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Kyler Murray is no stranger to controversy, feuding with the Cardinals this offseason before signing their lucrative contract offer -- and then publicly complaining about an unprecedented clause in the same contract. The star quarterback is also divisive on the field, at least in the eyes of former running back LeSean McCoy. Addressing Murray's play style on the "I Am Athlete Tonight" podcast, McCoy on Thursday called Murray a "trash" QB, suggesting he plays "like a high school player."
"He's trash. Overhyped. Overrated," McCoy said. "He plays like a high school player. Runs around, runs backward, he does a circle, the ballerina circle, then goes left, goes right, turns all the way around again, then looks for a wide receiver. That's not how you play quarterback."
Asked why Murray should get criticized for his freestyling when someone like Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is unanimously beloved, McCoy pushed back on the comparison.
"He ain't Mahomes," said McCoy, who spent 2019 in Kansas City. "Let me tell you about Mahomes real quick: the majority of Mahomes' passes are (based on) timing. Third step, hit, boom, ball's out. Fifth step, boom, ball's out. Now sometimes he goes off script, we all can do that ... (but) not every pass! Every pass, (Murray is) holding the ball, let's make a miracle. Every game he's played. Watch him play. It's really embarrassing, to be honest. Like, who's coaching this kid?"
Murray may be athletically gifted, McCoy argued, but his tendency to rely on his legs, scrambling in and outside the pocket, isn't necessarily a good indication of his ability to play QB.
"He ain't reading no coverages," McCoy said, suggesting Murray's infamous contract clause -- which mandated a certain amount of film study -- makes sense in light of the QB's style of play. "When a quarterback is running around like that all day, all night, all game, that's because he's not reading any coverages."
So far this year, Murray has found mixed results as the Cardinals' highly paid starter. His 784 passing yards rank seventh among all starters through three games, but he's completing under 64% of his throws (ranked 17th) and averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt (33rd) for a 1-2 team in search of its first playoff win since he took over under center.
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