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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJacoby Brissett stunned the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, but coach Jonathon Gannon remains insistent that Kyler Murray is the starting QB.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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- Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner offers his perspective on the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback situation.<\/li>\n
- Warner notes that Jacoby Brissett is a good player who makes the offense look better within its structure.<\/li>\n
- Warner believes Kyler Murray still has trade value due to his talent, but a team would need to believe they can develop him further.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Kurt Warner knows a thing or two about backup quarterbacks taking over from entrenched starters.<\/p>\n
In 1999, he replaced Rams<\/a> starter Trent Green when Green tore his ACL. Three years and a Super Bowl title later, he was replaced by Marc Bulger amid a string of his own injuries. From 2005-07, he was again in and out of the starting role \u2014 this time with the Cardinals<\/a> \u2014 before leading Arizona to its lone Super Bowl appearance.<\/p>\n
So when Warner watches the Cardinals\u2019 current quarterback situation unfold \u2014 with Jacoby Brissett being named the starter this week over Kyler Murray due to both performance and health \u2014 he can offer a unique perspective.<\/p>\n
And this week, Warner was in the radio booth for Westwood One, watching as Brissett led the Cardinals past the Cowboys, 27-17, to lay claim to the starting job.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing we have to do is recognize that Jacoby\u2019s good,\u201d Warner told The Arizona Republic. \u201cJacoby\u2019s a good player, he’s always been a good player. And it hasn’t been any different since he’s taken over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over a half-hour conversation this week, Warner shared his thoughts on Brissett, Murray and where the Cardinals go from here.<\/p>\n
How Brissett has improved the offense<\/h2>\n
Before diving into comparisons, Warner wants to point out two key elements at play here.<\/p>\n
One, Brissett has long been among the league\u2019s better backups. This has not been a case of an unproven rookie stepping in and outperforming Murray.<\/p>\n
Two, the comparison between the two is not apples-to-apples. Brissett is a different style of quarterback than Murray. He wants to play more within the offense, rather than creating on his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes sense with Jacoby (who) can do that at a high level, that the offense in-structure looks better than it does with Kyler (who) is more of a first-read type guy,\u201d Warner said. \u201cFirst-read, checkdown. First read, take off and create. More so than working to two, three and four and working deep into his progressions. So the nature of the offense is going to look different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Warner says that he doesn\u2019t know offensive coordinator Drew Petzing well enough to know his preferred philosophies, he adds that it\u2019s \u201cquite possible\u201d that Brissett is a better fit for Petzing\u2019s preferred style of offense.<\/p>\n
Brissett has worked under center four times as often as Murray, enabling the Cardinals’ play-action rate to jump from 25.1% to 39.7%, per Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n
His ability to work through progressions has also allowed the Cardinals to involve Michael Wilson and Zay Jones in their offense far more often.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet’s say at most it’s 50% that you can throw it to your first read,\u201d Warner said. \u201cSo that leaves 50% of the game where you’ve got to work through your progressions. Just because they cover up number one doesn’t mean there’s not a good option and an open option and something that’s easier than running around and creating a play. And so what I see is when you allow the offense to work for you, you make the game easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s a reason that Brissett has not been able to establish himself as a franchise quarterback at any of his six previous stops. To Warner, that starts with his accuracy \u2014 an issue that popped up against the Cowboys, when Brissett missed a handful of open throws.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you’re in the starting role over and over again and you miss some of those throws, those are kind of the throws that makes a high-end starter and makes everybody else,\u201d Warner said. \u201cAnd if there’s one thing about Jacoby, that’s what I would say is just that there’s always been something a little bit off in terms of that consistent accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n