last year
via trade, by the Arizona Cardinals
met with reporters yesterday and
this is one of the Practical realities of the Cuyler Marie
homework Claus. You have created
by insisting on the addition
of a requirement that he engaged in at least four hours of study
each week during football season. You have created a
distraction because it distraction is the thing that
everybody in the locker room especially the
Receivers and tight ends and quarterbacks and coaches. Going
to be asked about Zach. Ertz was the first one to be asked
about it yesterday. Here's a little bit of the back and
forth about Zach hurts
discussing, the calamari homework Claus
wasn't obviously therefore the process. It's way above my pay
grade but he seems like he's in a really good place mentally
today
and he seemed like he's been in a really good place all
offseason in my opinion. I think he's learned from
the Rams game. We've all learned a lot.
The addendum is It is, but in my opinion
cars, the guy that knows the Playbook inside and out. When
I first got here last year, he was the guy that was helping me
along and learning The Playbook.
And ultimately I got to be on the same page as him. So he was
helping me with all that and ultimately he's happy and no
matter what the contract says in the language
he's happy and that's all that matters.
Now in full fairness,
Zach ertz later was asked a specific question about
preparation for opposing defense is because knowing
the Playbook is Completely unrelated. We were texting
about this yesterday, completely unrelated to film
study in advance of a game.
That's not to learn your playbook. Exact to learn
the other team's defense, right, what the 11 guys, who you're
going to be encountering do and where the weaknesses maybe?
Yes, now Earth said he always knows
the other defense. I would ask him questions and he would have
answered and that's fine. Look, the guy who catches passes
knows. There's certain things you have to say about the guy
who decides where he's going to throw the past. It's not like
he's gonna throw column. Under the bus people like, Oh see
it's a non-issue because Zach ertz said, he knows
the opposing defenses. Will know it is an issue because the team
decided to jam this Clause into the contract. And my
understanding is it was a deal breaker from the team's
position
they insisted on having this in there, right? So it doesn't
matter what anybody in the locker. Room says, somebody
high enough up in that organization thought there was
an issue with the amount of time. Calamari was studying
the opposing defenses week in and week. No, no.
Did it it to the New York Times? I'm talking about
yesterday, he admitted that he doesn't grind film the way
other quarterbacks do. It's real, you know, the more
the time passes, the more you just sit there like even we get done
with the show yesterday
and you think about him or you go course? It's real.
I mean, how is this not a real thing? It's not just like
something they made up and just said, hey, let's put this in
the contract to there. Obviously was something there
within the organization that they felt that this needed to
be put in there,
you know. And I don't know who it was who it is or what it was
but that's it just doesn't go in there, you know. Unless it
was real,
it doesn't, they had to know that this was going to be
a little bit of an issue but I'm thinking they didn't care
because the issue of
all right. Wait, he's not watching film enough. It was
more of an issue so they were willing to deal with this blow
back right here. All right. Your point is
exactly right about the Playbook. I mean, first off, if
you don't know your playbook, you don't give the guy 230
million dollars. I mean, that's a given I mean, and of course,
he knows the Playbook. He's been in the same Playbook since
since her freshman year in college, so that's That's to
me, maybe part of the problem here too, is the fact that when
he was a rookie, he was teaching all the veterans,
the offense and didn't like probably felt like he was
the smartest guy.
So that's that. Here's the quote from the New York Times
and I'm going to continue to talk. But Mike, you also said
it right to. All right? So Zach ertz talked about the defense.
Listen.
We I don't go. I'm not saying we don't think Kyler Murray got
in the game was like, man. I don't know what defense is they
play? I think he knows he's listening all week in the team
meetings, a quarterback meetings.
That the point is that you watch the film to gain little
Clues. Like you're saying that can give you
just a
microsecond of, oh, wait, here. This comes, I can be ready for
it, whether it's the changing of a coverage and you're just
starting a drop back or whatever or
getting a feel for a blitzes of coming
to go away. You know, you change the route of
the receiver or change the play altogether. Wait, I saw this
last week when the safety creeps over just a little bit,
Bit. Now, they're going to do this blitz, and it's going to
be something else.
That's why you watch the film. And to me,
that's what this is all saying. It's not that he's
dumb or not, smarter doesn't know things. He understands all
that. I just don't think he's doing the next level stuff.
I think you and I are both they're saying the same thing
where it's Brady. Rogers Manning where they're like oh
man
his toes pointed this way. His arms. This way I saw this on film
that might mean he's playing zone or Blitzen or whatever and
those are the little things that You over the top against
the great teams in football. And I think that's what we're
talking about here.
Chris Spielman was on this program before you joined us on
a full-time basis. And he was mesmerizing talking about
the process of studying film from the defensive perspective but
it's the same idea. Yeah, you're looking at the 11, guys,
on
the other side of the line of scrimmage and you're trying to
find anything that you see them do in other games that you can
apply to what?
You see in real-time
as the play is preparing to happen
and once the play begins to unfold anything, you can find
any Edge that helps. You understand what the other team
is going to do because you have your plan, they have their
plan.
And the more you can figure out what their plan is
and where their guys are going to move because there's only 11,
once this guy moves this way, it creates something here, if
he goes this way, a create something here, and it is, and
I think this is the problem with it because Chris it's got to be
tedious,
boring demanding, you got to be focused, you got to be studying
actively for anything. You see that makes you say hi? Do you
know? Well how we've tracked this a little bit
when you know the outside linebacker when
he puts his right foot
back behind his left one
and that's when he drops into coverage
and when he As the right foot up, even with the left foot,
that's when he rushes, you find something like that. Yeah.
And and this is
it kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier
the to miscues in coaching by Mike Zimmer that
cost the Vikings two victories last year.
All it takes is one play
in one game on one drive and that can change your whole
season.
So that's the edge that Peyton Manning looked.
Or obsessively, right? And that's what they're trying to
get Kyler Murray to do. Because if you take his incredible
physical skills and you throw on top of it, the kind of
dedication
that if Peyton Manning had
to studying, every aspect of the opposing defense,
you have a guy who's Unstoppable? Yes.
No doubt about it. You're right. I mean, it's a special
talent there is and that's where I think this is all is,
I mean, you know again, yeah.
Hey, Brady and Manning. There are no. So, next level, it's
not even a About the DBS of the safeties and all that, they're
getting clues from the defensive line, the great
quarterbacks
go and man, this defensive tackle
when he's head up on the guard, they usually bring the Mike
linebacker in the Sam, linebacker on a blitz. And when
he's on the outside shado, they play Tampa to recover three and
all that,
that's where, you know, it can get to and to your point. Yes,
he has special ability, but hey, it's kind of the gift and
the curse. That's what happens with special ability, sometimes
to,
you know, to, to be
Brooks Point. And what we said yesterday,
I mean he steps on the field and he's he kicks. But no
matter what level it is wherever he is. And even for
the NFL like we've talked about, you know, he's
had a lot of moments and kicking but they're too.
And but I think this is the thing we're looking at is and
it's a little bit of the theme of the Cardinals, you know,
hey, the middle class the lower class of the NFL,
you know, you can get away with it a little bit, you're
talented, you guys are pretty well coached out of that, but
to get to the next Next Level and start winning. Playoff
games
consecutively, that's where film study. Kliff Kingsbury
changing up the game plan. All that stuff takes you to
the next level
and that's where Marie's got to get to, you know? And again
we've seen really talented guys before they rely on their
physical talents when they've been able to get it done
for the most part. But I think we're getting to that time
where you go, you're not going to get it done for the most
part all the time anymore.
And what's been the problem with Marie and the Cardinals,
his three years in the NFL, what's been the problem? Yeah.
End of the year starts and what? And, and think about end
of the year, No Doubt getting ready to play a team in week.
16 sure
there's a lot more film to pick through
and they're doing it to you
if you're not doing it to them Advantage them
and that may be one of the reasons for the cliff can't
finish Kingsbury teams, the last nine years, they're
working hard but maybe they're not working on the right
things. When you get to the end of the season, you got to
access that full database of everything that that team.
You're I'm ready to play has done from the preseason until
now and it becomes I would assume more arduous
when You Face an opponent later in the year, especially if it's
not a team from your division where you've got to do the full
workup and you don't have a whole lot of time to do it and
that may be one of the ingredients
between having a team that starts strong and finishes
strong or a team that does fall apart. And again last year,
I think the ankle had a lot to do with
it but all the more reason
to be grinding the film, if you know, your ankle is going to
put you at a disadvantage. A niche. You better find your
advantage somewhere else, and knowing even more about what
the 11 guys, on the other side of the line are going to be
doing Chris. Yeah, 100%. And then, yeah, you
know, I think you're saying a right like you couple
an injury with Kyle and Marie
and oh wait DeAndre Hopkins is in there and then random
Rondell more got banged up a little bit and so all
the sudden now you that's when it's supposed to
do wait are players who just make plays for us all the time
they are they're not here. They can make plays oh wait we got
a we got a coach and find. Other angles or other ways to get
an advantage and I think that's what you're talking about was
as the season goes on we're not seeing them do that
so we'll see where it goes. Let me ask you this Mike, do you
think the team needs to come out and kind of make
a statement and defensive Kyler Murray or say something here to
diffuse the conversation a little bit
after the show yesterday, I
actually took it on myself to do something. I rarely do which
is work. And I
tried to find out more information about how this all
came to be and how important It was to the final deal and
I asked the Cardinals, can I just have five minutes with somebody
somebody
to talk about this clause?
It may have come from the very top
for Michael bidois,
this Clause. Oh, can I talk to him for five minutes?
Can I have anybody?
They don't want to talk about it.
So I think they realize
that they may have stepped in it and they're in the process
of trying to ignore it and or scrape it off their shoe and
move on. They don't want to make it a bigger deal than it
already is. So they declined to comment on it and, and that's
that.
So they don't, I mean,
but
they're going to be asked about it. Calamari is going to be
asked about it. And I don't know, I
I I don't
remember what Russell Wilson, did his second contract, not
a second contract. His most recent one, is third contract
with the Seahawks. I remember first getting the vibe in
the aftermath of that, that transaction, that he's not
doing another one in Seattle,
just that divorce is inevitable.
Depending upon how they handle this.
With Kyler Murray, and his four hours per week of mandatory
study.
This could be the wedge that they can't come back from. It
may take three or four years, but this could be the Moment
where the relationship begins to fracture
and
we'll see. We'll see. But it's just not it's just not
a healthy relationship to have that thrown in there. Chris? No
it's not. It definitely is going to make things a little
awkward. I mean hopefully they can
you know, realize it's a mistake and try to move on and,
you know, go on to bigger better things here
and I don't even know what mistake that? Let me make one
last Point forget because I forgotten for the entire
discussion.
Another thing we reported yesterday. There's a A separate
clause in the agreement, which contains a very broad
prohibition on any baseball activities, extremely broad, he
can't even look at a baseball basically, without
jeopardizing, his guarantees,
and it's not quite that broad, but he can't play can't
practice. Can't try out. Can't do anything with any baseball
team anywhere. And, of course, that's in there. Because he was
a top-10 draft pick of the Oakland A's and he still talked
about up until he signed his contract
may be trying to do both someday. Yeah.
So they had a reason to put that in there. Here's the point
they had a reason
to put the no baseball tries in their, right? They had a reason
exactly to put the the four hours of study in there,
they're not just pulling stuff out of the air. And,
you know, let's say you can't, you can't buy a Porsche. Let's
put that in there. I mean, it's not just random stuff that
there's no reason to require of the guy.
Yeah, there was a reason to say, no baseball.
There's a reason to say four hours per week of study,
and when I hear you say things like deal-breaker and all that,
Thing, and that type of stuff. That's, that's when I do go,
you know, I don't know. I mean, if it, if it came from
the owner or whatever else there, you know,
the owners. He's not, he's not even if he did put it in there
and want it in there and make it happen. Like
it's not him. That tells everybody. Hey, I want to put
this provision in. He's being told by coaches and people in
the organization to
0. So this is not like he just grabbed this out of,
you know, thin air
this. I wouldn't be shocked if this is, you know. Kliff
Kingsbury playing good cop/bad, cop behind the scene, talking
to his agent. Kyler. Hey everything's good. Everything's
good. And then going up to the owner Michael Bidwell go.
You know we might need to put this clause in the contract.
Don't tell them. I told you this but we need to put this
clause in the contract. I wouldn't be shocked if that's
how it went down.
And again, the next level genius here would be if
the Cardinals knew it was going to get out, knew that it was going
to make them look bad in the short term, but that public
reaction
reinforces the point to Kyler's and coaxes him.
To be more dedicated and motivated might have watch for
hours of them last night
and may be watching for hours of film, every day for the rest
of his life. Even after he's done playing