Aaron Murray XFL Scouting Report
Earlier this week Brooks Austin of Bulldog Maven wrote about how former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray has been named the starter for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL. This is the first time that Murray has been named the outright starter of a team heading into the season opener since 2013 at Georgia.
Aaron Murray led a very prolific passing attack while at UGA passing for over 3,000 yards in each of his four seasons, something that hasn't been done in the six seasons since.
While Murray did not and does not have Matt Stafford like arm strength, he possesses a strong skill set that allowed him to shine between the hedges and, to a much lesser extent, for the Atlanta Legends in the now-defunct Alliance of America Football.
Presnap diagnosis of defenses, throwing with anticipation, and mobility in and outside of the pocket are things to look for in Murray's game.
Watching the league's debut games yesterday, it was made clear by ESPN and ABC's broadcast team that the quality of offensive line play was a concern of coaches and league officials heading into the season. This is understandable as finding big men athletic enough to protect the league's investments at QB is not the easiest thing to do. Having said that, I believe Vipers' Head Coach Marc Trestman will rely on Murray's ability to diagnose defenses presnap and get the ball out quickly.
When the Vipers do go downfield, Murray is very good at what are called anticipatory throws. Throws where the ball is released before the wideout has made his final break in his route. If Murray is holding the ball a lot early, you'll know that the Vipers are not in sync and that Aaron is still building a rapport with his new teammates.
QB, Aaron Murray
Finally, I believe the athleticism of Murray is well suited for today's brand of football. The former Georgia quarterback is not going to be branded a dual-threat, especially considering he is now pushing 30 years old, however, Murray has plenty of mobility for the Vipers to utilize RPOs. The Run Pass Option element of the game was not yet in vogue during #11's time in Athens, but I would think that the creative genius that is former Bear and CFL Head Coach Marc Trestman would be able to capitalize on this part of Murray's game.
The Tampa Bay Vipers take on the New York Guardians today at 2 p.m. on FOX at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Murray and the Vipers are a 3.5 point road favorite and have the 2nd best odds of winning the league coming into the XFL's inaugural season.
Murray joined ESPN's Mina Kimes on ESPN Daily to talk about the XFL and why he decided to play and he said, "Well all I do all spring anyways is play golf, so I figured my golf game could lose a few strokes while I come to play a game I really love in football."
He went on to say that he really feels that the XFL league has a chance to survive due to the fact that Vince McMahon and his team of investors did not "rush to market." All of these teams are playing in large NFL stadiums and the product is good quality spring football. Something that I think we all want.
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