An Uncle Rico Production
Arizona Cardinals Report
The Cardinals offense played awful in the second half, once again, as they were shutout in Seattle, leading to their fourth straight loss. QB Joshua Dobbs has tried to make the most of what is sure to be his last opportunity to prove he is a starter-worthy NFL quarterback. His attempt to hold the down the fort until the return of franchise QB Kyler Murray (returning from a season-ending achilles injury in 2022) has unfortunately led to an obvious regression in his game, beginning after the Cardinals out-of-character win against the Dallas Cowboys, four weeks ago.
Since then, it has been a myriad of mistakes & missed opportunities for the Cardinals offense. Most importantly, they have been THE WORST 2nd half/4th quarter team in the NFL, being last in points scored, points allowed, and point differential. Dobbs’ accuracy has most notably regressed, proving to be one of the worst deep ball throwers in the NFL.
The beleaguered Cardinals QB has blown at least one perfect play call every game; one sure-fire touchdown, mainly to the underutilized Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. While Brown has consistently won at the line-of-scrimmage (particularly against press coverage on play-action), getting free-releases & taking the tops off of defenses, game after game, Dobbs has air-mailed has missed hitting the wide-open target. Sure, there have been things Dobbs has done well (mainly with his legs), but the basics of playing quarterback still elude the six-year vet.
Dobbs’ play reached a boiling-point on Sunday, when Cardinals fans began roasting him on social media, calling for rookie QB Clayton Tune to come in for relief. Tune played one snap at the end of the game, but it was on a bewildering fake punt on 4th down where he threw a pass to a wide receiver five yards short of the sticks.
Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon has tried to hold things together until the return of star QB Kyler Murray while also protecting his draft pick QB Clayton Tune from NFL shellshock (via throwing him into the fire too early, only to have his ego/confidence as bruised & battered as a second-half Cardinals team). As the new head coach (teaming up with a new General Manager in Monti Ossenfort), Gannon has stressed signaling to all parties involved with the NFL that the Cardinals are NOT tanking this season, as to become the front-runners of the “Caleb Williams Sweepstakes.”
The problem for Jonathan & Monti is they have put themselves at the top of the list (Vegas-odds favorite) to land the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft. The return of Kyler Murray is bound to lead to a few wins, ultimately moving them out of a Top 3 position. The NFL Trade Deadline is approaching. What do they do with Murray & which bricks do they want to use to lay the new foundation of the franchise?
In theory, the Cardinals could still make the playoffs. They would have to basically win every game, but it is mathematically plausible. Will they be better served as an organization playing Murray or trying to move him (and his massive, over-valued contract)? What if Murray plays when he returns? How much will that influence the decision to keep Murray? By now, teams & NFL scouts know what they’re going to get with Kyler Murray:
He’s tremendously athletic
His achilles injury could affect his game (mobility, mental, etc.)
He can’t throw from the pocket
He has happy feet
He can’t throw inside the numbers from 10-20 yards
He has above average arm talent
He will never assume all the blame
He is a questionable leader (at best)
He is used to playing from behind
He still has potential to be the QB for a winning team
But will there be any takers?
I have my own opinions about these questions, but I want to hear from you first. I’m curious to hear what the fans have to say about what the Cardinals should do by the trade deadline.
