Name: Does Kyler Murray have to reach the playoffs to be considered an elite QB? | First Take
Uploaded: 2020-12-31T18:15:51.000Z
Duration: 7 min 14 s
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does Kyler Murray need to reach the postseason if he wants to be considered an elite quarterback?

I mean, I think we don't have any elite quarterbacks that don't go to the playoffs and understand that this year he's injured.

Going into this game is gonna be a tough situation, and it may not work out for him.

But no one's gonna go into next season saying that he's an elite quarterback.

If he can't get his team to the playoffs, I'm not sure what you would point to to say that he was elite, and I understand that the passing stats aren't alone.

Don't fully, um, describe how important he is to this team.

He, in many ways like Lamar Jackson, is the offense of this team.

They build everything around his unique ability.

So I'm not saying that he's not good or even close to great.

But elite to me means something different, and you don't become an elite quarterback in my mind until you not only get to the playoffs, but you make some big plays.

We have some big playoff moments like those are the elite guys.

But elite quarterbacks, they go to the playoffs and they play well.

And I'm not trying to take a knock Kyler Murray at all.

I thought that he was gonna have a better year this year than he did, and there are a lot of reasons why he hasn't kind of progress the way we hoped he would.

And a lot of people could point to Cliff Kingsbury or point toe the up and down nature of that defense.

But the fact that the matter is none of that matters in the way that we judge quarterbacks like either You're having the success that elite quarterbacks have, in which case we consider you elite or you're not.

And this is early in his career, so maybe at some point he'll reach that level and I think he will.

I hope he will, but he's not gonna get there and no one's gonna call him and lied.

And I doubt he would consider himself in elite quarterback until he gets to the playoffs and has those big moments that we've seen other elite quarterbacks have.

Yeah, Look, hey, makes some great points.

I think when when you're talking about elite quarterbacks and whether you're talking about elite, very good, good average, below average, marginal, poor like I think a lot of it is very, very subjective.

And it all needs to be talked about with context.

And by that I mean this look, this game that he's having, that he's going, that he's gonna be playing in this week.

He's going up against an elite defense that I don't think he's just gonna necessarily like the Rams up here.

I mean, Brandon Staley, defensive coordinator for the Rams, is as good as it gets.

He's a guy who's gonna get some head coach consideration simply because of the fact that he is next level as far as his ability to scheme up offenses.

And he has some next level players on this defense that are gonna give Kyler Murray a run for his money and, you know, in additionally.

If caller Murray comes out and throws for 300 plus in this game, which I don't see happening against his Rams, the Rams defense.

But if he does, and he has them in a position to win and for some reason or another, John Woolford, who was making his first career start in the NFL after being a college free agent in 2000 and 18, his first career start with all the people that they're missing, is able to somehow muster up enough points to where they expose advanced Joseph, coach defense in Arizona.

And when this football game, I don't think that you could necessarily hang that on collar, Murray and or have that detract from your overall assessment as to whether or not this guy is elite.

Very good, good average, whatever it is that you wanna be, because I think we sometimes hang.

It's It's just kind of like judging quarterbacks based off of wins and losses as well as our wins and losses.

A quarterback statistic is that something that's fair toe hang on them although we do it and since the beginning of time we have judge quarterbacks by their wins and losses, although we know that this is a team game, but it is, but it's a team game right up into the point where we start talking about quarterbacks, then all of a sudden it's just a quarterback driven game and I have a problem with that.

Sometimes when we're talking about assessing quarterbacks and where do we slot them in in the, you know on this scale of greatness.

But for for this game there's there's no question this is a big football game for him and that he can really elevate how people look at him and the lens through which people view him.

If he's able toe, win this football game against an elite top tier, top notch defense, if they lose and he does everything in his power and he gives them the like the last time he has the football, they have the lead and they lose this football game.

If he goes out and he throws 34 interceptions, can't get, you know, can't throw for over 202 150 yards, isn't able to convert on third downs, is turning the football over, then of course you're gonna knock him down.

But I think this game has a lot of different angles, a lot of different twists and turns to it that, quite honestly, I think this Cardinals defense is the one that really is in the spotlight here.

Because again, John Woolford has never seen an NFL football field, let alone as a starter.

And if you listen to some of the talk coming out of L.

They have a lot of confidence in this kid, and I'm going, What do they know?

What do they know about this kid that I don't know if they come out and just light up this Cardinals defense?

Hoo boy, They could be talking about Carl.

Um, er, I mean, they're gonna be talking about Cliff Kingsbury and Joseph.

Yeah, I think you're right on on, and we agree on a lot of these things.

I think the difference is just in the subjective term off elite, and I'm with you like it's not fair to hang wins and losses on quarterbacks.

It's not fair to blame them for an entire teams failures, or it's not fair to give them all the credit for the team's success.

We end up doing that a lot in this business.

That doesn't mean you and I have to do that.

However, there is one thing that I do believe that we can have a smarter conversation.

It's true, though, and I think you would agree with me is there is a top tier of quarterbacks in our mind, and no matter what you call them, you could give him a different name.

You call them world beaters, put the team on my back, Guys, I don't care what you are, but you don't become that and you start getting to the playoffs and winning in big moments in the playoffs or winning league MVPs doing something like that, being sustaining that type of success for entire career because I would think of a guy like like Lamar Jackson and a guy like Josh Allen this season, he's having right now like I'd be willing to consider the conversation of them being elite, despite the fact they haven't had playoff success.

But collar Murray's done neither like he hasn't dominated for a full season and he hasn't gotten to the playoffs or had a big moment in a playoff situation.

He's a guy who's had really incredible regular seasons, and he's also had big playoff moments, big drives, game winning drives in the playoffs.

That's a guy that I would look at Colin Murray and say, I want you to do that a couple times, Lead the league in passing, lead the league in Q b R u.

Because of his running abilities, he can lead the league in total offense, something like that, and then also make some big plays in some big situation.

I think this weekend gives him a chance to jump to that elite status, or at least getting that conversation because you're so right about that.