ARIZONA CARDINALS
Cardinals’ Kyler Murray’s elite talent reminds A.Q. Shipley of Andrew Luck
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
It’s not every day that a 22-year-old is handed the reigns to an NFL offense during his first season.
As the Arizona Cardinals season progresses, quarterback Kyler Murray has continued to evolve in his rookie season and turn into a leader for the organization.
“It’s a tough ask anytime you ask a young guy like that just coming out of college, like ‘Hey, here’s the keys, run this show,’” Arizona Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley told 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station’s Bickley & Marotta on Monday. “I think he’s taken that in stride, he’s done a heck of a job. This whole year is going to be a great learning experience for him moving forward.”
Shipley is no stranger to the situation that Murray finds himself in.
In 2012 during Shipley’s first season in the NFL, he witnessed as quarterback Andrew Luck take over the Colts offense.
Shipley said Luck and Murray have a lot of similarities in their game, from how they throw and run to being able to do “a lot of crazy things during a game.”
“Both of them went through learning obstacles in their first year,” Shipley said. “Kyler will continue to grow moving forward and obviously be a heck of a player. He’s obviously one of the most talented guys I’ve ever been around in my life.”
The Cardinals’ 38-24 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday was just another example of how Murray continues to grow. After back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers coming out of the bye week, it demonstrates his growing ability to get better week after week and help right the ship.
“He’s more confident in the huddle. He’s more commanding in the huddle, he’s really taken over this team,” Shipley said. “The other ten guys in the offensive huddle are well aware that he’s the guy that makes this thing roll. We’ve all kind of taken his back, he’s taken ours. It’s been fun to watch from the start of the season.”
Shipley said that in the NFL, a lot of games come down to one score and this season, the Cardinals haven’t been able to capitalize on those games, but they will as Murray continues to get better.
“I think he’ll be on the right side of those things a heck of a lot more moving forward,” Shipley said.
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