Guard J.R. Sweezy had the first flashback in May, when the Cardinals began their offseason workouts. They’ve become more frequent lately, almost a daily occasion.

He looks at Kyler Murray and sees Russell Wilson. He watches Murray control the Cardinals offense and thinks about how Wilson did the same thing his rookie season in Seattle. He sees the way Murray interacts with teammates, the way he carries himself, the way he seems so calm when everyone around him is so excited and it reminds him, constantly, of Wilson.

Seven years after Sweezy and Wilson were rookies together with the Seahawks, it’s as if Wilson has been cloned.

“They relate so much in so many aspects it’s kind of crazy,” Sweezy said. “Literally the same kind of deal.”

The Cardinals open the preseason Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Los Angeles Chargers. The game doesn’t count. The starters might play a series. It’s a meaningless night – aside for those players fighting for a roster spot – yet it’s arguably the most anticipated preseason game in the franchise’s Arizona history since Aug. 4, 1988, the night the Cardinals first played as the Phoenix Cardinals.

Kyler, the stage is yours.

“I’m sure he’ll be amped and nervous,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “He’s a competitor and he gets butterflies like everyone else. But he loves when the lights are on.”

Nervous? Amped? Those aren’t the vibes Murray has given off this week. Perhaps he’ll show some excitement when he puts the uniform on for the first time.

“That’s one of the things that’s going to be different,” Murray said. “Not playing for a school. You’re representing the state and stuff like that.”

Maybe his heart will race when he runs through the inflatable tunnel, but thus far Murray’s emotions have been one long flat line.

He seems to be the guy who, if somebody yells fire in a crowded room, will slowly walk to the exit, unhurried and unconcerned. Asked Tuesday if he’s any different on game days, Murray replied, “I think I’m the same dude.”

“I try to stay the same each and every day,” he continued. “No matter who we’re playing, the Patriots in the Super Bowl or the Chargers in the preseason. For me, I approach it the same way.”

You can almost sense bemusement in Murray as he answers questions about his emotions or any pressure he might be under. It’s as if he’s wondering if the rest of us have forgotten his credentials: Three state championships and three undefeated seasons in high school, a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, the only player ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL and Major League Baseball drafts.

Don’t worry about me, he’s screaming in his soft voice. I’ll be fine.

“I don’t really have too many nerves right now,” he said.

It might sound presumptuous, a rookie so self-assured and seemingly unfazed by what’s in front of him, but Murray’s teammates believe that attitude will serve Murray well.

“You ever meet a guy who’s been cool his whole life?” tackle D.J. Humphries said. “And with certain stuff it’s like, ‘I’ve been the man since I was four, brother. You don’t have to tell me I’m going to have a great game Thursday. I know that.’

“He’s just a cool kid.”

Humphries knows the difference between true confidence and false bravado, too. He thought he was all that his rookie season until Bruce Arians started lighting into him.

“His confidence is true confidence,” Humphries said of Murray. “Mine was I thought I was better than I was. His is, ‘I know who I am and this is what it’s going to be.’”

Sweezy saw that same assuredness pour from Wilson his first year in Seattle.

“It’s like there’s no doubt. This is what’s going to happen,” he said. “I think that’s the reason both are in the position they’re in. That kind of mindset you can do whatever you want to. You’re really unstoppable if your mind is right in that way.”

NFL defensive coordinators might beg to differ. They’ll throw new things at Murray and make him question himself. But here’s the thing: Murray understands that. He knows his rookie season likely will have as many thorns as rose petals but whatever failures he encounters won’t pierce his self-belief.

In that, he shares a trait with every great quarterback who has come before him.

“He had that from the first time he stepped into the locker room,” wide receiver Christian Kirk said. “Obviously, with all he’s accomplished, you can walk around with that swagger and that sense of confidence.”

Murray had the opportunity to talk to Wilson before the draft. The two players immediately connected, bound by more than their stature as 5-foot-10 quarterbacks.

“I was able to build a pretty cool relationship with him,” Wilson said. “We wanted to get together and talk a little bit because he was asking me about this and that. I’m excited for him. … One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is play at the highest level possible and consistently at the highest level possible. One, so I can continue my career as long as I can … and then at the end of the day, it can open the door for someone else and hopefully I’ve done that for Kyler.”

The door swings open Thursday.

“It’s going to be just another day at the office for him,” Sweezy said. “He’s just going to play ball. Just like Russell.”

(Top photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports)