Kyler Murray’s first training camp as the Minnesota Vikings starter has brought ol' familiar height question back around, but head coach Kevin O’Connell just supplied a very specific example. Murray literally couldn’t see an open receiver on one recent practice play, and he eventually had to admit it.
Murray, 29, has spent his entire NFL career answering questions about being 5-foot-10. His arm talent, quick release and ability outside the pocket have usually kept the conversation theoretical. One missed window in practice brought it directly into O’Connell’s offense, where timing and precision are required on nearly every dropback.
Murray earned the starting job, so O’Connell now has to build an offense that limits how often interior traffic blocks his view. The coaching staff is working through an occasional limitation for the player expected to run the offense, and regular-season defenses will try to squeeze those passing lanes.
Kevin O’Connell knows how Kyler Murray can beat the sightline problem
O’Connell recently showed his quarterbacks Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame speech. Brees -- a couple of inches taller at 6 feet -- recalled telling Cam Cameron and Brian Schottenheimer in San Diego that he hadn’t thrown to an open receiver because he couldn’t see him. That gave Murray some unfortunate context when he couldn’t spot an open target himself.
“He couldn’t see on a play, and he didn’t want to tell me that,” O’Connell said. “So, he prefaced it with, ‘I know I’m not allowed to say this, but,’ and we both got a laugh out of it. It’s going to happen from time to time.”
O’Connell pointed to protection angles and the rush pattern as variables. Interior linemen don’t stay parked in neat spots, and a passing lane can disappear when a rusher pushes into the quarterback’s line of vision. Minnesota can help with pocket movement and play design, but Murray also has to trust where the opening should develop.
“He also has a lot of experience understanding space based upon the defense that they play,” O’Connell said. “We’ve seen some really good examples of him being able to overcome that, playing rhythm and anticipate some throws.”
Murray has already shown he can overcome crowded sightlines by throwing with rhythm and anticipation. O’Connell wants more reps on the plays that haven’t felt natural yet, and those throws figure to receive plenty of attention before Week 1.
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