Admitting You’re Wrong in the NFL
Arizona Cardinals would be wise to replace Josh Rosen with Kyler Murray
No one in any walk of life enjoys admitting they made a mistake. After all, we are taught to never fail in the first place. But the truth is, owning a mistake as quick as possible and moving on it from it is one of the best things you can ever do. Just good luck convincing NFL General Managers this is the case.
The ultimate mistake by a decision maker in a league full of unmitigated disasters is drafting a first round quarterback that doesn’t work out - it sets your entire franchise back for years, maybe a decade. You must commit to this young QB start after start, through interceptions and your home fans booing him, praying he eventually validates your high evaluation. If the QB doesn’t succeed, you, the GM doesn’t succeed. So every opportunity is given to the quarterback. A new offensive coordinator, a first round left tackle, surrounding him with recycled playmakers.
And so often it never works out. See past the epic busts of Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell. In modern times, Andy Dalton has been the Bengals starting quarterback for 8 seasons but has less playoff wins than Tim Tebow. The Dolphins have entered 7 straight seasons planning on Ryan Tannehill at QB. Blake Bortles has somehow been allowed to start 74 games for the Jaguars. The Bears are an all-star team with an unproven passer at the helm.
But the Arizona Cardinals can use a cheat code to beat the game. They used a first round pick on Josh Rosen last year. Rosen wasn’t bad in rookie action, but he didn’t scream Franchise QB either.
Josh Rosen had 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a rookie in 2018
Today a Heisman Trophy winning, electric factory of a playmaker is available to the Cardinals at the #1 overall spot in next month’s NFL Draft. And if GM Steve Keim and Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury believe Kyler Murray has more potential than Josh Rosen, they should immediately commit to the two-sport star from Oklahoma. Move on from Rosen after one year for a guy you believe in. For a guy you will risk your career on. For a quarterback you will run out there year after year, no matter the result, in search of greatness.
Jeremy Garrison can be heard on THE SPORTS HANGOVER PODCAST and can be found on twitter @JeremyGarrison