GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cardinals rookie quarterback Kyler Murray said Thursday that he doesn’t feel pressure — at all — but he understands that if he doesn’t perform, there’ll be plenty of people not happy with him.
“I got to go out and play well,” Murray said. “And if I don’t, then people are gonna be mad, I’m gonna be mad, everybody’s gonna be mad. So, my focus is play well.”
He sees the chatter, whether it’s through news on his phone or on TV while he’s eating dinner, but the first overall pick in this year’s draft isn’t letting that affect him.
“I don’t feel pressure,” Murray said.
Murray is set to play in his first preseason game next Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers. He doesn’t expect to play “too much” but wants to “get out there, get a feel for the game and let it rip a little.”
As Murray enters his second week of training camp, he’s finding out what it’s like to be a professional football player. He doesn’t have school to worry about. His life has become all football, all the time.
“It’s been fun,” Murray said. “It’s a little different. Schedule’s a little easier just because this is what we love to do. This is what I love to do, so for me, it’s easy to just wake up and play football and worry about football.”
Murray has also learned during training camp that the NFL is a faster game than college, especially professional defensive backs.
“I think that’s probably one of the biggest adjustments is windows are tighter,” Murray said. “You got to anticipate things a lot more. But that makes it fun. College, you know, dudes would be wide-open. It’d be really easy stuff like that. It’s part of being in the NFL.”
But the 21-year-old is already feeling more comfortable overall.
He has better understanding of the offensive concepts, what the offensive line is doing, what he should be doing against certain looks and what everyone else on the field is doing.
“We’re just kind of honing in on that and,” he said, “sharpening up on those things.”