Monday, August 24, 1998
Associated Press
The Cardinals' Adrian Murrell celebrates a 1-yard
touchdown run against the Seahawks.
Murrell’s a
happy Cardinal
The two-time 1,000-yard rusher
By Steve Schoenfeld
thinks Arizona is the perfect fit for him
The Arizona RepublicRunning back Adrian Murrell knew it was time to go on the offensive. His motto was: Force the issue, be aggressive, flex his muscles, get a deal done.
He knew he couldn't stop New York Jets coach Bill Parcells from trading him last spring. But if Parcells wanted to shop him around, Murrell figured he could at least have a say in where he wound up.
So Murrell, the former star at Leilehua High in Hawaii, and his agent, Stephen Hayes, sent out feelers, and Murrell decided he wanted to play for the Arizona Cardinals.
It might be the first time in NFL history a 1,000-yard rusher told a team to come and get him.
"We shopped this area right here," Murrell said. "I told Steve, 'This is the place I want to be.' We looked at what (backs) were here. I knew (the Cardinals) were looking to get a back in the draft, so I wanted the deal done before the draft."
He wasn't finished lobbying. He asked Cardinals wide receiver Rob Moore and backup running back Ron Moore, both former Jets teammates, if they could put in a good word for him after the Cardinals lost out in the Ricky Watters sweepstakes.
Murrell, a sixth-year pro who has rushed for 3,447 career yards and 15 touchdowns, got his wish April 7, when the Cardinals traded a 1998 third-round pick to the Jets for Murrell and a '98 seventh-rounder.
As soon as the trade was made, the Cardinals said they expect Murrell to be their featured back.
He didn't have to convince Cardinals running-backs coach Johnny Roland, who was a Jets assistant when Murrell was a fifth-round pick out of West Virginia in 1993.
"When I got him the first time, he was a young pup," Roland said. "He was very raw. But I knew he had great athletic ability as far as quickness, speed and change of direction. When there's a (hole), he'll take it and do whatever he has to when he passes the line of scrimmage."
Murrell thought he was headed for a long, productive career with the Jets when Parcells was hired after the 1996 off-season.
The previous year, the coach watched Murrell rush for 128 yards and two touchdowns in a game against Parcells' New England Patriots. After the game, Parcells informed Murrell he was voting for him for the Pro Bowl.
Then, when Parcells left the Patriots to take the Jets' job, he gushed about Murrell.
"Look, I'm not trying to make this guy Jim Brown, OK?" Parcells said then. "But the kid has everything. The kid can see it; he's got good vision. (Jets assistant Ron) Erhardt told me, 'Hey, Bill, you're going to love this guy.' "
Parcells did love Murrell early last season. In the opener, he gained 131 yards. He had 110 yards in Week 3 at New England. He showed his durability with 40 carries for 156 yards against Cincinnati.
But Murrell and the Jets struggled late in the year. He gained only 150 yards on 52 carries the final four weeks, when the team went 1-3 and missed the playoffs.
"New York is a tough town," Murrell said. "I took about half of the blame. But it's hard when you're rushing 12 times a game. That's all we were running the ball."
Still, Murrell thought he would remain with the Jets until Parcells signed New England running back Curtis Martin to an offer sheet worth $4 million a year. The Patriots didn't match.
So Murrell went after the Cardinals, who weren't a tough sell. In 1996, the Jets won their only game when Murrell rushed for a career high 199 yards against them.
"It wasn't just that one game," Cardinals defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis said. "I had played against him when I was with the Bears, and I always thought he was a very good back. He's a sneaky back. He's a guy who can catch, run, make you miss. He runs faster than you think. He's a guy you hoped didn't get the ball much, because the more he was used, the better he got."
Murrell left New York on good terms. Many of the fans who used to yell at him, "Yo, Adrian" gave him a warm goodbye.
They appreciated his back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He also did a lot of charity work.
His wife, Tanya, is a sickle cell anemia carrier. His 2-year-old son, Tylan, also has the trait.
"I knew she was a carrier when we got married," he said. "I didn't think anything of it, because I was sure I didn't have it. The big thing for me is that my son is a carrier, and we have a little girl on the way."
Murrell knows some don't expect him to do much playing behind Arizona's much-maligned offensive line.
"I don't believe anything stinks until I smell it," he said. "I haven't seen it or smelled it."
Murrell's career
Acquired from N.Y. Jets on April 7, 1998, along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for Cardinals' third-round selection in the 1998 NFL Draft.
