KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Aaron Murray's first pass never should have been thrown and at that point it also looked like a mistake that the young quarterback was even in the game.
The Kansas City Chiefs pulled starting quarterback Alex Smith in the second quarter of Friday night’s preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Instead of going to veteran Chase Daniel, who had played well in the first two games, the Chiefs went to Murray instead.
Murray threw an interception on his third play when he tried to force a throw to Jeremy Maclin while floating to his left. The pass was overthrown, well over Maclin's head.
Maybe the interception was the best thing that could have happened to Murray and the Chiefs. They watched their young quarterback overcome the adversity to settle down and have the biggest night of his young NFL career.
Murray wound up completing 15-of-20 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs' 34-10 victory.
"I’ve thrown some picks in my day," said Murray, a four-year starter in college at Georgia before being drafted by the Chiefs last year in the fifth round. "It’s not like it’s anything new. I was feeling good. I just made a bad mental mistake. I should have brought the ball back down.
"I told the guys in there I just got it out of my system. Guys were like, 'Oh, don’t worry about it.' I was like, 'Hey, I’m fine. I got it out of my system and I’m ready to rock and roll now.'"
Murray acknowledged being a little too excited about getting a chance with the starters for a handful of plays in the first half. He had been told he would be the first to replace Smith, but thought it would come in the third quarter.
The Chiefs pulled Smith before halftime instead.
"I was pretty amped up to get in there," he said. "I’ve got to learn to control my emotions a little bit."
Murray would go on to make some beautiful throws, none better than a 29-yard touchdown pass to Fred Williams while rolling to his right. But it was the fact he was able to overcome a difficult start that had the Chiefs most impressed with Murray.
"It’s difficult," Smith said of Murray’s early interception. "You just dwell on it. You just have to go out there and play your way out of it. We’ve all done boneheaded plays on the field before and certainly he knows it before the rest of us.
"I knew there was a lot of football left and he was going to get a lot of playing time. The last thing you want is for that to bog you down and be thinking about it the rest of the game."
The Chiefs have had a few young quarterbacks who couldn't get past a similar mistake. Brodie Croyle, for instance, was one of the most talented quarterbacks to play for the Chiefs in recent years, but when things went poorly for him in a game, he couldn't turn them around.
The ability to do that is a skill in and of itself. What he did Friday night is no guarantee Murray will eventually be a productive player for the Chiefs. But he's off to a good start.
