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Bill Johanesen -> RE: General Vikes Talkk (3/13/2026 1:52:43 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: nfrosty quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark Anderson quote:
ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen quote:
ORIGINAL: David Levine This is...not ideal... Kyler Murray's Deep Ball Problem If quarterbacks need to be able to throw the ball downfield, Kyler Murray is one of the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks. Murray has traditionally struggled massively to throw a football downfield, and 2025 added to that legacy. On passes 20+ yards downfield, out of 42 qualifying QBs, Murray ranked #39 in accuracy and #38 in completion rate. Let’s examine Murray’s NFL rank over the last four years by depth. On 25+ yard passes, Murray ranks: #36 of 36 in completion rate (21%) #36 of 36 in EPA/attempt (-0.18) #36 of 36 in Y/A (7.5) How about 20+ yards downfield? Murray ranks: #40 of 46 in completion rate (30%) #45 of 46 in EPA/attempt (-0.16) #42 of 46 in Y/A (8.7) How about 15+ yards downfield? Murray ranks: #42 of 51 in completion rate (38%) #51 of 51 in EPA/attempt (+0.05) #47 of 51 in Y/A (9.3) We really only need to stop there, because throwing the ball less than 15 yards isn’t really considered taking “a shot downfield,” but to just put a bow on the analysis, let’s look at all passes over 10 yards downfield. I raised the cutoff to 175 attempts to further reduce the pool. Murray ranks: #36 of 43 in completion rate (43%) #43 of 43 in EPA/attempt (+0.08) #41 of 43 in Y/A (8.8) These aren’t just bad numbers. These are terrible numbers. There are 32 qualifying quarterbacks. Murray doesn’t rank in the top 32 throwing downfield, regardless of whether your definition is 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards, or 25 yards. As Murray becomes one of the most talked about quarterbacks in trade discussions, it’s hard to imagine where a quarterback with a massive limitation of throwing the football downfield can become a franchise QB that actually wins meaningful games for teams. Kyler Murray's Extensive Injury History He’s not getting better. He’s getting older and suffering more injuries as the years go by. Since 2020, Murray has made it through just one of five seasons healthy. His injury record is extensive: 2025: played only 5 of 17 games after suffering a Lisfranc-type mid-foot sprain 2023: played only 8 of 17 games due to rehabbing his prior-year ACL injury 2022: suffered a hamstring strain, missed multiple games, then tore his ACL and meniscus 2021: suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain and missed multiple games https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/kyler-murray-deep-ball-stats-trade-analysis-2026/# Bump. The facts show Murray sucks at pretty much all levels of passing but especially the deep and medium throws. As it stands he's probably the worse fit possible. Prediction: Murray-Mania grows over the summer. KOC will not change his system. Once the games begin Murray will find some early success by going off script like Dobbs did. Defenses will adapt and bottle that up, especially because injuries and age have slowed Murray's running/scrambling ability. Murray will tease and some fans will want to resign him for a fairly large contract based on the age old yet nebulous and fanciful 'just imagine what he could do in his second season here.' I'm not saying he will lead us to the Promised Land and he might not be a good fit for KOC's offense. But, how do you complete 67% of your passes during your career and suck at all levels of passing? There does seem to be some conflict in how Murrays ability is being calculated. Here's another online sports writers analysis of Murray. "The Vikings are not onboarding an honest-to-goodness reclamation story in Murray; he’s different than the aforementioned Darnold, who had accomplished virtually nothing until he arrived in Minnesota for the 2024 season. Murray has started 74% of all eligible games in his career, a percentage that would be closer to 80% had the Cardinals not “softly benched” him in 2025. He has the above-listed two Pro Bowls to his name, 4.38 speed coming out of the draft in 2019, can throw the football 65-70 yards, and is the fifth-most accurate quarterback in NFL history. The 28-year-old also has a 0.090 career EPA+CPOE, ranking better than Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones, and C.J. Stroud, to name a few. His career EPA+CPOE closely mirrors Justin Herbert’s from the 2025 campaign." So he was supposedly (didn't run in his Pro Day or at the Combine) fast with a reported 4.38-4.44 in 2019. Two Pro Bowls in 2020 and 2021. Started 74% of career games but only 58% the past three years. Won't debate 5th most accurate QB in NFL history, but unless the facts are wrong that is quite meaningless unless a team's MO is to dink and dunk.
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