Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Downplaying Facing Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach is now the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator.

November 17, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury (right) instructs quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Tempe, AZ -- When the Washington Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury to be their offensive coordinator there were a lot of questions surrounding the move.

For starters, many wondered if it signified the Commanders were trying to trade up for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who Kingsbury had worked with during the 2023 college football season.

After that, there were questions as to whether or not Kingsbury would provide Washington with a legitimate offensive strategy or prove the many Arizona Cardinals observers who heavily criticize the coaches qualifications to lead an NFL program.

November 17, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury (right) instructs quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

One player not looking to publicly criticize Kingsbury - despite being given several chances to do so - is the coach's former quarterback, Kyler Murray.

First asked if he could give the Cardinals' defense any insight into what to expect from his former coach, Murray simply stated, "No," as he awaited his next question.

Asked what it would be like to see the coach who led Murray and the Arizona squad from 2019-2022 the quarterback specified that he's seen him, "just out and about," since the two last worked together.

Then, when asked about the overall feel of facing a former coach of his, Murray said, "To be honest, I've done it before. I've competed against him before and many other coaches that I've been coached by. It doesn't really affect me. My goal is to go out and win the game.”

But the attempts weren't finished, and one more try was made by asking the quarterback to compare playing under Kingsbury and under Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

“Two different systems. One is more reliant on certain things, and the other one is more reliant on other things,” Murray awkwardly yet simply said, seeming to wink after the answer.

With his one media availability before the game under his belt Murray successfully dodged the opportunities to provide the Commanders any additional motivation.

Coming up on Thursday Kingsbury will get his chance to avoid the same drama - and since Washington is in Arizona this week to practice and prepare for Sunday afternoon's contest we can bet there'll be plenty of local media present to try and lure any hint of lingering bad feelings between the coach and his former quarterback.

---

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

More Washington Commanders News

• Kliff Kingsbury Gives Commanders Advantage vs. Cardinals

• Commanders Upset Bengals in Monday Night Shootout

• Commanders Fan Takes on Monday Night Football vs. Bengals

• Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt Humbled in Loss to Commanders