Anybody watching these NBC/Peacock or Amazon Prime basketball games? I want to know your thoughts on the production value. Is storytelling returning to basketball? From what I’ve heard, the new media parties are leaning more into Basketball Education than Opinion Farming (ESPN). Nice. Tell me if you agree. Give me a couple weeks and I’ll be the Judge.

Coach and Quarterback. Say it with your chest. That’s team building in the NFL. Get those two things right and everything falls into place. As the NFL’s trade deadline has come and passed, I’ve heard more about the Jets finding THEIR quarterback than anything else. Why? Their current QB is $40m-dollar-man Justin Fields. Fields is allergic to throwing the ball in the air and has surrendered his last chance to be an NFL starter. NY shipped out Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams (their 2 best players) to stockpile first and second round picks. This was stupid. The 1-7 Jets simply had to continue existing and they’d end up with a top 3 pick to spend on a QB. NY effectively got ready to trade up from #3 to #1 before knowing if they’d actually end up with the top pick anyway. Even at #3 they’d have a chance to take a very effective passer.

The Matthew Stafford trade fooled the League into thinking QB’s could be traded successfully. Since Stafford became a Ram, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and even Geno Smith have been traded for buckets of picks similar to what NY just amassed. Each deal looks worse by the day. Find your QB in the draft the way the Chiefs (Mahomes), Ravens (Jackson), Bills (Allen), and Chargers (Herbert) did. Not your style? Rehab a QB (Baker, Darnold, Jones) from a prior trainwreck. The last thing NY should do is splurge on a veteran QB. Who would that vet even be….? Well, can I interest you in Kyler Murray (if you’re smart the answer is No).

Enough puffing. That was a long, long winded intro for the meat of this piece. Let’s get into Murray, his current situation, and how to read circumstances that necessitate the rare NFL blockbuster.

First, Murray. Kyler’s spent seven seasons in Arizona. He’s shown enough flash to warrant a healthy contract extension, but hasn’t delivered on being a first overall selection. Murray’s seen the team toggle through coaches and it’s very likely Arizona is ready for a positional reset. How do we know? Second only to coaches, the QB has to win playoff games. Murray’s won none in 7 years and patience to turn the corner is wearing thin. If you’re thinking “my team needs a QB”, start with the guys stuck in a situation for more than 4 years and less than win signature win.

Leading Indicator #2: dubious injury. The Cardinals shipped Murray to the IR this week with what was only described as a foot injury that needs to properly heal. This is likely a glorified benching. I’m not doubting that Murray is hurt. I’m doubting that he’s injured. Had he been playing better, or if the team was competitive, “foot injury” doesn’t sound like something that leads to missing at least 4 games.

Last and most important, it’s time to get under the hood and inspect the contract and salary cap. Understand one thing, NFL salary caps are entirely fake. Every time I’ve heard about a contract that was impossible to get rid off, it’s been gotten rid off. The Broncos carried more $53m in dead money on last years books and another $32m this year to get rid of Russell Wilson. They’re currently 8-2. Why? How? Coach and Quarterback guys. Sean Payton and Bo Nix clicked. Even more than $80m of wasted salary can’t stand in their way. So let’s look at Kyler. Should he be cut or traded before next season, at most he’ll end up costing AZ $57m in dead money for the 2026 league year. Isn’t that crazy? Well, should he return, he’d be on the books for $53m. Moving on from Murray implies that Arizona need only swallow an incremental $4m. I don’t have to explain the Sunk Cost Fallacy to ECONS like you all. $4m won’t be enough to block pursuing a new chapter in the storied Cardinal QB Legacy.

Do I know where Kyler goes from here? I do not. Is he any good? Probably better than what we’ve seen recently, and good enough that a team striking out in the draft or elsewhere convince themselves he’s their man. And you know what? With the right coach, he just may be. Coach and quarterback. Coach and quarterback.