While it’s not as prevalent as Mark Richt’s hot seat, this one’s officially got legs, folks.
I don’t think the argument is about which SEC team has the best quarterback: it’s Georgia and Aaron Murray, and any argument to the contrary — especially with his closest competition out for spring practice — should fall on deaf ears. Murray, entering his sophomore season, showed enough as a first-year starter in 2010 to earn this prestigious title, even if this looks like the conference’s worst batch of starting quarterbacks in the better part of the decade…
Again, it’s not that Murray’s at the top of his list – I’d put him there, too, if asked – it’s the no-brainer aspect of this that’s so startling. Keep in mind that this regression to the mean statistical analysis is the most pessimistic appraisal of Murray’s 2011 season I’ve seen so far, and it’s still got him ranked as the second best QB in the conference.
A lot of people are expecting big things from him.
Get The Picture 
I don’t really like that. I’d prefer to fly under the radar if possible. Plus, he’ll already be battling the sophomore slump.
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On the flip side if, say, he was not getting enough attention (in our opinions), we would be whining about how his play in 2010 deserves more respect than it is getting this offseason. Given the memes of “he’s the best in the SEC” as opposed to “he’s alright”, which one would you take?
The kid can handle the pressure. He’s not listening to this stuff anyway.
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It’s less bothersome to me than some of the other memes going around (i.e. the cancer is gone, our workouts are now touch, etc.)
Murray had 1 really bad game in a mediocre bowl game wearing a glove, and he also had 4 turnovers I think against Florida.
Ricth and Bobo need to design the offense around his abilities (like they did Shockley), but there will no doubt be a game or 2 where that may cause some mistakes.
I can live with that, but not turning him loose and not diversifying the offense given our tight end depth and multiple talents would be a much bigger crime.
Last year, the coaching staff tried to make sure Murray didn’t lose games at the start of the season. This year he will be counted on to win them.
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The kid’s filthy good. And, he’s got a little of David Greene’s icewater DNA in his veins, so I don’t really worry about things like this.
There’s no secret that even with our hopes for Crowell, we go as far as Aaron Murray takes us. If our coaches had trusted him to take more responsibility in the gameplan earlier in the season, the game in South Carolina and Starkville could have turned out a lot differently. He threw away the Florida game in the first half and nearly single-handedly put us back into it in the second half. He wasn’t good in the bowl game. Otherwise, he did everything asked of him and more, and I think we’re in for another special performance in 2011.
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I agree with this assessment. The kid is a winner and has some weapons around him with new motivation. The AJ mess has a big impact last year.
Other guys now have a role and added incentive, I hope.
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if we have any semblance of a running game next season, murray’s stats will slide some. bu that scenario will be a good thing.
i still say the toughness he showed last year was the most impressive thing about him, good as his stats were. ton of fight in that guy.
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Murray’s gonna be the best QB to ever wear the silver britches, boys. He’s simply got “IT.”
It’s gonna be a lot of fun watching him for the next few years.
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I like AM’s character and cool at QB a lot. That said, he needs the running game to step up for this offense to fully realize it’s potential (and this is on the Ol more than the RBs to me.) But what we really need is for a quality backup to emerge before September. AM made good decisions for a 1st year QB, made plays with his legs when he had to, but he will not be turned loose completely until Bobo knows someone can step in should he twist and ankle, or take a head shot while scrambling. It is just going to happen when you play wide open at QB in this league.
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+1. Hutson Mason needs to step up this spring and summer.
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Great and humble person.
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While the Richt hotseat talk isn’t undeserved, is there any question that he and Bobo are among the best QB developers in the country? Can you name another school that has had such consistent quarterback play over the last decade- maybe USC? Most schools struggle for years with only mediocre QBs (LSU, FSU, Tennessee, I could on…) whereas we have been spoiled with one great QB after another. Sure the position was weak in 06 (Stafford’s freshman year) and 09 (where Cox actually played well considering his limited ability), but 8 out of the last 10 years we have had no reason to worry about the guy taking snaps. Now if only our running game was as consistent…
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Senator you have a point.
All the talk now is: Meh, Murray is the best returner in a light weight group. In the fall it will be: Jeez, Murray is supposed to be the best returning QB in the conference. How dare he be less than perfect and spectacular!
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Aaron’s big problem last year was when he realized that he had to carry the O on his back. The first half of the UF game was bad because he was so torqued up. He is his own worst enemy when he feels he has to do something great , because the rest of the team just isn’t that good. What if as a RS Freshman QB you suddenly discovered that you had to score 30+ just to stay in the game because your D couldn’t stop anybody at any distance. It’s too much pressure even for Matt Stafford. If the D will at least slow some of the teams down a little I think AM will be special.
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I think this years offense will be better, success will hinge upon the defense. UGA will have an O line made up mostly of seniors, when was the last time that happened? I have noticed that an O line of upper classmen usually means a good season. IF, that’s a big if, the D can actually dominate some teams this will be a very good year.
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“UGA will have an O line made up mostly of seniors,” and then, in the 2012 season, we’ll see just how good Will Friend is.
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I tell you, those 5 td passes Murray threw against ranked teams, even though 50% less than Garcia, and 67% less than Newton, means he’s the best in the world.
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Yeah what a chump!
A redshirt freshman with a garbage run game didn’t perform as well as the Heisman winner and the most Brah-some dude in sports:
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Uh, Murray was 3rd best QB at UGA last Spring, both Mett & Gray outplayed him. I’d put him 5th in the SEC behind Tenn, Ark, LSU, SC. And Mason and Lemay will both outplay Murray on G-DAY, doesn’t everybody?
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Right on!
Logan was dominant when it came to skeleton drills.
It’s just during games when those tallish fat guys that do that blocking stuff are in the way that Logan had trouble with his delivery.
Plus Mett played better than Murray at G-Day last year. There’s no more proof than a practice open to the public where QB’s wear non-contact jerseys to prove which player is better.
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If you take out the teams wiht losing records, Murray’s an average QB, at best.
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Pretty much every analyst in the country disagrees with you. But hey, keep beating that drum anyway.
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Wasn’t this the same tool that showed up a couple of months ago and talked like he had never seen a CFB game before? I am not taking any future performances for granted, seen too many slumps for various reasons, but anyone that wasn’t impressed by what Murray did in 2010 is clueless. And he did it on a team that did nothing well: couldn’t block, couldn’t secure the ball, never made a critical stop on defense, and saw both All-American kickers fall back to almost middle of the pack. Thankfully AM was the one player who over achieved.
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What do other QBs stats look like when you take out their games against weak competition – probably not nearly as good. Every team plays weak teams and strong teams.
Murray had much less help from the defense and running game than many he has been compared to.
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Statistically, Murray’s a great QB – unless you count “wins” as one of your statistics.
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Aaron’s got no chance this fall. I burned his playbook! I am hosting a prayer breakfast this Sunday at 7 am at the church for the Gators’ team. Be sure to come armed, though.
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I’d understand people complaining about Murray’s performance last season … if he was a junior or senior. I don’t care about the difference between his performances against good defenses and bad defenses. The fact that he put up those numbers in his freshman season in the SEC is awesome. And there’s no good argument for thinking that he won’t be head of the class in 2011.
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“whereas we have been spoiled with one great QB after another.”
That’s because of Mark Richt’s ability to recruit and develop quarterbacks. These elite recruits are savvy enough to see that Richt has turned quite a few QBs into pros, and they want to be taught by him.
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For the love of all that is holy, keep Aaron Murray off the soccer field and off his scooter for the next 3 years…
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Not sure why I should be nervous about Aaron Murray hype. It’s not like the kid came out of nowhere. If anything, his first season as a starter was a confirmation of the hype that surrounded him leaving high school, where he was a certified bad-ass as well.
I don’t feel like a homer at all when I say that I think Murray could be on some Heisman watch lists in a year or two. The “it factor” is strong with this one.
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The Dawgs will have to be good for that to happen. Let’s all hope.
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Washington didn’t have to be good for Jake Locker to make it onto the Heisman radar.
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Murray is 0-6 against reanked teams, let’s not annoint him King yet. Got to beat somebody besides Vanderbilt, right kool aide drinkers?
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Doug, I’m just asking a question here: are you really that dumb? I mean, have you not watched collegiate football for the last quarter century? Cox won 8 games to Murray’s 6, so would you make an argument that Cox was better in ’09? Stafford and T won 9 in ’06. Would you tell me that Stafford was better in ’06? Murray’s season was the best by a freshman since either Zeier or Quincy. Zeier had Garrison Hearst. Quincy had Chris Terry & Matt Stinchcomb and a guy named Champ Bailey.
Murray was our team. We put our team on a Redshirt Freshman QB and got 6 wins because that’s what happens in this league, especially when you can’t stop another team, can’t run the ball, and continually fumble inside the other team’s 10 yard line.
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God forbid if Mettenberger at LSU has a good spring game. I can hear the whinning now.
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He had the best freshman performance of any QB against UF since Dooley was coaching, beat Tech and Tennessee, led the team to a 21-7 lead on the road against the eventual national champs, and did it all with a non-existent running game and a break but don’t bend defense.
Not a Heisman candidate yet but I can’t name the UGA Qb of the past 30 years that I am confident would have outperformed him in 2010.
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The man might be a great SEC QB, but someone should tell him that his shirt does not match his purse.
😆
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