Nightcap Hour 2: Ja’Marr Chase SPEAKS on PROTECTING Burrow + Kyler Murray ADMITS He CAN’T See + Browns QB COMP Not Over + NFL Players RETURNING to College + James Harden SIGNS $97M Contract + BIG 3 Week 10 PREVIEW

**Shannon Sharpe** (0:00)
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell says Kyler Murray admitted he could not see over the offensive linemen during last week's game. Let's take a listen to what Kevin O'Connell had to say.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:09)
All right, Cam, just curious about what you've learned about how he overcomes the height issue, sort of seeing the field, and just how he's still able to make conclusions like you did yesterday down the field.

**Kevin O'Connell** (0:18)
Yeah, it's funny, because I don't know if you guys caught it in Drew Brees' Hall of Fame speech. He told the story about when he told Cam Cameron and Brian Schottenheimer, he couldn't see somebody who was open and they told him it's your job to see. So, the other day in practice, because I showed the quarterbacks that clip and I showed him some other things, because I thought Drew did an unbelievable job in that speech. But he couldn't see on a play, and he didn't want to tell me that, so he prefaced it with, I know I'm not allowed to say this, but we both got a laugh out of it. It's going to happen from time to time, depending on the angles and how the protection and rush kind of pattern works. That's going to be part of it, but he also has a lot of experience understanding space based upon the defense that they play, space based upon what we're trying to do from a standpoint of attacking voids and vacancies.
We've seen some really good examples of him being able to overcome that playing rhythm and anticipate some throws. We've also seen some times where we got to get some more reps of what that throw actually is.

**Chad Johnson** (1:24)
I like that. I like that, especially with a quarterback that is short as Kyler Joe and Drew Brees. They have to understand pocket presence is very important. I think Drew Brees might be a little bit taller, so he was able to play from under center at times. Kyler Murray, I think for the most part, he might have plays on the center, but I think sometimes he has to be in the gun. He has to be in the gun unless you're rolling him out left or rolling him out right. Because of him having to understand space, like Coach said, and angles, and being able to anticipate your throws, even if you can't see, just knowing where that player is supposed to be, you gotta anticipate some of those things. I mean, listen, because of his height, it's gonna be a struggle.
It's gonna be a struggle. And it was, I'm sure he had this issue when he was in Arizona, but he still was able to complete passes.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:08)
Yes.

**Chad Johnson** (2:10)
All right, pocket presence, moving, you know, he knows what he needs to do. I think that's more of a funny thing. You know, he's been playing long enough to understand that I'm not the tallest person. I'm never going to be the tallest person, but it's all about understanding the game and putting yourself in position to make throws in between linemen and the spaces that you have to work with.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:32)
Well, you have to find throwing lanes.

**Joe Johnson** (2:34)
Yeah.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:35)
That's what small quarterbacks, even tall quarterbacks. Because there's some tall quarterbacks that get the ball batted down a lot. But you have to find the lanes to throw through, especially when you're his size.
That was one of the deterrents that people use to not draft for short quarterbacks.

**Joe Johnson** (2:52)
Yeah.

**Shannon Sharpe** (2:54)
Because you fire 10, you ain't see it over, there ain't no five foot, no 5'11, offensive linemen. Them boy big, boy. Yeah. I mean, the center might be the shortest one. He might be 6'1, 6'2, but then you start getting to the guard, they 6'3, 6'4, 6'5, you get to the tackles, you ain't going to find a tackle probably under 6'5, 6'6. Right.
And I think for Kyler, it's important that their run game is effective, Unc and Ocho, because that's going to help him throughout the season to where you don't put so much pressure on them to drop back them 40 sometimes trying to gunsling that thing. With your run game is great, with Jones back there, man, he should be pretty good sitting back there in that play.

**SPEAKER_6** (3:40)
And making plays, yeah.

**Chad Johnson** (3:41)
And the funny thing about it, what also makes Kyler Murray good is he can sit back there and be patient, but if things break down, he's one of the quarterbacks that can make something out of nothing. And if it's not there, and I gotta pull it down and go with it, well, he'll go now.