Kyler Murray Depending On Work Ethic Ahead Make-or-Break Season

It's Year Seven, and Kyler Murray’s NFL legacy could be on the line.

Just one playoff appearance and zero postseason wins in his first six years as the Arizona Cardinals’ starter hasn’t been the start Murray, or Arizona, was looking for, but Murray is working tirelessly to change things.

"The goal is to win each day," Murray said after training camp on Monday. "I'm trying to focus on today, get better today, and be consistent."

Murray isn’t new to high expectations, as he’s been the face of every level of football he’s played in since his youth, but his NFL career has gone differently.

Despite being the No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year in 2019, Murray isn’t the face of the NFL — he’s just another starting quarterback. By some measures, he’s begun to slip as more and more young QBs have entered and taken the league by storm.

Murray is seen as a respectable, yet not elite, quarterback by many analysts, but inside the Cardinals’ facilities, things are different.

Murray is the face of the franchise — one searching for its first Super Bowl in its 100-plus-year history — and the Cardinals’ QB understands this. He realizes he needs to be at his best for his team to play its best and succeed at the highest level.

"When you've been doing it your whole life at the best of the best level, it's one of those things where it's boring doing the right (expletive) over and over again, but I would say that's probably the secret," Murray said.

"Those type of things at this position, that's the kicker. Don't get bored playing, they tell me that all of the time, so that's definitely something for me I always stick to."

While it might seem cliché, Murray is focused on repetition — over and over again — doing the “boring” stuff until he perfects it.

This has allowed Murray and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to get on the same page, as they both agree that the boring reps are the ones that can allow the Cardinals to reach the next level.

"Obviously this is Year Three in the system with Drew, but I know what he wants," Murray said. "And he knows what I like."

The relationship between a quarterback and his offensive coordinator is as important as any on the football field, and it seems like Murray and Petzing are on the same wavelength. That doesn’t mean every practice goes smoothly, though.