Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon puts his firm trust in Kyler Murray for next season despite abysmal 4-12 record, calls him the ‘franchise quarterback’

Gannon has no doubt about playing Murray in next season.

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon puts his firm trust in Kyler Murray for next season despite abysmal 4-12 record, calls him the ‘franchise quarterback’

Jonathan Gannon is sticking with Kyler Murray as the team's franchise QB (Via Imago)

The Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon surprised everyone by beating his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, by 35-31 in week 17. Despite trailing by 15 points, the Cardinals had a great comeback drive in the second half and sealed the victory against the Eagles.

It was one of the memorable nights for Kyler Murray who had a tough time throughout the season. The quarterback only had nine touchdowns against five interceptions. Nonetheless, he had only one night to present his best for the season, and he successfully did that.

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The quarterback had one of the best games of his NFL career as he threw for three touchdowns for 232 yards. In addition, the QB had a stellar 80.3% passing competition rate. Though he was intercepted once, the fans did not mind much considering the other statistics.

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After the performance, Gannon had his words of appreciation for his QB. Despite his poor performance in the season, the HC said that Murray would continue in the next season. He also acknowledged that he became a Murray guy after seeing him performing this season.

The HC was asked whether he would bench the QB in the next season. Denying the possibility, the HC said, 

No, there is not.(laughs) I love this guy. No, there is no doubt. Number 1' is our franchise quarterback.
Gannon via The Burns & Gambo Show

The Cards’HC had a brilliant time last season as the defensive coordinator of the Eagles. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl last season and Gannon had a major role in that. He got a head coaching job at the Cardinals this season, but his stint did not age well. The HC failed to ensure momentum for the team as the Cardinals have only won four out of their 16 games.

Gannon is impressed by the perseverance of Kyler Murray

The Cards HC could not stop appreciating his quarterback after the clash against the Eagles. The Eagles were leading by 15-6 in the first half but it was Murray who threw three touchdowns and sealed the game.

Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray (Via PFF)

Ahead of the game, the QB was sick and missed multiple practices due to that. Nevertheless, his performance did not reflect that he was out of his rhythm. The HC added, 

I always think he's gonna play good, and he has. But there's no doubt he's a huge part to why we won that game. I thought he lit it up. I thought he was lights out. I think at the end of the game — my expectation for him is if you've got the ball in your hands, the team knows we have a chance to win the game. And that's what he did.

Since the return of the franchise QB, the Cardinals won three out of their last seven games. In the first nine games, the team registered only one victory but the team got some momentum back in the latter half.

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