New York Giants: Kyler Murray and the love of running quarterbacks

We take a deeper dive into Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, why some like him for the New York Giants but why they should actually stay away.

The New York Giants are in the final stages of their time with Eli Manning as their starting quarterback. We can argue back and forth as long as we want about how much longer Eli has, but we can all agree that his time is coming.

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray recently announced that he declared himself eligible for the NFL draft here in 2019. Should the Giants take him to be the heir apparent to Eli?

John Carroll, our co-expert, did an excellent job talking about why the Giants should stay away from Murray based on the situation surrounding him. Today we take it even deeper.

That isn’t the only reason to stay away. The Giants should also stay away from Kyler Murray because his style of play isn’t conducive to long-term success in the NFL.

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It goes back to a growing trend among NFL fans and some experts. It’s a fad that doesn’t play out as a successful one either.

There is a continued and growing love for running quarterbacks. I don’t understand it because they don’t win consistently.

Everybody wants the next Michael Vick. They want to see that guy that can beat you down the field that also can play quarterback.

It was to use Michael Vick in the Madden video game, but what did he do in real life?

For all of that running he did, he never threw more than 21 touchdowns in a season and eclipsed 60% completion percentage twice.

Vick also never won a title, going 2-3 in playoff games. In the losses, he never ran for more than 32 yards.

To put it bluntly, when Michael Vick was forced to make the throws, he couldn’t do it in a big spot and he lost.

Take a look at Murray’s Orange Bowl performance from 2018:

What do you see? I see designed runs for the quarterback and a quarterback that runs without looking down field all the time. It’s also a quarterback that has inconsistent foot work and someone with accuracy problems from the pocket at times.

To win in this league, you must be able to make all of the throws from the pocket. Making plays with the feet is fine when everything breaks down, and when the quarterback is looking down the field. But these designed runners don’t work out in the NFL with any sort of consistency.

Look at the winning quarterback in each of the last ten Super Bowls:

Does anyone else notice the fact that out of the last ten Super Bowls, only one was won by a quarterback with any sort of running reputation?

Nine were won by strict pocket passers, and the other was won by Russell Wilson. On Wilson, one could argue that he has rapidly become just as good in the pocket with his arm as he is with his feet on the move.

Of the nine won by pocket passers, five were won by quarterbacks over 30 years old at the time of the victory. What does that mean? The pocket passer style has staying power. Despite the modernization of offenses, pocket passing has been proven time and time again to be the way to win in the NFL.

We understand that Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy this past season. But what does that prove, other than the fact that he was a great college player?

Since 2010, the quarterbacks that have won the Heisman are Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Murray.

Which one of those guys has proven sustained NFL success? None. The jury is still out on Jackson and Mayfield. Mariota and Winston are not there yet. Newton has flashed but not been able to sustain it, and the same goes for Griffin.

The Giants should stay away from Kyler Murray. His on the field style is not set for sustained NFL success. The history is what it is.

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Life is not a Madden game. Off of the video screen, players like this don’t win.

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