Tramel's ScissorTales: Arizona Cardinals resort to shaming Kyler Murray into homework

Last week, the Arizona Cardinals made quarterback Kyler Murray one of the highest-paid players in the National Football League.

This week, the Cardinals made Murray one of the most embarrassed players in the NFL.

The NFL Network reported that Murray’s new $230.5-million contract includes an addendum requiring the quarterback to spend four hours a week in “independent study” of video on the Cardinals’ upcoming opponent. Other outlets confirmed the clause.

Four hours a week? Peyton Manning studied film four hours every morning before his first cup of morning coffee.

Four hours a week? Network analysts like Tony Romo and Troy Aikman spend more time than that in independent study, and their face is not on a wanted poster in NFL locker rooms.

Four hours a week? A true franchise quarterback spends 40 hours a week studying the defenses trying to take his lunch money.

Somers: Making Kyler Murray contractually obligated to do homework is a terrible idea

We suddenly have learned a lot about the Cardinals and Murray and their strained relationship during these contentious 2022 contract negotiations.

Murray, OU’s 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, is a fabulous talent who has elevated the Cardinals since they took him No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

But Murray has gone 2-5 and 1-5 down the stretch of the past two seasons, and the Cardinals’ discouraging, 34-11 loss to the Rams in the first round of the playoffs last January raised antennas throughout the league. That Arizona-Los Angeles game was one of the most thorough post-season dominations we’ve seen in years. The Cardinal offense was inept.

Is Murray’s work ethic to blame? No way of knowing.

Is Murray’s work ethic in question? Now it is. Absolutely.

Murray in the past has talked about his belief in his innate football ability, that he learns by being in the pocket, not watching video. And no doubt, quarterbacks learn in different ways, same as musicians and chemistry students.

But requiring – by threat of defaulting on the contract – a quarterback to spend a measly four hours a week in independent study shows total exasperation by the Cardinals.

The addendum apparently doesn’t explain how Arizona will monitor Murray’s study, but he will not receive credit for time spent in mandatory meetings or if he’s viewing video while also engaged in using his tablet for video games, watching television or surfing the world wide web.

More:Seahawks RB Chris Carson retires after five NFL seasons due to neck injury, per report

In other words, the Cardinals are treating Murray like a second-grader with attention deficit disorder. And heck, maybe he needs to be.

Murray is like many athletes and admittedly loves video games. Which is fine but also somewhat juvenile. There’s a big world out there. People with the time and resources to experience it, ought to.

I have no idea how the Cardinals will police Murray. Will he have to submit to a camera that is zoomed in on him watching the Seahawks? That would be drudgery for some soul, monitoring someone studying, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

For the addendum to be included in the contract, and then leaked to the media, you know either the Cardinals are a dysfunctional organization or at their wit’s end. Or more likely both.

The addendum should shame Murray, but it also embarrasses the Cardinals. Arizona just guaranteed more than $100 million to a quarterback who apparently doesn’t do even the minimum amount of private preparation.

And the addendum’s revelation can’t soothe Murray’s relationship with the Cardinals. During the off-season, Murray skipped Arizona’s voluntary workouts – not a good look for the face of the franchise – and removed the Cardinals from his social-media accounts.

Esteemed NFL journalist Chris Mortensen reported that Cardinal sources described Murray as “self-centered, immature and a finger-pointer.”

If Murray is not popular in the Arizona locker room, perhaps now we know why.

Overcoaching happens everywhere, so it can happen in the NFL. Too much video work is indeed possible.

But four extra hours a week seems ridiculously small. For the Cardinals to even have to suggest such a time commitment, much less implement it, then make it public, is not a good sign for Kyler Murray’s Arizona future. Or his NFL future.

More:Jerry Jones explains whether Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat

Ranking the Pac-12 non-conference schedules

The Pac-12 has been under siege in the month since UCLA and Southern Cal announced plans to leave for the Big Ten in 2024. Who knows what will become of the conference, but give the Pac credit on this: it long has had a tradition of quality non-conference scheduling, and that isn’t changing in 2022.

Several Pac-12 schools will play schedules that rank among the best in the nation. Colorado signed up for multiple games against Power Five Conference opponents, and others are playing opponents like Brigham Young, San Diego State and Fresno State, who are formidable mid-majors.

We continue our series of ranking college football’s non-conference schedules. Today is the Pac-12:

1. Oregon: Georgia in Atlanta, Eastern Washington, Brigham Young. For all intents and purposes, two Power Five opponents – BYU will be in the Big 12 next season, and most consider the Cougars a major independent now. Georgia is the reigning national champion.

2. Colorado: Texas Christian, at Air Force, at Minnesota.Great schedule. Three competitive games. That’s going above and beyond the call of duty. This is CU’s first trip to Air Force since 1974.

3. Stanford: Colgate, at Notre Dame, Brigham Young.Even Colgate is interesting. East meets West in the Battle of the Brain.

4. Southern Cal: Rice, Fresno State, Notre Dame. Lincoln Riley’s first Trojan schedule is not vintage USC, but Fresno State is no breather.

5. Utah: at Florida, Southern Utah, San Diego State. Utes playing home and home with Florida and San Diego State.

6. Arizona: at San Diego State, Mississippi State, North Dakota State. I’ve never done this before, but I gave extra credit to the Wildcats for scheduling North Dakota State. The I-AA power is quite dangerous. I assume ‘Zona will be favored to win the game, but the Bison might prevail.

7. Washington State: Idaho, at Wisconsin, Colorado State. Colorado State can be sneaky dangerous, so again, a decent schedule for the Cougars.

8. California: Cal-Davis, Nevada-Las Vegas, at Notre Dame.Cal at Notre Dame is an interesting matchup; they met four times from 1959-67, but not before or since.

9. Oregon State: Boise State, at Fresno State, Montana State. No marquee opponent, I don’t suppose, but two tough Mountain West teams is a solid schedule.

10. Arizona State: Northern Arizona, at Oklahoma State, Eastern Michigan.Going to Stillwater is a tough assignment, but not of a challenge otherwise.

11. Washington: Kent State, Portland State, Michigan State. Kent State is playing at UW, at OU and at Georgia, all in September. Kent State has the toughest non-conference schedule in America.

12. UCLA: Bowling Green, Alabama State, South Alabama. The Bruins once were known for quality schedules. Not anymore.

Games against Power Five opponents: 11 of 36 (30.6 percent).

Home games: 26 of 36 (72.2 percent).

Games against Division I-AA opponents: 10 of 36 (27.8 percent).

Percentage of guarantee games (no home-and-home): 18½ of 36 (51.4 percent; a 2-for-1 scheduling contract was counted as a half game).

Tramel's ScissorTales: Which Big 12 football team has best nonconference schedule in 2022?

The List: Most successful athletic programs

The Learfield Director’s Cup is a long-standing ranking of the most successful athletic programs in the nation. The Learfield Cup counts every sport the same, and includes 19 sports, four of which must be both basketball teams, women’s volleyball and baseball.

There’s something to be said for counting a wide range of sports, but requiring volleyball and baseball seems arbitrary. OSU, for example, doesn’t have a volleyball program. Some northern schools don’t play baseball.

But CBS Sports has been compiling a different ranking over the last decade or so. CBS counts just five sports per school – football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and then two sports per school from a list of spectator sports that includes softball, baseball, wrestling, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse and hockey.

In Oklahoma, that means golf gets left out, which is a bummer, since both the Cowboys (and Cowgirls) and Sooners are nationally competitive. But still, it’s a different take than judging rifle the same as football.

CBS’ weighted formula puts a 2.5 multiplier on football and a 2.0 multiplier on men’s basketball. Its football and basketball rankings are determined by The Associated Press poll, while giving a few extra points for other teams that either make a bowl or a college basketball post-season event other than the NCAA Tournament.

Here are the CBS rankings for 2021-22:

1. Michigan

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. North Carolina

5. Arkansas

6. Oklahoma

7. Baylor

8. Alabama

9. Georgia

10. Iowa

11. Michigan State

12. Miami

13. Tennessee

14. Utah

15. Kentucky

16. Ole Miss

17. Brigham Young

18. Iowa State

19. Texas

20. UCLA

21. Wisconsin

22. Iowa State

23. North Carolina State

24. Oklahoma State

25. Auburn

The Sooners were buoyed by NCAA championships in softball and baseball.

OSU had a third-place finish in NCAA softball but were hurt by a 14^th-place finish in wrestling, where the Cowboys are perennially top five.

In the Learfield Cup, OU finished No. 10 and OSU No. 23, so not far off the CBS tallies.

Tramel: BYU joining the Big 12 Conference the hard way, through independence

Mailbag: Kansas City dining

We go off the sports grid today and answer a question about cuisine.

Mark: Non-sports question. I listen to you and (Jim) Traber daily on the (Sports Animal’s) Total Dominance Hour, and you guys have talked about a great Italian restaurant that you love when you go for the Big 12 basketball tournament. Could you tell me again what that is and any other recommendations you might have for KC? The wife and I are going in a couple of weeks.”

Tramel: Sure. Garozzo's is my favorite restaurant in the world. They have one in Overland Park, but I'd go to the one downtown, near Columbus Park. Superb food, superb atmosphere, superb service.

Everyone has their favorite barbeque joints in KC. I like Jack Stack the best. The burnt ends are great, though they sometimes run out, and their sides are the best. Jack Stack is not a hole in the wall. Sort of high-class barbeque (they have several locations, none better than the other).

If you like Southern food, Stroud's is strong. Fried chicken dinners (and other stuff). The original was one of the great hole-in-the-wall places ever, with a slanted floor (not by design) and parking under an overpass. It got shut down years ago, but they still have a fine location in North KC. Stroud's at Oak Manor, or something like that. Friend chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. I'm a happy man when I go there.

And if you want late-night adventure, the Town Topic is a downtown dive that's open 24 hours. Seats about 14 on stools and counters. Great burgers and breakfast stuff. You usually have to wait, so sometimes we don't mess with it. But if you catch them at the right time, it's a hoot. The old people who ran it for years were straight out of the Twilight Zone. They are long gone, but the people working usually are characters themselves, so it's a lot of fun.

Carlson: How missing baseball nationals gave OCU's coach the opportunity of a lifetime

Duane Crabaugh lived a full life

Long-time Oklahoma City University baseball coach Denney Crabaugh died earlier this month, and my pal Jenni Carlson wrote a moving tribute to Crabaugh for the Sunday Oklahoman.

But the man who helped shape Crabaugh, his father, Duane Crabaugh, died last week at age 90.

Duane Crabaugh was born and raised in Adair, joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany during the Korean War.

After his discharge, Crabaugh used the G.I. Bill to attend (and play baseball) at Northeastern A&M Junior College and Northeastern State University, earning bachelors and master's degrees.

Crabaugh got into coaching and took Webbers Falls to a 1960 state championship. Then he got the Del City High School job and coached the Eagles from 1964 through 1972.

In 1973, Oscar Rose Junior College – now Rose State – hired him as baseball coach, and Crabaugh was on the job for 21 years, retiring with 507 victories. Denney Crabaugh played for his father at Rose State.

Duane Crabaugh was a member of three Halls of Fame: The Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association, the National Junior College and the Rose State.

Crabaugh and his wife of 65 years, Frieda, spent their retirement years enjoying friends and family at their Grand Lake house and following their grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren's athletics and activities. Denney’s daughter, Amy, played on OCU’s 2022 NAIA national championship softball team.

A memorial service for Crabaugh will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home in Del City.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Arizona Cardinals embarrass Kyler Murray with NFL contract addendum