PHOENIX — Sitting at the podium, speaking to media at the Cardinals practice facility for the first time in nearly 11-months on a game week, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray talked for more than 20 minutes about his comeback and his mindset heading into his season debut against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Kind of emotionless in a sense,” Murray said. "Blessing to be able to be out there (with) my teammates, move around run and walk. It’s been a long, long 10 months. To now be here is a good feeling.”
Murray suffered a torn ACL at home on Dec. 12, 2022. His knee was repaired on Jan. 3. The two-time Pro Bowler was finally activated to the roster this week after coming off the physically unable to perform list in mid-October.
Murray said he's never dealt with an experience like this before. Doing the same thing every day to try and get better was a grind. Murray knows he’ll feel a bunch of emotions whenever he steps onto the field Sunday at State Farm Stadium. Until then, it’s all business.
“Emotions haven’t really hit me. I’m trying to focus to get a win first," he said.
The 26-year-old mentioned he’s thought about this first start many times during the past 10 months. There’s plenty of excitement and no nerves right now. Murray said it was right around the 9-month mark when he woke up and felt different. He could just tell he was healthy and it was time to ramp up a return-to-play plan.
“I felt good for quite some time now. I've got to witness it for the past months. I've seen what's been put into it, and I've seen the grind that's been put into it. It's been unfortunate to have to sit back and watch us go through these kind of the pains. I'm excited to get back out there and be out there with my teammates.," he said. "That's why I look forward, too.”
Physically, Murray feels like he can go out there and do what he wants to do. His return to the field has been heavily anticipated by his teammates and fans alike. Will he be able to return to his highlight-reel abilities he had before the injury? Head coach Jonathan Gannon said it’s not fair to expect that right away.
“We (have) got to be willing to understand that it might not look like (pre-injury) Kyler, and I think he's got a good expectation of that," Gannon said on Monday.
“He told me that's my face and I kind of laughed at him,” Murray said. “I understand the thought process, but every time I touch the field I'm trying to do my thing and win. But I understand the thought process, you know, take it slow you know, don't be too hard on yourself. I hear what he's saying, but you know, that's not in my it's not in my head.”
So what was it like watching the team struggle? Cardinals have the worst record in the NFL at 1-8.
“How close we are. A couple plays a game here and there where we just shoot ourselves in the foot. We're really not that far off. P may think we're a bad football team. We're not a bad football team," he said. 'We got to clean some things up. We need to make more plays and that's what it comes down to.”
Murray said it’s accurate to label him as more motivated than ever, and he’s not worried about when that first hit will come. As far as his trust in his knee, he wouldn’t be planning on playing if he didn’t trust it.
“If I was thinking about it right now I wouldn’t even be out here. I can't get better if I don't trust it. Immediately the scariness goes away. If the doctor tells me I’m good, we're good," he said. "But as far as being scared, you get one day of those reps to be kind of hesitant, but after that, we got to go. I gained a new level of resiliency with this. I already felt like I can win anything, but when you go through something like this, you find out really quick about who you are and what you're about.”
Sunday will mark Murray's first game with the Cardinals' new coaching staff and new offense.
“Completely different. The verbiage and terminology and the way we do things now, but it's been good I'm comfortable with it.”
Murray signed a $230 million extension in 2022, which will run through the 2028 season. Since then, this organization has been through massive changes, and Murray’s performance down the stretch could weigh into his future with the team. The biggest difference from the past regime of GM Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury to now GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Gannon — accountability and culture. Murray agrees with his teammates labeling it a culture shift.
“I've seen a lot of people, Budda Baker and DJ Humphries, and all the all the quotes about how it's been night and day, complete like 180 shift and stuff like that. I would agree," he said. "I think it comes down to accountability man and everybody doing their job. Everybody's holding each other accountable and setting that standard, and if you break that standard, you got to face whatever consequences. Regardless if it's me, if it's JG or whoever it is. If we hold each other to a standard, that's how you build the culture. I think we're heading in the right direction.”
At the end, Murray was asked what stands out about Atlanta on tape. His answers sums up his mindset perfectly.
“I won't get too much into it. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go. I’m worried about us.”
Welcome back K1.
Watch the full news conference in the video below.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.
12Sports on YouTube
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!