The suggestion was made -- understandably so -- that Kyler Murray, in his quest to get Marvin Harrison Jr. the ball more often, that he needs to throw it to the talented rookie even if he is covered.
The quarterback acknowledged the idea, noting that once, that is how he approached throwing to DeAndre Hopkins.
"I think that comes with time and you've seen it with guys like I played with like Hop," Murray said. "He's a guy that was one of those where it didn't really matter who was over there. If you just give him a chance he's going to go up and get it. I think with time -- it was my first game with Marv.
"We didn't get a lot of reps in the preseason. We didn't get any. We have to go out there and prove that we're capable of that."
Once upon a time, a quarterback went through something similar with a high-profile receiver. Kurt Warner -- perhaps you've heard of him -- signed with the Cardinals in 2005 and they had a young wideout named Larry Fitzgerald.
Warner came from the Rams, and his passing there was all timing. Guys got open, and Warner would sacrifice his body to make sure he waited until the right moment. But when he got to the Cardinals, he noticed Josh McCown sometimes throwing to Fitzgerald at a moment when Warner wouldn't have done the same. Fitzgerald was covered, and that wasn't Warner's M.O. (To a lesser extent, that was Anquan Boldin too.)
"It's one of those things I've had to change in my game with these guys because they play the game a little different than other receivers I've played with," Warner said back then. "It took me well over a year to understand that."
Warner and Fitz ended up with a beautiful relationship once Warner truly understood what he had. The reality is that in the short time Murray and Harrison have been together -- and it wouldn't have changed with 20 preseason snaps, to be honest -- that symbiosis is yet to be reached. If Murray tries to make the ball go to Harrison and he gets picked off, that doesn't work either.
"We want to get him more in touches. That's not a secret," Murray said. "But I don't want to go forcing things for sure."
