Can Kyler Make It?

Heisman Trophy winning QB Kyler Murray spurned the Oakland Athletics and is entering the NFL draft, where he will be a first round draft choice. Probably a better idea to play football first (like Tim Tebow), then fall back to baseball. Today at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis Murray was measured at 5 foot 10 inches and 207 pounds. Robert Griffin is 6’2” 223 pounds. Not sure if RGIII’s rookie weight was lighter. Griffin suffered numerous injuries. Then again, almost every QB gets hurt at some point.      

 

Will Murray make it? Baker Mayfield did well as a rookie. Mayfield is a tenacious worker driven to succeed. Will Murray have the same drive? Murray had a tremendous season at Oklahoma. Is he big enough to withstand the pounding of a NFL season? Mayfield (6’1” 209 pounds) dialed back his ground game somewhat, got pushed around, but avoided injury. As he matured I expect him to run less. Mayfield looks small out there. Murray will look smaller.

 

Can Murray have the same discipline? Can he make it in the NFL as a pass first/run second QB? We shall see. The NFL is a different place. Russell Wilson (5’11” 206 pounds) has had successes and failures, like most all quarterbacks. There are plenty of quarterbacks in the NFL of “prototypical” height and weight that can’t make the throws, can’t read defenses – who can’t win at the pro level.   

 

At some point you’d think scouts would quit looking at size and speed and instead value the ability to read coverages. How do you think Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers – immobile behemoths all, set records and led their team to Super Bowls?

Justin Fields transfers to Ohio State and by virtue of the team and position, becomes a Heisman favorite. At UGA the coaches had to keep his play calls simple. Jalen Hurts wins national championships at Alabama but not Heismans, but transfers to Oklahoma and becomes a Heisman favorite.

 

Jake Fromm leads UGA to narrow losses in first the national championship game, and then the SEC championship game against number one Alabama, beating Mayfield’s Sooners in the Rose Bowl and keeping Fields on the bench at UGA, but is long forgotten when the best college QB’s are discussed. Yet it is Fromm who may be tops in the country in reading defenses. Sports Illustrated, champion of anthem protests and swimsuit models, claimed the Dawgs can’t contend with Fromm under center. We shall see.

 

Perhaps Sports Illustrated should stick to righting the wrongs of the world. For a while SI was publishing a Colin Kaepernick update in every issue. Last week the new AAF wanted Kaepernick to play in their new league. The ex-49er asked for ten times the money other players are paid. No dice. Nothing in SI about that.    

 

2019 prediction: Tua gets hurt. Fields falls to Michigan and Hurts falters at the Red River Rivalry. Fromm leads Georgia to the SEC championship and into the playoff. As does Kelly Bryant and Clemson. Weakened by graduation, Clemson narrowly loses the national championship game to Georgia. You heard it here first.

 

THEN would Jake Fromm becomes a Heisman favorite? Nah!

Just figured out that this new football team, the Atlanta Legends, has a wide receiver named Justin Thomas, number 10. Used to be the QB at Georgia Tech. The Legends’ punter is Cameron Nizialek, who played at UGA. 

The Legends kicker is Younghoe Koo, who played at Georgia Southern. I did not realize that Koo had been drafted by the San Diego Chargers. Koo became the fourth player in NFL history who was born in South Korea. UGA’s Hines Ward was one of the other three. Koo scored the first points in the history of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younghoe_Koo 

Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies for 13 years $330 million. That’s over $25 million a year on average. If the Phils build a winner they will sell out every game. Rumor has it they’re going after Mike Trout for next year. By signing Bryce Harper the Phillies expected 2019 win total skyrocketed from 80 games to 83 games – barely above .500. Their chance of making the playoffs went from 19% to 31%. I’m sure the upcoming Sports Illustrated baseball preview issue will install the Phillies as the team to beat. Last year SI picked the eventual NL East champion Braves to finish last.  

The Braves have several sore-armed pitchers already: Gausman, Folty, and Golhora. They’re teaching new third baseman Josh Donaldson how to run without straining his tender legs. Not getting off to a good start. Braves owners Liberty Media made $440 million off the team last year, but say they’re trying to pay down the debt they’ve incurred for SunTrust Park, the Battery, Gwinnett’s CoolRay Field, and the new spring training complex under construction in Sarasota. The Braves are scheduled to play their first game in Sarasota in three weeks. Plenty for Braves fans to complain about. But most complainers won’t change their attendance habits.  

 

There hadn’t been anything I had felt like writing about, then all this just came out when I read Murray’s measurements.