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Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury Expects Kyler Murray's Clap Snap Issues to Be Solved

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistAugust 18, 2019

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws during the first half of an an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)

Ralph Freso/Associated Press

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he's spoken to NFL Head of Officiating Al Riveron about rookie quarterback Kyler Murray's unique approach to clapping as a form of a hard count before the snap, which caused two false start penalties against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday.

"I think we've come to an understanding," Kingsbury said, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. "And I feel good about it."

"I think we understand their point of view and they understand ours," Kingsbury added, noting he's spoken to officials before Cardinals preseason games this year. "So, I expect it to be solved."

The plays in question were penalized because of the manner in which Murray clapped:

Kyle Odegard @Kyle_Odegard
Kyler Murray said his hand clap was deemed too abrupt, thus the false start penalties. Kliff Kingsbury is confident the Cardinals will still be able to use the clap to snap the ball in the regular season.

Josh Weinfuss @joshweinfuss
Here's why Kyler Murray was flagged for two false starts: His clap on those plays was too herky-jerky. He can use a fluid clap but once he starts hesitating, it's a penalty.

Kent Somers @kentsomers
NFL is going to leave it up to each officiating crew to determine if QB clap w/out ball being snapped is a false start. Cardinals might have to re-think their cadence. Kyler Murray called twice on it last night.

The bigger issue Thursday, however, was that Murray and the Cardinals offense struggled immensely in the 33-26 loss.

Murray finished just 3-of-8 for 12 yards and was sacked twice. He also rushed once for four yards. In his four drives, the Cardinals punted three times, and he was sacked in the end zone for a safety. The Cardinals didn't manage a first down while he was in the game.

"We didn't look as good as we would like to look, but it's the preseason, and this is why it's the preseason," Murray said after the game, per Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com. "It's tough because we're not playing the whole game. I don't want to say it's not real, but it's not the regular season, and we're not doing everything that we're going to do."
Murray was better in the team's opening preseason game, completing 6-of-7 passes for 44 yards versus the Los Angeles Chargers, so it's hardly time to start sounding the alarms regarding the 2019 top overall pick. And the Cardinals are likely to go through a major adjustment period with both a rookie quarterback and a first-year NFL head coach in Kingsbury.
"It's new at this level, so we have to adjust," Kingsbury said of Murray's pre-snap clapping, which he did during his time with the Oklahoma Sooners. "And we'll do that."

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