If you’re wondering whether Aaron Murray got anything out of his week with QB guru George Whitfield, Bruce Feldman has the story on that:
Among the things that Murray told Whitfield that he wanted to improve: his pocket protocol/pocket presence; his touch and becoming more consistent. Once in Norman, Murray realized there was something else that needed tweaking: his upper body rotation in his throwing motion.
In film study on Monday night, Whitfield showed Murray that the QB wasn’t really driving through with his left elbow. “I never realized how much my body was fighting it,” Murray said. “I just really wasn’t coming through. And when he talked to me about it, it made a lot of sense.”
To help Murray amp up his mechanics, Whitfield had the QB throwing from his knees to get him using more of his upper body. Murray said he has already noticed that he has been able to create more torque and, therefore, more velocity on his throws.
That will be something to watch this G-Day. But it might not be enough to satisfy the part of the fan base that will remain convinced after the spring game that Mason needs to play. (Turn on your sarcasm detectors, please.) What will be more interesting to see is if increased velocity makes those back shoulder throws that Murray’s made a living on the past two seasons even more deadly.
As for the rest of his list, he’s done a good job of self-scouting. And that’s the first step towards improvement. If his receivers keep up, it should be a fun year.