“You need to establish a culture that the finish to this season is unacceptable,” says Revenge of the Birds
Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Rams have won four straight ahead of their rematch with the Arizona Cardinals. Despite Arizona wiping the field with the Rams in a Week 2 demolition, LA is 13-3 against the Redbirds under Sean McVay since 2017.
This week, I spoke with Seth Cox from Revenge of the Birds to get his thoughts on Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie struggles and whether Jonathan Gannon should be on the hot seat.
Q – Coming off the loss to the Panthers, quarterback Kyler Murray received criticism after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in his five healthy seasons as the full-time starter. How fair is the criticism toward Murray?
A – It is a quarterback-driven league and if you are the quarterback, then you get the criticism. You have to find a way to finish seasons strong, not just start or get hot in the middle, and that seems to be the consistent issue with Kyler.
His arm looks like he is hurt, but if you are on the field, then you have to perform. We have seen that with Matthew Stafford through the years. He plays through it and if he sucks, he owns it.
That is the one thing this year we have seen, Kyler is owning his play, which is growth in a sense, but I don’t think it absolves his play or the fact that they need more from him.
Q – First-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr. has also been placed under a microscope given his struggles and seeing draftmates Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers outproduce the former Ohio State star. How must MHJ improve ahead of his sophomore campaign to live up to his status as Arizona’s WR1?
A – He has to start being aggressive coming back to the ball, use his size and body, and win at the catch point.
He just looks… lazy and uninterested at times, which is not how you want to describe your first round pick, especially as you mentioned above how well the next couple of guys are playing.
From what we know, Harrison’s work ethic and his understanding of the NFL should help him get better, but watching him get beat for the ball twice near the end of the game last week was surely not what anyone wanted to see.
Q – Arizona has gone 1-4 since their Week 11 bye following a 6-4 start. What has gone wrong for the Cardinals in that stretch and what does it say about Jonathan Gannon’s job security with two games left to play?
A – I think Gannon is back, but he needs to figure something out.
As much as Murray has had issues, the Cardinals’ defense gave up 243 yards rushing and 36 points to the Carolina Panthers.
Gannon is a defensive guy, and yet it seems like the defense can never get big stops.
Look at that Rams win over the Niners, we haven’t seen the Cardinals win that way. Even in their game that was similar they still gave up 15 points and needed a last-second field goal to win.
At some point, you need to establish a culture, and the culture needs to be your stamp on the team. It can change, we’ve seen McVay change—which is why he is a great coach—but you can’t just say it’s the joy of competition that is what it is all about.
Q – Despite the Cardinals being eliminated from the playoffs due to their loss in Carolina, the future in the desert appears promising. What must AZ do this offseason to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021?
A – Finish? I mean I know that seems overly simple, but they have to finish a season stronger than they start it.
To do that, they need more depth along the offensive line, but they need a couple game changers on defense.
What the Rams have done this year, after last year, should be the blueprint, because Jared Verse and Braden Fiske look like they are going to be very good for a long time.
However, you also need to establish a culture that the finish to this season is unacceptable, and that they are coaching for their jobs.
We saw Gannon get conservative after he was always playing aggressive all season, and now he needs to feel the stress of things.
Q – The Cardinals have a chance to play spoiler against the Rams this week so how can they secure an upset at SoFi?
A – They can’t. I mean, if they get a good game from their big three, a healthy James Conner, Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr., then maybe they can, but the reality is that hasn’t happened since the last Rams game.
So, this defense will give up 120+ yards to Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford will have little to no pressure, and the duo of Kupp and Nacua will gash them and the defense will need to do just enough to win.
Rams take this one and lock up the division.