Aaron Murray: Change A Few Plays And "...Our Season is Completely Different"

In a one-on-one interview with Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel earlier this week, Aaron Murray spoke about his progress over this past spring, what he will need to work on this summer, and what he hopes to see happen in 2011.

From some of his statements, it's clear that he is still bothered by how everything turned out (6-7 overall record, losing to Central Florida in the bowl game, etc.), but you also get a sense that's he's feeling good about Georgia's potential in 2011—if everyone is one the same page.

He says his biggest goal this summer is to "...work on my timing with my receivers.  We’ve got a lot of new guys out there...but not a lot of guys with experience."

That's not exactly news to those who follow the team closely. With the departure of A.J. Green, junior Tavarres King steps into the role of Georgia's No. 1 receiver and, with only 47 receptions in his three year career, he's a No. 1 of a different collar. By contrast, Chad Bumphis of Mississippi State had 44 receptions in 2010, as a sophomore, on a team that ran the ball nearly three times as much as it passed.

So, to say that King has a bit more work to do in the experience department is an understatement.

That said, last season was his most productive one to date (27 receptions, 504 yards, and three touchdowns) so there is reason to be optimistic that the transition will go well.

As for Murray's options beyond King, there is no denying that Orson Charles is that guy. Richt has been vocal about Charles' place in the offense and he hasn't been shy about calling the tight end his "best receiver". So, look for him to get a lot of reps this summer in anticipation of his increased role.

One thing is certain, Murray won't be sneaking up on defenses this season and he knows it. He took one heck of a beating last year, thanks in large part to an offensive line that didn't seem to play consistently, and he's added a few more pounds to his frame (about 10 to be exact) in order to "...be able to endure a bit of the punishment". Although, most fans will be hoping that he won't see the turf nearly as much in 2011 as he did in 2010 (25).

On the other hand, from an armchair point of view, many are just hoping to see Murray stay focused for all four quarters. 

Murray, admittedly, had some mental lapses in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of games last year and that often led to negative lulls in the offense. But, with a year under his belt, perhaps he will be able to correct those inconsistencies and play more evenly across the board.

Overall, Murray looks to be confident that a lot of the mistakes of 2010 can be forgotten in 2011, if the team does what it's supposed to do on the field—play well every second, of every down, of every game.Said Murray,

"...Every week is going to be to the end, it’s going to come down to the fourth quarter. That was our biggest problem last year, just not finishing off games. Maybe three or four plays every game you go back and change and our season is completely different. So, just come in with a mindset that it’s going to be a long year and you are going to have to mentally prepare yourself for 13-to-14 games and you have to mentally prepare yourself that you are going to play every play of every one of those games."

His statement echos a common sentiment that has been heard a good bit around Butts-Mehre this off-season—from Joe Tereshinski Sr. to coach Mark Richt—the hard line is Georgia just didn't finish games last season and that played the biggest role in a most every one of their losses.

If that is the case, Georgia's players are doing all they can to not make those same mistakes twice, especially with jobs and reputations so firmly on the line, and that motivation is hopeful to continue this summer when the new class comes to town.

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Georgia Bulldogs: The First Step Towards Change Comes With Recognition of Mistakes

While Mark Richt is not totally responsible for everything that has gone wrong with Georgia football over the last three years, he is accountable for the overall lack of progress the program has experienced during that time.

On the record, my opinion of Mark Richt is that he's a great football coach who has hit a rough patch. However, off the record, I am an admitted apologist of him and his decisions regarding Georgia football. I want to see him succeed and I want to see those who would otherwise torch him be forced to reconsider their stance.

That said, imagine the glee and disappointment felt upon learning that he took his foot off the gas the last two years—played with his cards a little too close to the vest.

An article, published by The Orlando Sentinel on Christmas day let us take a  small peek inside the mind of the much-maligned Georgia football coach, and exposed a flaw that many of the most skeptical fans of the program have suspected for quite some time now—coach Richt had lost his fire.

When asked about the issues the team has encountered over the last few years—particularly in the area of conditioning and overall preparedness—Richt had the following to say,

"I started the season in camp probably not doing enough live scrimmaging and tackling to the ground... Ever since I've been coaching, that's all I've been around. But we've had a couple of years in a row. We had one season, we started the season we had 32 guys injured before the year even got started. And so I'm like, `Alright, this year, I'm going to do what some other teams do. … We were still going to scrimmage, you know have three big scrimmages, but we were going to try to go full speed but not go to the ground or not block below the waist to try to beat everybody to the gate."

While it's understandable that coach Richt would want to be cautious, it would seem that he would have looked elsewhere for answers—why fix what was not broken? The systematic pull-back of intensity was bound to affect the overall attitude of the players and the coaches at some point.

Did he not think his approach would become a factor at some point?

Furthermore, the holes in the S&C program might have been a lot easier to see if the team were approaching scrimmages and practice sessions with more intensity. Perhaps canceling 'two-a-days' and heading to the pool hurt more than some cared to admit—including myself.

Either way, his honesty should be considered as a positive step towards the type of change you want to see at Georgia because it's clear that coach Richt is on the same page as many of his harshest critics—including himself—and hopefully that translates into quick production by the players as spring approaches.

We'll just have to wait and see. What say you?

Beware Auburn Fans! The Cam Newton Smear Campaign Is In Full Effect

Boy, that Cam Newton sure has a lot of "haters" all of a sudden.

If it's not FoxSports.com's, Thayer Evans, urging voters to leave Newton off their Heisman ballots, then it's the Orlando Sentinel grabbing onto whatever negative stories they can find to discredit Newton's season.

There's so much mud-slinging going going on with this kid right now, you'd think he was running for a political office.

To be fair to the vitriol-spewing media, we have to admit that some trepidation in voting for Newton will be present. Based on the pay-for-play allegations and the newest dagger that accuses Newton of academic cheating while he was at Florida (although given the fact that Thayer Evans wrote the article, you have to wonder how much truth there is to the account), some voters are bound to be getting a little gun-shy.

That said, it doesn't seem fair to penalize the kid for unproven actions—we have seen proof of nothing, yet, so why risk your credibility grasping at the whispers?


If Newton ends up being blameworthy of either, or both, of the allegations then, by all means, re-evaluate his worthiness for receiving any post-season accolades.


Until then, let the NCAA do their job, let Newton continue his season, and refrain from damaging the reputation of a, to this point, innocent young man.

The Lady's Bulldog/Sports Links for Friday (7/23)

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the overwhelming favorites to win another SEC Championship and repeat as National Champions.

The Georgia Bulldogs recruiting strategy: quality over quantity.

Another "hot seat" article on coach Richt. Again, I say, Richt is not on the hot seat and the continued talk of it by outside media sources is annoying and ridiculous.

Georgia Bulldog WR, A.J. Green reiterates the point that he was not in Miami over Memorial Day Weekend. The junior receiver stated, "I've never been to Miami"—I believe him.

The Orlando Sentinel writers, once again, are taking their best shot at bashing the Georgia Bulldogs and Mark Richt. Bill King of The Junkyard Blawg takes them to task for saying that the Georgia Bulldogs are "the most overrated program in history".

How long will the NFL labor negotiations last, hopefully, not long at all.

Baltimore safety, Ed Reed, could miss significant time this season if he's not fully recovered from hip surgery. How much time will he miss...not even Ed knows the answer to that question.

Surprisingly (I say that with a huge amount of sarcasm), The Palm Beach Post thinks the media's pick of Alabama over Florida for the SEC title is wrong.

Georgia's offensive line ranks third overall in the SEC according to Chris Low of ESPN.

A lot of questions still hanging over the Tarheel football program after "agentgate"—who will and won't be playing this season as a result?

Mark Kriegel of FoxSports wonders where Nick Saban gets off calling any body a "pimp".

Mike Florio of The Sporting News, offers solutions on how college football can fix the agent crisis.

...And finally, one of my favorite Mark Richt responses from Thursday's media day Q & A session:

Georgia Is No. 64 According to the Orlando Sentinel...Guess What I Say?

The Orlando Sentinel has been counting down the Top 120 teams in the nation and the Georgia Bulldogs have landed at No. 64.

"Why Georgia at No. 64?: It’s been a long time since Georgia has been pushed outside of the national top 60, but the Bulldogs must prove themselves on too many levels to be deemed a major factor in the preseason. Georgia must win with a new quarterback, a new defensive scheme and find a way to improve last year’s unspectacular performance on both sides of the ball." (6/28/10)

I find it comical that the Georgia Bulldogs can come off an 8-5 season and suddenly be plagued with this much doubt. Two close losses early on in the season to both Oklahoma State and LSU all but sealed the 8-5 finish, otherwise Mark Richt likely would have had another ten win season.

That being said, this is the same publication that places Iowa State above Michigan and Kentucky ahead of Tennessee—credibility is in doubt.

While I can appreciate the challenges that Georgia faces in implementing a new defense, I don't believe for one second that it will be any worse than it was in 2009.

Furthermore, despite the inexperience at the quarterback position, I don't see any reason why Georgia will have trouble moving the ball this season—particularly if the line can avoid serious injury and play up to its potential. The presence of Clint Boling and Ben Jones will be key in the development of both Aaron Murray and the running game.

The presence of A.J. Green is a definite plus but the emergence of both Orson Charles and Aron White as legitimate forces in the passing game cannot be discounted.

Georgia at 64 is insulting and, in many ways, shows a great deal of blatant idiocy on the part of the author—especially when Kentucky is No. 65.

Seriously...Georgia is only one spot better than the Wildcats?!?

Ohhh, Jeremy Fowler, how you kid. Let me know when you remove your lips from the fluffy pillows attached and protruding just beneath Urban Meyer's back—maybe then you can regain perspective.

64?....Jeez, what a moron.