TEMPE, Ariz. — Nearly a full week removed from the Arizona Cardinals' first loss of the season, the biggest question surrounding the team is the status of their quarterback, Kyler Murray, who sprained his ankle at the end of the game against Green Bay last week.
"He’s progressing. We’ll see how the week goes but he’s definitely progressing," head coach Kliff Kingsbury said.
Murray also feels good about his ability to suit up and play Sunday.
"I feel good, man, feel really good," Murray said. "Blessed, feel good. (laughter) Nah, it’s good. It’s good, just taking it one day at a time, not really putting anything on it. Just, like I said, taking it one day at a time, see where I go.
Both Kingsbury and Murray say that his command of the Cardinals' offense will help him be ready to go, even without stepping foot on the practice field this week.
"I think I’ll be good to go on Sunday if I just know the game plan and get the mental reps," Murray said.
"He’s the type of player with his ability, his understanding of the system now, as long as he’s getting the mental reps we feel good about him going out there and executing," Kingsbury said.
They also both agreed that they will feel comfortable with Murray playing, even if he can't run as he normally would.
"You’ve seen the offense. Like he said, his legs are a luxury and he’s a pocket passer now, so I think he can handle it well," Kingsbury said. "He’s done a great job from the pocket, great completion percentage, protecting the ball, so we feel good about him being able to operate even if he can’t have his full array of weapons."
"I think the last game of my rookie season, I had a hamstring (injury) against the Rams," Murray said. "I didn’t really run that game. I don’t need to run. If I have to, I have to, but at the same time, there’s a difference between running and protecting yourself. And you can’t just be a sitting duck in the pocket, so we’ll take it one day at a time."
Murray also said that he felt that if the game were to have been played Wednesday that he feels he would be able to protect himself. But what would happen if Kingsbury decided to sit Murray, to help protect him with a longer-than-normal season?
"You want to have that conversation with him? (laughter) I don’t either," Kingsbury said. "There’s a fine line you walk there, right, with a 17-game season. You’ve gotta be smart, we’ve got some big games coming up. So, we’ll do what’s best for the organization and do what’s best for him."
"I think he’d be looking out for my health, obviously, so I think we would collaborate on that decision, but that’s not the case, so," Murray said.
The Cardinals are coming off their first loss of the season, which came down to the final play against the Packers last Thursday. After the game, wide receiver AJ Green was the subject of a lot of criticism after a miscommunication between him and Murray caused what could have been the game-winning touchdown to be intercepted.
However, both Murray and Kingsbury said Green does not deserve that criticism.
"Yeah, between us, we’ve talked about it. It what it is. It’s over," Murray said. "I think we just both have to be better in that situation. It’s a learning experience, obviously, both of us are frustrated in that moment, I know he felt really bad, obviously, I felt bad because we all lost. That was the end. The goal was to win and we didn’t, so that’s more so why we all felt the way we did. But him being who he is, he takes that to heart. He loves the game, so of course, he’s going to take it hard. But as far as the criticism stuff, nobody really knows what’s going on, outside of us, so I don’t really read too much into it."
"Yeah, I mean, nobody understands what went on except the people that were there and part of it," Kingsbury said. "And it was one of those deals, we’re a signal-based offense and a signal was misinterpreted and that happens, but it wasn’t like he did anything malicious or screwed anything up. It’s just unfortunate that it happened at that time."
It was announced after today's press conferences that Green tested positive for COVID-19 and could miss Sunday's game.
The Cardinals' top wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, is dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss much of last Thursday's game. Kingsbury said he is still day-to-day, but doesn't expect Hopkins to miss the game on Sunday.
"Yeah, we’re still working through that, not sure if he’ll be ready to go this week or not, but D-Hop, you never know, he may just grab his helmet and just run in there off the, out of the training room, so we’ll see."
The loss to the Packers was Arizona's first loss of the season, and came in the 8th week of the season, matching the franchise's best start ever. But the team is putting it behind them.
"I think we flush games exactly how we always do whether it’s a win or a loss," safety Budda Baker said. "It’s one week like we always preach and talk about. Last week we just didn’t get that W, so we go to work each and every day this week, we had a few days off, guys come in Monday ready, Tuesday, Wednesday and get back to work. So, if you dwell on past weeks, a lot of the times it doesn’t end up well for the future or for the present, so for us, we’re just working on each and every day, today’s Tuesday, Wednesday, got our first little install in and now we’re getting ready for San Fran."
"(The team was) very frustrated after the game but that’s a good team and they made more plays than we did. So, I think our guys understand. They were highly motivated today and really had good energy out there," Kingsbury said. "I just think overall, they’re five days away from real football activity so I think guys knew we needed to get it going again. We’ve got great leadership and we understand the type of task we have ahead of us."
The Cardinals hit the road to play the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday. The kickoff is at 2:25 p.m.
The full transcriptions of Kingsbury, Murray and Baker's press conferences are below.
KLIFF KINGSBURY
- How is Kyler’s ankle feeling?
- He’s progressing. We’ll see how the week goes but he’s definitely progressing.
- Was he able to do anything at practice?
- More inside, just rehabbing inside. Yup.
- How can Kyler improve his ankle?
- Yeah, you’re asking the wrong guy. I don’t know (laughter). We have a really good medical staff and training staff that are putting him through the wringer (and) trying to get him ready.
- When would you make the decision for Kyler to be out? Could that go until game time?
- Yeah, no doubt. He’s the type of player with his ability, his understanding of the system now, as long as he’s getting the mental reps we feel good about him going out there and executing.
- If Kyler can’t run like normal, how equipped is the offense to handle that?
- Yeah, you’ve seen the offense. Like he said, his legs are a luxury and he’s a pocket passer now, so I think he can handle it well. He’s done a great job from the pocket, great completion percentage, protecting the ball, so we feel good about him being able to operate even if he can’t have his full array of weapons.
- Are you comfortable with him playing if he does not practice?
- Yeah, I would. He’s got that type of ability, like I said, if it was earlier in his career, probably not, but his understanding of the system now, some of the pieces we have around him, I feel good about that.
- What was Rodney Hudson able to do today and what is the confidence level that he’ll be able to play this week?
- Same deal, we’ll take it day by day, but he’s progressed and he was able to do some walk-though stuff today and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.
- How is the team handling a loss?
- Good, you know it’s, very frustrated after the game but that’s a good team and they made more plays than we did. So, I think our guys understand. They were highly motivated today and really had good energy out there.
- More focus from the team this week?
- I just think overall, they’re five days away from real football activity so I think guys knew we needed to get it going again. We’ve got great leadership and we understand the type of task we have ahead of us.
- Max Garcia was also out at practice, do you feel confident that Max or Rodney could be back this week?
- We’ve just got to see how it goes when we put the pads on and they start really leaning into guys again.
- How do you feel about just having Kyler sit this one out?
- You want to have that conversation with him? (laughter) I don’t either. No, no, I get what you’re getting at. Yeah, there’s a fine line you walk there, right, with a 17-game season. You’ve gotta be smart, we’ve got some big games coming up. So, we’ll do what’s best for the organization and do what’s best for him.
- What is the conversation like where you tell Kyler to slow down a little bit?
- Not good. Not good for me. He’s a competitor, wants to be out there, wants to play and so he’ll want to be out there with his teammates for sure.
- Reaction to Aaron Rodgers testing positive for COVID
- It’s tough, I hate that all of us are still having to go through it. A player like him who’s playing so well just had a big win, now he can’t lead his team. I know how frustrating that is. It’s just what we’re dealing with these days.
- How do you prevent a tailspin after injuries and positive COVID tests?
- We made a bunch of changes this offseason. We brought in a bunch of veteran leadership that we’ve spoken on extensively throughout and that’s why we did it. Situations like this, everybody’s dealing with that throughout the NFL. November’s kind of that month where it’s a battle of attrition at times. We feel like we have the right pieces to power through this year.
- Do the 49ers look like a different team than the one you saw a few weeks ago?
- I always think that they’re going to be one of the most physical teams you play. (They are) well-coached in all areas. They play with great passion. And they do things right so it’ll be a different quarterback. Obviously, having (tight end George) Kittle back, he’s one of the best players in the league, is tough. But I think whoever (Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) lines up back there, he’s going to do a great job with and have a good plan.
- No AJ Green at practice (news of positive COVID test not yet released), how is he doing putting the final play of the Packer game behind him?
- Yeah, I mean he’s a pro, and like I said, that’s a miscommunication. It had nothing to do with a fault of somebody. One guy thought it was one thing, the other guy thought it was something else. And so he understands what he’s meant to this offense so far and how much better we’ve been with him and I expect him to just continue to play at a high level.
- Was criticism for AJ after the final play unfair?
- Yeah, I mean, nobody understands what went on except the people that were there and part of it. And it was one of those deals, we’re a signal-based offense and a signal was misinterpreted and that happens, but it wasn’t like he did anything malicious or screwed anything up. It’s just unfortunate that it happened at that time.
- Does Kyler have to be more obvious with his signal?
- I just think (it was a) short week, you’re dealing with things like that, everybody is. It’s never going to be as clean as you want it to be when you don’t practice all week and you just have two walk-throughs and roll out there. I think that’s just kind of what it came down to.
- Update on DeAndre Hopkins?
- Yeah, we’re still working through that, not sure if he’ll be ready to go this week or not, but DHop, you never know, he may just grab his helmet and just run in there off the, out of the training room, so we’ll see.
- Are teams supposed to take the cone away from guys? (Something about DHop being able to return)
- It was a deal where we felt good about him if he was really smart about it, right? He said, hey, I can do enough, but we just had to walk that fine line.
- Do you expect Hopkins to miss a game?
- No, I don’t ever expect him to miss a game. With that guy, you never know.
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KYLER MURRAY
- How are you feeling?
- I feel good, man, feel really good.
- How’s your ankle?
- Blessed, feel good. (laughter) Naw, it’s good. It’s good, just taking it one day at a time, not really putting anything on it. Just, like I said, taking it one day at a time, see where I go.
- Will you be good to go without practicing?
- Yeah, like I said, taking it one day at a time, I don’t think, I agree with him as far as practice reps and stuff like that. I think I’ll be good to go on Sunday if I just know the game plan and get the mental reps.
- How much did having the weekend off help?
- I think it was good, I think it was helpful. I hadn’t really had any rest at all since the season started. So to get those days was definitely helpful.
- Is it frustrating to have to talk about your health?
- I think for any player, any person, it’s definitely, you don’t want to be in that position. You want to play as free as possible, but it’s football. It’s what we do for a living, it is what it is. Like I said, I feel good.
- What were you able to do today?
- I didn’t practice today but I feel good.
- Becoming a pocket passer this year, if you are not able to run as much, are you comfortable taking that part out of your game if you need to?
- I wouldn’t phrase it like that. I think the last game of my rookie season, I had a hamstring (injury) against the Rams. I didn’t really run that game. I don’t need to run. If I have to, I have to, but at the same time, there’s a difference between running and protecting yourself. And you can’t just be a sitting duck in the pocket, so we’ll take it one day at a time.
- Would you be able to protect yourself if you had to play today?
- Yeah.
- That’s a big encouragement, isn’t it?
- For sure.
- Have your interactions with Colt McCoy changed this week with the possibility that you may not play?
- No, he’s just checking on me to make sure I’m good. But other than that, nothing new. (It) doesn’t really change our relationship at all.
- What would you say to Kliff if he told you he was going to sit you just to be safe with the long season?
- I think he’d be looking out for my health, obviously, so I think we would collaborate on that decision, but that’s not the case, so.
- Is this team better equipped than it has been in years past to handle you not being at 100%?
- Yeah, yeah, for sure, I think it’s a better team in general, which means if I’m not there then yes, we are better equipped to handle me not being there.
- Is AJ not deserving criticism for the final play of the Packer game and have you and AJ spoken about it at all?
- Yeah, between us, we’ve talked about it. It is what it is. It’s over. I think we just both have to be better in that situation. It’s a learning experience, obviously, both of us are frustrated in that moment, I know he felt really bad, obviously, I felt bad because we all lost. That was the end. The goal was to win and we didn’t, so that’s more so why we all felt the way we did. But him being who he is, he takes that to heart. He loves the game, so of course, he’s going to take it hard. But as far as the criticism stuff, nobody really knows what’s going on, outside of us, so I don’t really read too much into it.
- How much of your rehab is staying off your foot completely?
- (Expletive), you’d have to ask them, I don’t know. I just do what I’m told.
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BUDDA BAKER
- You always seem to have big games against the 49ers, how much do you get up for these games?
- Every game, I get up for every game, I’m always excited for every game. Always divisional opponents are those games that you definitely want to win, you definitely want to play hard. But each and every week, like we always talk about, it’s a 1-0 mentality each and every week. So this week we have San Fran and (I’m) just excited for the opportunity to play them for a second time.
- Was it easier to flush the Packer game because it was your first loss or was it harder?
- I think we flush games exactly how we always do whether it’s a win or a loss. It’s one week like we always preach and talk about. Last week we just didn’t get that W, so we go to work each and every day this week, we had a few days off, guys come in Monday ready, Tuesday, Wednesday and get back to work. So, if you dwell on past weeks, a lot of the times it doesn’t end up well for the future or for the present, so for us, we’re just working on each and every day, today’s Tuesday, Wednesday, got our first little install in and now we’re getting ready for San Fran.
- Aaron Rodgers positive COVID test, is there any concern among the defense about getting it or contact tracing?
- No, not at all. We always go through the protocols that the NFL has us go through each and every week and that’s sad that he has COVID and hopefully, Aaron Rodgers gets to feel better and for us, we’re just thinking on what we can do for ourselves to eliminate COVID and on our team (and) in our rooms so that’s what we focus on each and every week. Just make sure we have our contact tracers all the time. If we have to be masked up, make sure we’re masked up, washing our hands, just anything that a normal human would have to do.
- How confident are you that Kyler will play on Sunday?
- Yeah, (Kyler), I don’t think he’s ever missed a game since I’ve been here. So, for me, whoever’s there, we know he’s going to be a great quarterback, no matter who it is and if (Kyler) is on the team, of course, he’s our QB #1, so definitely that’s going to be special. For us, it’s, we just, me as a defensive player, I just worry kind of about my defensive room, make sure guys know their things and know their assignments because every game there’s offense and defense. So if you’re on defense and people don’t score points, it’s definitely hard for them to win the game.
- What have you learned about Jimmy Garoppolo from past games?
- He’s a great quarterback. He knows that offense well. (San Francisco Head) Coach (Kyle) Shanahan definitely does a great job with Garoppolo making sure he has all the correct reads and he makes all the correct reads. He’s a good quarterback to me. He does the right thing, he does what he’s supposed to do each and every play and I’m excited to go against him again.
- Fixing run defense after Green Bay had a huge game
- They’re professional teams each and every week we play and of course, if there’s a run, someone popped out of their gap. So, at the end of the day for us as a defense, we’ve just got to worry about each and every play that (Cardinals Defensive Coordinator) Vance Joseph calls, we’ve got to do our jobs. And that’s our mentality throughout camp, throughout training camp, during the season is do our job. And this week we’re focusing definitely on everyone doing their job.
- How different is this offense from the Rams’?
- I think that San Fran, they have (Kyle) Juszczyk, he’s 44, he’s their fullback and that’s one of their main players, offensive players. So, like the Rams, they have receivers. They’re a good 11 personnel team. San Fran, they have receivers, but they also have a great tight end in Kittle, a great fullback in Juszczyk, so they do a lot more 21 personnel, a lot of 12 personnel. But with the Rams, it’s more 11 personnel, maybe some 12, but more 11. Their run game in San Fran is definitely different than the run game in LA, so the run game in San Fran you got the tosses, the bosses, the stretches, you’ve got power, they do a great job with that run game in San Fran, which ultimately helps them in their pass game.
- How impactful is Zaven Collins to your run defense and how much do you miss him?
- Yeah, Zaven (Collins), he’s a great 6’4”, 260, a guy who’s the definition of a linebacker. And a guy who can fill gaps and a guy who can shoot gaps and has that athletic ability to possibly play man on this tight end one play or play man on this tight end the next play. But like you said, he’s a great rookie linebacker, a guy who understands the defense, getting better each and every week, so to have him down definitely was a loss, but we always talk about the standard is the standard. Whoever’s in the game, you’re the starter. The offense doesn’t care that you’re second-string or third-string. They’re going to want to go after you, so we always preach that the standard’s the standard and you’re on that field, you do your job at a high premium and everything will take care of itself.
- The biggest difference between Garoppolo-led Niners and Lance-led Niners?
- Oh well, you guys would know that! The run game (laughter). The QB run game with San Fran, it was definitely different. Plays that we had never seen before because, of course, he’s more of a running quarterback, or of course he can throw as well and Lance, he’s a young rookie, a guy who had to plug in, so you definitely knew we were going to get some QB run game, some different types of powers, which is definitely different with the QB run game because now there’s an extra blocker in the formation, so now instead of that one linebacker who has to hammer, now that linebacker has to probably take on the fullback hole because there’s not enough for the run game. Whereas, Garoppolo, it’s back to their normal run game and the run game that we’re kind of accustomed to seeing.
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