Arizona Cardinals Writer Howard Balzer talks Evolution of Kyler Murray, Clayton Tune, & Preseason

we'll see him on Sunday as the Cardinals take on the Broncos Howard baller joins us now Cardinals columus and he joins us here on the right to a guest sign how we doing today Howard what's going on doing well doing well just counting the days until we get this pre-season behind us and get ready for the regular season after the rosters get slashed by about 38 players per team so this season going in there's a lot of praise for Kyler Murray are you on that page you believe from what you could just see in practice that this is a different Kyler than years P I think I think yeah I think it's a it's a Kyler Murray that is much more on task I mean obviously in these previous years I think there's a little bit of collective Amnesia making it seem like this guy's never played good football yeah which of course he did for some pretty good stretches of time in the first first two se you know first few seasons so we've always known the ability that he has but I think what what we have seen is a guy that appears at least more on task you know and and that comes as much and and and a lot of it guys to be quite honest you don't see that much it's not like all of a sudden you're saying Oh by we can see that this guy really knows what he's doing now I mean but but what you see and what you hear when he talk to him when you talk to others even Kelvin beum who you know talked about him having to grow up last year recently said that he's seen a lot of maturity from him and he thinks that he's on the right path and so from all of those things put together it looks like you know a different guy and he's he's admitted to having matured and after this time in the league but I think a lot of that is you know the how comfortable he is and the respect he has for the coaching staff which doesn't only include Jonathan Ganon obviously but also drew p the coordinator Israel woler the quarterback's coach and all that and I think also I think he's enthused by the players around him and that's always a big key for any quarterback and when you look at the receiver core when you look at the tight ends when you look at the running back you look at a pretty solid offensive line right now assuming they can all stay healthy you know they've got the makings of being being a pretty good offense I'm not going to sit here guys and say oh my goodness they're going to break records and they're going to do this and they're going to do that but I think they've got the potential to be very you know you know very productive with Kyler Murray you know you know helming that ship if you will you know har you talked about the pieces around him and that's what I wanted to get into it's I think before at times Kyler felt that he had to go in the game himself running throwing I think now when you talk about looking at this team on paper specifically offense all the weapons at least on paper that he can manage the game and step up when he has to he doesn't have to throw a touchdown pass every throw that that's kind of the sense I get in uh watching Kyler Murray this year understanding that yeah no I think that's a part of it you know and I I still I'll go back to that you know first part of that what what 2021 season when they were undefeated after seven games and I don't know that he felt then that he that he had to do too much certainly he did it when he needed to but he didn't run as much in the first qu of that year you you had DeAndre Hopkins you had Christian Kirk you even had AJ Green who was contributing and you had you know James Conor and Chase Edmonds at running back who had a great job share now they didn't have the big name as a tight end you know that year and they didn't have a Trey McBride but they had you know decent Talent then and then of course he got hurt and others got hurt and the rest of that season was a disaster and so I think now he looks at this and maybe sees they don't have a receiver that's as experienced and as top of the game as Hopkins was but certainly everyone expects Marvin Jr to be that how quickly that'll happen will'll be interesting to see but you also saw McBride obviously come on at the end of last year yeah had Trey Benson behind James Conor so I think all of those things yeah but that doesn't mean that all of a sudden Kyler Murray's not hey if I gotta run I'm gonna run and you know those you know those opportunities are still going to be there but I I I definitely you know agree with that to a point that you know he he doesn't have that weight on his shoulder that he's the one you know that has to do it all but I think there's been times in the past where that wasn't that that was the case also and now it's just kind of getting back to those really good times that there were not that long ago Howard baller is our guest on the right Toyota guest line all right Howard so when they finally get to opening up the season in buffalo against the bills a team a lot of people have picked to be right at the top of the standings in the AFC East the schedule for the first six seven games is extremely difficult for this team meaning the Cardinals so if you can look into your crystal ball are they going to be below 500 through the six games even or over 500 yeah that's that that is a great question because in in that stretch of time obviously you know they're playing you know they're playing several playoff teams and that's just you know that's just the reality of it with Buffalo with the Rams with Detroit maybe a little breather with Washington who knows how they're going to be San Francisco Green Bay then the Chargers in Miami so you know that's that that's a heck of a stretch so should you know I would think they should beat Washington but the bottom line is you're gonna have to steal a couple of those games and and that's you know that's the danger and that's the thing you worry about man suppose after what did I reel off just one two three four seven games I mean suppose they're two and five and all of a sudden they said ah see they're not that they're not that good you know we're they're not as good as everyone thought they were going to be but that's the NFL I mean the NFL you've got to beat some of those teams that are either believed to be better than you or are certainly tough outs there's no question about it and who can you steal the game against Can you steal one in Green Bay that one's on the road Can you steal one against the Rams I don't think the Rams are that much better on paper than the Cardinals but that's the thing too is you got to win you got to win some games in your division so I think it's important for them to be perhaps no worse than three and four when they get to that point but you know who knows I mean you never know what's going to happen to other teams you never know what's going to happen to to the Cardinals in terms of injuries and and things like that but things that they believe that they can do Howard how do you read with Clayton tun starting for the uh at least the first half against the Bronco you look at him as as the favorite as the backup or get allow him to get more reps and being I guess okay with Desmond Ritter as your back how do you read that whole scenario right now well I I think you know based on the two games and even based on training camp practices it it just looked like you know Clayton ton not only had a little bit better handle on the offense but he's just a more accurate thrower consistently than Desmond Ritter and now Ritter's a little bit better with his leg so that's something you have to look at I think that you know starting the game is saying hey you know let's start it off and let's see what you can do coming right out of the gate and so I think right now at this moment he's the favorite I would think he would have to really lay an egg for him not to be the backup and the question now though is and this is where there's going to be tough decisions and you only have two days to make them you know a lot of teams this week are playing Thursday Friday Saturday you know cut down is next you have to be down to 53 by next Tuesday and they're playing on Sunday so granted I'm sure obviously they've had discussions about it lot of the decisions have been made or close to being made but they've got to make them Final in a short amount of time and the question becomes do they keep three quarterback just to be safe and just to have that protection if you keep a third quarterback that means going a little bit you know lower at another position and that's where it gets pretty dicey when you come down to cut down de and so I would think if they would cut a quarterback they'll probably look for someone to bring on to the practice squad that can at least be that third quarter back to have around so that's going to be one of the interesting decisions that we'll be you know looking for next you know by next Tuesday when the roster has to be down at the 53 because there's tough decisions at running backs for a fourth or A fifth or fourth or a fifth running back for wide receiver is there a fifth is there a six you know how many corners do they keep I mean there there's a lot of decisions that go into it now and they're going to have to make those tough choices obviously by next Tuesday when you're in a situation where you have to evaluate all of that to help and you just talked about 38 guys are going to be unemployed how difficult is that for the coaching staff I'm sure that there are a few people that they can just wave right away but are they going to burn the candle late night trying to make a decision on who's in and who's out they they might I wouldn't be surprised on Monday to see some of those quote easy cuts okay you know be made and maybe get down from you know the the 91 to I don't know you know 65 you know something like that I wouldn't be surprised to see that but then that those other tough ones I mean I was going through the roster on my own and I was I counted up about 45 or 46 locks right and so when you say that if I'm correct that means well there's not that many other spots well that's true but then I counted up about 17 or 18 guys that you can make legitimate cases for to be one of those final six or seven and yeah that's where it is tough and then special teams enters into it I mentioned running back I mean I mean the fourth I mean as Michael Carter gonna make this team is DJ Dallas going to you know Dallas is a good special teams player and a potential kick return then you have a guy who I think has really impressed people this summer is the rookie undrafted pre- agent receiver Xavier we I mean he's made some nice catches he's returned kicks and so is it between him as an extra receiver and DJ Dallas is an extra running back to make the roster I mean those those where all those decisions are and so to answer your question yeah there could be some real late nights mon because here's the thing you know that you have to have it done by one o'clock Pacific time I mean it's 4 Eastern but it's one o00 Pacific where you have to have all the Moves In by and so yeah there there could be some late discussions going into Monday night for some of those close close battles for not necessarily in your position but comparing it to another position where you might feel like you have to keep you know an extra player or two now the one positive guys is that they don't have a bunch of guys injured that at at positions that you know the guys you know are going to be on the team when you have that then all of a sudden a lot of times you're forced to keep an extra guy at one of those positions just to have enough and so they're not in that situation right now so that could help it but it's still still a very difficult decision and for a lot of guys that have shown that they're deserving of being on an NFL roster now a bunch of them will end up three practice squad but that's presuming if you put them on waivers that no one else in the NFL claims it exactly so those are all those are all the factors that go into those you know those hours after that final game to make the final call Howard we appreciate you every week man thanks for the time my pleasure guys here Howard balls are joining us here as you hear him all over the market as he does a tremendous job so we appreciate him taking some time H balls are 721 now I know you two guys aren't big coffee shop guys right I mean it's not like I I'll catch you guys at the coffee shop on your laptop working you know maybe maybe prepping for the show you guys would do drive through get it and go so there's a coffee shop in New York that's been in the news lately because they're charging customers $10 a day to use their Wi-Fi are they really