Arizona Cardinals' Gannon says Kyler Murray will play when he's 'ready to play'

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, on Monday, Oct. 13, reaffirmed his stance that Kyler Murray will remain the team’s starting quarterback upon his return from a foot injury.

With a bye coming up after the Cardinals’ Week 7 game at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 19, Gannon was asked if there’s a chance Murray will get another week’s rest before the break.

“No. When he’s out there and ready to play, he’ll play,” Gannon said during his Monday news conference at the team facility. There were no updates on any injured players, including Murray, but those are expected on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Murray didn’t play Sunday in Indianapolis, and backup Jacoby Brissett had a good game stepping in during the Colts’ 31-27 win over the Cardinals. Brissett completed 27 of 44 pass attempts for 320 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

That led to musings about a quarterback controversy, but Gannon has shut down the notion.

“It was a good job by Drew (Petzing, offensive coordinator) and his staff to make sure that we’re putting Jacoby in spots that he does well with,” Gannon said. “I thought we did that.”

Brissett draws praise for play

Gannon said the game wasn’t too big for the veteran Brissett, who has a lot of NFL experience and prepares to be the starter every week. The head coach thought Brissett showed good command and poise, aided by an offensive game plan tailored to his strengths as a pocket passer.

The play of Brissett also drew praise from wide receiver Zay Jones.

“I loved his poise. I loved the way that he was able to come in and lead,” Jones said. “His own flavor of it, everybody is different. I enjoyed being able to see a guy like that step up and deliver the football and command the team.”

Dealing with 2-4 record

Gannon was asked how the Cardinals are handling their 2-4 record, with the four losses by a combined nine points.

“About as good as you can,” Gannon said. “They are not happy. We feel we’re right there, but to get in the win column, we’ve got to do a little bit more. But I am proud of them. The response from the last couple of games here and how those have went, going on the road to playing a good team, I thought our response was the right response. There’s no pointing blame, there’s no finger-pointing.

“A loss is a loss. How you lose, too, might impact us, but … we’re all in it together, man. There’s still a lot of ball to be played, and they know that.”

Gannon said a few tweaks have been made, but nothing drastic, despite the results and record.

“It’s not difficult, to be honest with you,” he said. “You double down on what you know is true. You take in the facts, these are the facts, you take emotion out of it and you solve problems. You’ve got to find solutions. You’ve got to have a steady mind to do that.”

Zay Jones will play the cowbell, ‘and that’s your job’

Jones referred to the widely viewed Will Ferrell Saturday Night Live skit in which Ferrell is part of the band Blue Oyster Cult, pounding on a cowbell in a studio recording session.

When speaking of how close-knit the Cardinals receivers’ group is, Jones likened it to being in a band.

“We’re like each other’s little hype men. I’m trying to celebrate for guys like it was myself when they score,” Jones said. “You truly can’t do it without them, regardless of how good you are. Everybody’s doing their part in the band, sometimes you’re not the lead singer, and that’s OK.

“You know the cowbell with Will Ferrell? Sometimes you’ve just got to play the cowbell, and that’s your job. And you do it with a great attitude until you’re asked to be the lead singer of the group.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Quarterback Kyler Murray for next Cardinals game

Arizona Cardinals’ Gannon says Kyler Murray will play when he’s ‘ready to play’

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