Kyler's Farewell Message: A Rhetorical Analysis
By Walter Mitchell
To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77 year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my brothers nothing but the best.
I am no stranger to adversity, I am prepared for whatever’s next. I trust in God and my work ethic. I truly believe my best ball is in front of me and I look forward to proving it.
Rhetorical Analysis:
If I were still teaching AP English Language and Composition, today I would have asked the students to perform a rhetorical analysis of Kyler Murray's farewell message to his loyal fans in Arizona.
For those of you who are intrigued by rhetorical analyses, this blog is made especially for you.
Let's start with the basics.
What is rhetoric?
Definitions from Oxford Languages
rhetoric
noun
- the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
* Note: In Greek "rhetor" means "speaker."
What is the rhetorical triangle?:
Speaker
Audience
Exigence (need/purpose)
What are the three rhetorical appeals?
2.. Ethos --- the appeal to credibility or authority
3, Pathos --- the appeal to emotion
Part 1:
"To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Speaker: Kyler Murray
Audience: His loyal fans
Purpose: To offer thanks
Commentary:
Kyler wants to make it clear that the fans he appreciates are the ones "who supported me and showed kindness to my family." Therefore, even in a farewell message Kyler splits the fan base into two parts: (1) his loyal fans; (2) his critics.
To his loyal fans he speaks from the bottom of his heart. To his critics?
Synopsis: My fidelity to you requires your unconditional love for me.
Part 2:
I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77 year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my brothers nothing but the best.
Speaker: Kyler Murray
Audience: Arizona community and teammates
Purpose: To offer a historical perspective, personal regret and extended well wishes.
Commentary:
Appeal to Logos (logic): Kyler makes an allusion to the Cardinals' 77-year championship drought. In essence, he is trying in imply how difficult it is to play for such a historically inept franchise. It is a logical premise. No question.
Appeal to Ethos (authority/credibility): He has been in the organization for 7 of those 77 years --- so he's been there, done that).
Appeal to Pathos (emotion): "I am sorry I have failed us." This is very forthcoming expression of regret that is apt to be received in different ways by a more inclusive audience. His stans will say, "No, the Cardinals failed you," And his critics will say "it's good that you finally take your fait share of blame."
Wishing the community and his "brothers" (teammates) "nothing but the best" is an effort to "let bygones be bygones." The curious syntax (order of words in a sentence) here, however, is how Kyler puts the community before his own teammates. By doing so, one may wonder whether Kyler has been feeling betrayed by some of his teammates. This goes back to the split in how Kyler views the people around him and the fans.
If I were one of the Kyler's teammates, I'd be dissed at how little attention he pays to his so-called "brothers". Who quit on whom?
Synopsis: I may have fallen short in Arizona, but the franchise, the community and my teammates didn't do me many favors.
Speaker: Kyler Murray
Audience: Prospective NFL teams
Purpose: To show how highly motivated, diligent and dedicated he is in playing his "best ball" for the next team.
Key term: "work ethic" --- some will say Kyler over the past couple of years has made strong strides in that regard, while others don't see it.
Synopsis: come get me, you're going to get my best.
Commentary:
This is a sales pitch. And it feels like this sales pitch was the main point for sending out the farewell message --- a message that draws attention to the Cardinals' historical ineptitude, an homage to the fans that were loyal to him and to how eager and dedicated he is to play his best football for a new team.
What's glaringly missing --- any real passionate focus and appreciation for his teammates --- and not a single word of thanks for any of his coaches or trainers (like Buddy Morris who spent so much time and effort helping Kyler rehab) during his seven years in the organization.
Synopsis of the whole message?
Your turn! Let's hear what you've got! What is your summary?
"Talk about zero self-awareness. He’s the same smug, uncoached know-it-all as day one—zero hardware, zero improvement, and so lazy and unfocused he let a journeyman backup outwork him right out of a job. This isn't a farewell; it’s a $230M heist. The Cards are just as guilty for feeding the little man's ego. They coddled an entitled, spoiled athlete, letting him rot in his own delusions of grandeur while surrounding him with bottom-tier rebuild talent and a pathetic excuse for a coaching staff
ReplyDeleteHere were my thoughts as I read his message...
ReplyDelete(1) I doubt Kyler wrote this message himself; with the assistance of some PR (or maybe his agent)
(2) It was carefully worded so as to place all the blame on someone else - we've seen that message for 7 yrs. Kyler is never at fault.
(3) Kyler is beyond criticism - after all he was Heisman trophy winner and #1 pick in draft; he has never played for a loser, and the Cardinals are losers. Kyler remains uncoachable after 7 years.
(4) I'll play better for someone else, just so long as I can do it my way and under my rules - I won't play at less than 100%. And I won't play were I need to be the hero. If my team is losing I can not re-enter the game because my team-mates suck and don't pull their weight (I might even fake a foot injury to get out of this)...
(5) My coaches and teammates have done nothing to help me succeed (insert crybaby sound) - Yet Kyler could not elevate any of his WR - every WR looks better with another QB; in-fact the only part of Kylers game that surpassed that of his backup peers was his running game. Something he said multiple times he didn't want to do in games.
Summary:
Kyler always l played like a scared chicken with his head cut-off, afraid of being hit and the slightest injury sidelines him. He always had a better than thou attitude, and uncoachable. He got his bag o'money and quit the team - just as some of us predicted...Kylers best play came in his first 2-3 yrs under Kingsbury (before he got his bag).
Nothing of his self-serving message is worth the paper and pen (let alone computer) it was written. Complete Garbage!!! Like the player himself. I am glad to be done with the Kyler experiment - on draft day I said I hope it works out - small mobile QB's rarely work-out, are oft-injured, and have reduced career life. Sorry, I actually purchased his jersey! He and the organization have taken me through a drama filled time - I have given up season tickets, stopped buying merchandise, and half-watch the lousy product this organization has put on-field (basically since Kyler was drafted).
Kyler - We all wish you the best at your new job!
Perfectly said capturing my feelings too.
DeleteFirst I want to say another great write-up Walt. You dissected Kylers post like a precision pathologist. I appreciate your effort, knowledge of this team, football in general and your literary expertise.
ReplyDeleteI am neither a supporter or critic of Kyler. I am a Cardinals fan and I do not like the way this team has been and is being run. The way I see it is, Kyler is a talented dual-threat QB who was drafted by the wrong team IMO. When is the last time the Cardinals drafted a QB and coached him up to have a hall of fame career in the NFL? If Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Cardinals and made to start his rookie season with a HC who have never coached an NFL game at any level before, his story would be a lot different than it is. The team a QB lands on out of college is so critical to that QBs development. A QB landing on the Cardinals is a career death sentence and Kyler and his agent knew that, so Kyler was here for the money first and football second. I get that and do not condemn him for that. If the Cardinals had a Super Bowl championship banner or two or three hanging in their stadium and had a history of going deep into the playoffs, a number one draft pick would be more excited about playing here, but instead they have a history of terrible decision making and are still paying two head coaches that don't work here anymore. This team is run like it's a tax write-off and what boggles my mind is that all the bad discissions in the world won't stop MB from making a profit. Owning an NFL team is like owning the only toilet paper company in town. You're gonna make money no matter how bad your product is. That's why Bidwill doesn't really care if half the stadium roots for the opposing team. It's the same profit to him, in fact he might even make more money running this team on the cheap. The Cardinals coming to Arizona was the worst thing NFL wise that could have happened to this state, which all my friends from the Midwest warned me about back in 1988 and if I feel this way, why should Kyler Murray be excited about starting his NFL career on a team that has that kind of vibe and history. To say that Kyler hasn't worked his ass off to be a Heisman Trophy winner and the number one overall draft pick is a flat out lie. Yeah, Kyler might not have the motivation of a QB who dared to wear #13 and took this team to its only Super Bowl, but who does? Again, I'm not a huge fan of Kyler's nor am I a critic of his. I am just another downtrodden long time Cardinal fan who feels that judging Kyler for the way he acts since joining this team is like blaming a McDonalds manager for your cold food and pickles not being centered on your burger. I am glad Kyler is finally free of this stagnant black hole of a team. IMO, he disserves better, Card fans deserve better. A fish rots from the head down!
Great comment about where our AZ failure started -The biggest 'miss' in Arizona sports history wasn't a play on the field; it was the NFL snubbing Bart Starr’s expansion bid. If we had embarked on Starr’s vision for the Arizona Firebirds, we would have started with a clean slate and a Hall of Fame winner at the helm, rather than inheriting a 'basement' franchise with decades of baggage from St. Louis. As a result we will continue to be stuck with the biggest losers in all of professional sports without any long term improvement in sight.
DeleteI forgot about Bart Starr and the proposed expansion team. I even like the name better.
DeleteInteresting that Kyler has since revised his original farewell message with a new post on Instagram: https://x.com/DonnieDruin/status/2029573635632209977/photo/1
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/HCqCnxJbgAAZWKQ?format=jpg&name=large
He changed the focus of his second paragraph this time to thanking his teammates and coaches.
Here is article posted on SI...
Deletehttps://www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi/news/i-never-wanted-things-end-like-this-kyler-murray-goodbye-arizona-cardinals-fans
Yes Walt, I wonder if any of the teams in desperate need of a Qb parsed his farewell post and revision. Should tell them all they need to know about his leadership, relationship with coaches (2 staffs fired and counting) and teammates. Then again if they watched him on the field this last 3 seasons and counted the games he missed, his lack of toughness, poor pocket awareness, ability to stay on script then blame everyone else for his shortcomings should eliminate him from any consideration than more that a cheap bridge experiment.
ReplyDeleteWherever goes, I hope this punk ass self proclaimed superstar has to earn his job.
I think most NFL teams have already got the Murray playbook; and they were not interested in a trade. Some of that was salary related, some of it player related. Murray does not have a good reputation in the NFL as a whole from what I've understood. Sure some team will want to pick him up on prove-it (backup QB) salary but not at the fool-hardy Bidwill/Keim contract level.
DeleteMurray 'I'm a Superstar"
NFL "Your a Falling Star"
I'm pretty certain he will have to 'earn his pay' until he proves he can lead a team to playoffs in a winning fashion. He has all the talent to do so, it has always been the will to do so that was the question. The Cardinals futility in FO hasn't helped him overcome his own issues, rather the Cardinals FO (& coaches) enabled Murray.
Sad you guys are in Kyler Derangement Syndrome. Since 2020 the cardinals with Kyler are 33 and 38. Without Kyler they are 4 and 15. Hating on Kyler won’t make the miserable seasons ahead any better. But years from now you will still be placing the blame on one of the few bright spots this sorry state of affairs franchise has had. And to blame Kyler for KK and JG getting fired is, like I said Kyler Derangement Syndrome. Just like Kyler ruined Andy Isabella’s career and if only Clayton Tune had been given a fair chance to compete with Kyler he would have won the starting qb job. The fact that they benched Kyler for Jacoby and Jacoby led the team to a 1 and 11 record says all that needs to be said. You guys enjoy being the laughing stock of the league with your new coach and, poor JB, new QB. And Since 61 I so admired your being the one objective voice in the mob. Your last post was in very poor taste. Kyler will be fine. Kyler will do fine.
ReplyDeleteI guess the entire NFL has Kyler Derangement Syndrome since there have been no trade offers for him.
DeleteMac I'm sorry you're upset with me and I agree Kyler will be fine. Kyler will be fine only if he finally grows up and checks his ego. The reality is this marvelously talented athlete's sense of smug entitlement turned a struggling organization into a truly toxic one. For seven seasons he endured a rebuild philosophy-poor OL and never a top 10 defense but he use the organization's flaws to absolve himself of his own lack of progress. He never took an ounce of responsibility for his failings, and he never treated a single coach like an equal-smartest kid in the room complex. I stood by the 'big swing' Bidwill took to draft him and combine his future with an unrested college coach, but Kyler’s refusal to put in the work made a bad situation worse. If I sound fed up, it’s because I’ve watched a massive talent waste years blaming everyone but the man in the mirror.
DeleteMy previous comment above should not be read as rooting against him or wishing him failure. My final point was hoping he would go somewhere they make a dedicated focused football player out of him and he proves to himself, his teammates, we disappointed Cards fans and the NFL that he can work his ass off and earn the starting job as an NFLQB rather than having it handed to him
Well said Since 61. I truly respect your perspective from everything I seen you post. Last year when we were all on a sugar high talking Super Bowl and nonsense, I remember a post where you forewarned, beware, this team is full of holes from ownership, coaching staff to the makeup of the team. You were so right. Lost on everyone, except you, was the lack of experience on the coaching staff. And you forewarned. Of course now everyone and their brother, are sounding the alarm. But you reported it long before anyone else saw it as an issue. Thank you Brother. I fell your frustration. For me, my 57 year run, as a Cardinal fan has finally come to an end. I can’t keep during this to myself at this stage of my life. I’m looking forward to joining Kyler where he might land. Keep sharing your truth. You are very very good at it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mac
DeleteJimmy G or M Willis? Just when you think the braintrust couldn’t be more ignorant they may pull out even a more dumber move. I think Bidwill and Monti’s plan is to go 0-17 for the next 3 seasons. They don’t need the Packers to sabatoge their season or buy being severely overmatched by their division rivals, the GM and owner will continue to kick their own asses and will continue to get favorable local media coverage and suckers to buy tickets. I think it’s time to get the movement petition started for the Commissioner, the Mexico City Cardinals has a nice ring to it.
ReplyDelete