NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On Wednesday afternoon Saints head coach Dennis Allen touched on the difficulties of a short week playing Thursday Night Football, but that is not even close to the challenge of defending the fast and fickle Kyler Murray.
“He’s extremely athletic at the quarterback position,” Allen said, “and you know there’s a lot of times when you watch the tape and you feel like guys have him and next thing you know, he is running around and throwing touchdowns. He’s one of the elements that’s gonna be difficult for us deal with.”
Arizona’s quarterback is only averaging 34 rushing yards per game, but he ran for 100 last week against the Seahawks. Murray has been efficient throwing the ball as well, competing 65 percent of his passes and throwing for, on average, 244 yards per game through six weeks.
The good news for the Saints? He’s thrown four interceptions this season and one in each of the last three games. However, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan knows they have to put pressure on him and contain him.
“Every quarterback has their difficulties. You got Tom Brady, who’s 6’5 and has the fastest release in the game. You’ve got Marcus Mariota, who’s a phenomenal scrambler, like a running back with a throwing arm. And Kyler Murray has proven that he can do both. He can hurt you either way.”
As for the Saints quarterback, Coach Allen said the decision on a fully-practiced Andy Dalton or a still-recovering Jameis Winston would be made Thursday. Andy Dalton came to the podium to speak to the media Wednesday, and typically that is a starter’s duty. If that’s the case, it would be Dalton’s fourth consecutive start for the Saints.
Watch Dalton’s full Wednesday press conference:
