held a 20-6 lead before Arizona came back to tie the game with 28 seconds remaining, only to have Seattle get in field goal range to win 23-20.
The following week, against the Tennessee Titans, Murray became injured and hasn’t played since.
Gannon added:
“Jacoby does his job, takes it one day at a time, prepares when he wasn’t the starter, prepares to be the starter. He knows his role can change, and now he’s going to prepare the same way.”
Which is a complete turnaround since the Cowboys win. After the game, in the post-game presser in Dallas, Gannon was asked about Murray. Specifically, the media question that was rendered was, “Will Kyler still be your starting quarterback when you…..”
Gannon interrupted and said:
“Yeah, nothing’s changed on that. That’s how I feel.”
Then came another poignant question from another reporter: “Is there anything Jacoby can show you to win this starting job?” Gannon’s answer?
“Like I said, nothing’s changed.”
Brissett has completed 65.7% of his passes and has thrown six touchdowns against a single interception in three games. He is also a QB sneak guru and has only been stopped short once in his career. Plus, the offense is able to convert a high number of third-down attempts, no matter the down and distance.
Then Brissett was brought out to the podium in order to answer questions. One reporter asked, “The offense has put up more than 300 yards a game the last three weeks, averaging 25 points. Why is this offense so effective...
