On Saturday, before he test positive for COVID-19, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray called plays for backup QB Colt McCoy from the sidelines at training camp practice.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the team’s primary offensive play caller, said he made Murray do this to give him a different perspective on what it means to make tough decisions from the sideline.
“I just wanted him to know that, hey, this shit ain’t easy,” Kingsbury told reporters on Thursday, per NBC Sports. “Every now and then, he starts shaking his head when I’m calling it in there, I’m like, ‘Alright big dog.’”
Murray radioed the play calls in through the microphone system in their helmets. Kingsbury joked about Murray’s inexperience as a play caller, saying the 24-year-old quarterback continued to talk in the backup’s ear as the play went on.
“I would not want to play for Kyler Murray if I was a quarterback and he was the coach,” Kingsbury said.
Murray recently signed a massive contract extension with the Cardinals organization. Fortunately for all parties involved, the former No. 1 overall pick will be on the field — not the sidelines — for this coming NFL season.