Georgia Bulldogs: Aaron Murray Is The Starting QB—No Question

Photo Credit: BRANT SANDERLIN/AJC

There will always be naysayers where Aaron Murray is concerned, but those people obviously didn't see how well Murray played in 2010. The redshirt freshman showed poise beyond his years and showcased a bevy of skills that even the coaching staff could not have expected.

So, when this article was published, questioning whether or not Georgia should "sit or start" Murray in 2011, I found myself intrigued as to what a non-Bulldog fan had to say on the subject. Below are the only two reasons this writer has for sitting the tough, young man from Tampa.

#1. Lack of Size

Murray measures in at 6'1" and 209 pounds. He needs to add a little weight to help endure some of the sacks he takes. Murray was sacked 24 times and suffered a number of hits during the 2010 season. Until the Georgia Bulldogs' offensive line improves, Murray should expect to have pass-rushers in his face at times.

His lack of height also occasionally leads to passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Okay, it's true that Murray is not the prototypical height and size of a pro-style quarterback, but that is not the only characteristic that goes into a quality starter.

There are plenty of 6'3", 225 lb, signal-callers that don't have the poise, pocket presence, or leadership ability that Murray displays on the football field and those are the intangibles that matter—every bit as much as the physical attributes.

Oh and, FYI, the nation's leading passer last season was shorter than Murray—Bryan Moniz. It also seems safe to assume that Boise State wouldn't trade their quarterback for  all the tea in China either. Kellen Moore clocks in at 6'0".

The point is, size doesn't always matter.

Furthermore, his lack of body weight is less important, where sacks are concerned, than Georgia's need to get their offensive line in order.

Murray didn't miss one game last season, despite being knocked on his backside better than 20 times. Even more, the anemic running game, the absence of playmakers in the receiving game (particularly in A.J. Green's absence), and the inability of the coaches to loosen the reigns as the season progressed, all played a hefty roll in Murray's inability to succeed in the win-loss column.

#2. Record

Murray was only able to produce a 6-7 record on the year and 3-5 record in Southeastern Conference play. While Murray's performances were decent, he wasn't able to lead the team to a winning record.

The fact that Murray was unable to "lead the team to a winning record" wasn't all on him. Poor playcalling, unfortunate turnovers, and defensive lapses in the secondary played key roles in losses at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, at Colorado, at Florida, and versus Arkansas—only one of those losses could, arguably, be attributed to Murray's play—he threw an ill-advised interception against Florida that led to the game-winning play in overtime.

If Georgia had taken care of business, on both sides of the ball in every one of those games, that 6-7 record might easily have been 10-3 or 11-2 (7-1 or 6-2 in the SEC).

Murray's lack of a winning record isn't all on him and there is no question that 2011 should be better for the Georgia Bulldogs—if Mark Richt and his staff can right the ship on both sides of the football field.