Getty Larrell Murchison gets one of his sacks of Russell Wilson on December 25, 2022.
As fans of the Los Angeles Rams know, Larrell Murchison was the defender who stole Christmas from the Denver Broncos’ pass protection.
Murchison went from no longer being able to continue his four-year, $3,572,744 deal with the Tennessee Titans to snatching a team-high two sacks. But if anyone got him into the football version of the Christmas spirit, it was his new defensive coordinator he had met two weeks prior to his breakout game, Raheem Morris.
What Morris Said That Fired up Murchison, Including Bringing up Ex-Coach
Morris detailed a moment before the game between he and the Rams’ trench defender that ignited the newcomer defender.
“I just looked at him and I said, `Hey man, nobody knows you,'” Morris first said to the L.A. media on Thursday, December 29. “‘We barely know you. Go have fun, right?'”
Then came these next few words that got Murchison’s attention before wrecking the Broncos’ line.
“Let’s go prove (Mike) Vrabel wrong,'” Morris said. “I made it a joke that way. Nothing against Vrabel. I just was taking a shot at the team we claimed him from.”
Murchison had never produced a two-sack game in the NFL landscape. But Morris noticed how his play energized the former fifth rounder and additionally galvanized the Rams sidelines.
“It was a lot of fun for that young man, and it was expressed in his play and how he went out there, and his ability to absolutely capture his teammates,'” Morris said.
Murchison ‘Surprised’ by Leaving Tennessee
Murchison finally got the chance to share how he became a Ram. But he began by revealing he left Nashville surprised.
“I had just signed an extension there,” Murchison said via Greg Beacham of the Associated Press Thursday. “I think it was like a two-year extension. That was home for me for my first three years, so I was definitely surprised, but everything happens for a reason. You’ve got to take whatever comes with this game.”
Murchison then took advantage of his Christmas opportunity by showing the high-motor and relentless pursuits that turned him into an NFL caliber trench defender.
“It felt good to make some plays like that,” Murchison said. “I was just grateful I was able to do it, especially on my first day out. I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t think it could happen, but I was just glad it happened.”
Rams Head Coach Admits ‘Regret’ With Murchison
Morris found a way to light a fire under the surprise starter. Head coach Sean McVay finally had a talk with Murchison 15 minutes before the rout of Denver as he told the media after the game.
But speaking with Rams reporters J.B. Long and former Rams defensive tackle and Super Bowl winner D’Marco Farr on “The Coach McVay Show” on Monday, December 26, McVay admitted he had one regret involving the breakout holiday star.
“Should’ve had him come in last week,” McVay admitted, referencing the Green Bay Packers loss the previous week before the Broncos game.
Farr brought up how he was impressed that Murchison got his sacks in 16 plays. Then McVay unveiled the plan moving forward for his newest defender.
“Just let Murch eat,” McVay said. “We’ve got to get him out there for more snaps.”
Let Murch Eat?
Sean McVay’s only regret was not letting Larrell Murchison debut in Green Bay a week earlier. #LetMurchEat
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