Why is Georgia QB Aaron Murray wearing a glove on his throwing hand?

Glove-wearing QB Aaron Murray passes as Mike Bobo watches at practice Tuesday. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)Glove-wearing QB Aaron Murray passes at practice as  Mike Bobo watches. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Murray gets a play from Bobo at Tuesday's practice. (AJC photo/Brant Sanderlin)

Murray gets a play from Bobo at Tuesday's practice. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)

ATHENS — Some of you have noticed in photos from Georgia’s  spring football practices that  quarterback Aaron Murray is wearing a glove on his throwing hand.

Which, of course, has led to the question: What’s up with that?

Basically, Murray said after practice Tuesday, it’s a spring-practice experiment.

Surrounded by a half dozen reporters in the Butts-Mehre building -– hey, welcome to life in the limelight — Murray said he just happened to wear a glove for the first time when throwing on his own on a particularly cold day this winter,  surprisingly liked the results and has stuck with it, even on a nice, sunny day like Tuesday.

“The ball is pretty slick,” Murray said. “I felt good with [the glove], so I tried it out for a couple of more weeks and continued to like it. So I finally talked to the coaches about it. They said if I want to try it out, spring is a good time to try it out. ”

So far, he feels it provides a better grip and more control of the ball.

Whether Murray, who is battling for the starting quarterback job, continues to wear the glove into the  season remains to be determined.

Gloves have become a bit of a trend among NFL quarterbacks, with Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, among others, wearing them in games in recent seasons.  Warner wore them in all games the past three years, even in Arizona. Others wear them only in cold-weather games.

As with many things in football, there are arguments on both sides of quarterbacks wearing gloves.  Some say it  improves grip and ball security and perhaps offers protection against hand injuries. Others say a glove hurts passing accuracy and that a quarterback needs full feel of the ball.

Murray, by the way, reports no problems with his arm this spring after missing a big chunk of practice time last season, his redshirt year, with tendinitis in his triceps and forearm.  “Arm feels great. Arm feels strong,” Murray said. “I’m taking good care of it.”

Murray and fellow quarterbacks Logan Gray and Zach Mettenberger are sharing snaps evenly in spring practice, and Murray said there are more than enough snaps to go around. “Oh, it’s plenty of reps,” he said Tuesday.  “I was talking with Logan today, and at one point in practice, we’re, like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of reps we’re getting right now.’  . . .  They’re working us out there pretty good, which is good because we need as much practice as we can get right now.”

Other UGA football news:

Richt plans decision this week on Mettenberger suspension.

Practice notebook.

185 comments Add your comment

"A Stir"?

March 18th, 2010
8:58 am

His glove did not cause “a stir”…it was this stupid article that made a big deal out of it. If you look at the comments, only about 1 in 4 are about the glove and and only about 1 in 50 are serious comments about it.

This is all the mighty AJC can come up with regarding college football at UGA?

Johnny Cochran

March 18th, 2010
9:26 am

If the glove don’t fit……

Joltin J's

March 18th, 2010
9:35 am

6-5 good guys

rocky topper

March 18th, 2010
10:15 am

so no one can get his finger prints

AltamahaDawg

March 18th, 2010
10:33 am

…..don’t have a hissy fit.

Without-a-clue

March 18th, 2010
10:38 am

Wearing a glove for no apparent reason worked for Michael Jackson.

OrlG8r

March 18th, 2010
11:23 am

I’ve really always thought all of UGA Football was experimental. :D

82DAWG

March 18th, 2010
11:34 am

IF THE GLOVE DOESN’T FIT, MURRAY MUST SIT

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:44 am

Love the way Murray has captured America’s imagination already by simply wearing a glove. Shows his leadership abilities. I havn’t seen Brantley doing anything as creative and attracting attention like this. Murray just exudes leadership and confidence.

Can’t wait for Oct. 30, 2010, Dogs win big. Brantley, the untested little pup, no competition for warrior and gloved one Murray. The glove gives Murray a magical power over his opponents.

Rod

March 18th, 2010
11:46 am

Shut up about Murray’s hieght already. Murray is taller than Shockley was and Shock won an sec title. Murray is taller than Eric Zier too. That is two of the best qb’s to ever wear Georgia uniform. Met is the tallest QB to ever play at Georgia. Being to tall is more of a problem than being 6′1 like Murray is. You have to be able to make plays with your feet in the sec at qb. This is not the NFL were the rules are different for protecting the QB. In the NFl you can’t touch the qb except in the stomach.

Gator Mike

March 18th, 2010
11:52 am

I think it is neat that Murray is giving the glove a shot. If it helps his game, good for him. It will be interesting to see if he starts a trend.
It is great to see that SEC Spring Football is in the air.

Do any of you DAWG Fans know what happened to Tony Barnhart? I miss hsi articles. Thank you i advance if you have the answer.

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:53 am

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:55 am

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:56 am

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:58 am

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
11:58 am

Murray’s taller than Drew Brees. Drew’s doing ok.

Rod

March 18th, 2010
12:00 pm

tweedle dee thanks for posting a link to a website that has a link back to this story. lol

twiddle dee

March 18th, 2010
12:11 pm

Murray’s thumb in his non-throwing hand is missing on both photos. Wierd.

Where’s Murray’s non-throwing thumb?

Perhaps he places it in ther gloves to give him 6 digits in his throwing hand, 4 fingers, and 2 thumbs.

[...] Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray is experimenting with a glove on his throwing hand. [...]

[...] Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray is experimenting with a glove on his throwing hand. [...]

[...] wants to add an SEC-style tradition at Texas Tech. … The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks what’s up with Aaron Murray’s glove? … And former Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli might as well hang on to that NFL dream [...]

Dawg Fud

March 18th, 2010
1:16 pm

looks like michael jackson

Time

March 18th, 2010
1:55 pm

It’s times like these that I wonder why I even bother reading this stuff, much less responding. But here it goes anyways. First, dude is wearing a glove. Other successful QB’s do the same. If he thinks it makes him better, then that’s what he should do. Why it’s news is beyond me.

And I don’t know what goes on at the Trade School blog, or the Bama blog or wherever. Are there really a bunch of UGA posters over there making donkeys of themselves? Because jeez, the amount of Tech people obsessed with posting on this blog is hilarious. Of course, when order is restored to the universe next year, and Tech returns to the depths of a bad conference, they’ll all crawl back into the woodwork as usual.

I’ve got no ties to either school. But am a UGA fan mostly because of the way Tech people act. UGA fan is a UGA fan 24/7/365. Shows his colors, wears his gear win or lose. Tech people mostly are people you’d never know were Tech fans, or college sports fans in general, UNTIL they actually have a decent year, maybe beat the Dawgs and then it’s like roaches crawling out of the woodwork everywhere.

AltamahaDawg

March 18th, 2010
2:12 pm

Ane we have had a couple of pretty funny Gator fans in here lately. Good one.

Now how about this damn Michael Adams setting out to detroy UGA football and his egotistical north campus tailgating rules………..wait, opps. I actually 100% agree with that one. Sorry bout that.

OrlG8r

March 18th, 2010
2:58 pm

Altamaha Dawg

Does that mean you’re down here in FL by the river?

bigdawg

March 18th, 2010
4:35 pm

Hey Bama BANDWAGON fans:

We play Auburn, you know the team that has beaten you 6 of the last 8 times) from the West every year because we have played them since the 1800’s.
Get some common knowledge you bandwagon idiots!

kickin kicker

March 18th, 2010
5:29 pm

The glove is a mystery. Does it give him secret powers? Does it give Murray an advantage? Does it show Murray’s ability to innovate and adapt is better than his peers? Does it make the other team think Murray has an advantage?

Golfers use it, and top QB’s use it, the glove must work.

I am really impressed with Murray and the way he capture the imagination of a nation,

[...] do ya think about QBs wearing gloves? Why is Georgia QB Aaron Murray wearing a glove on his throwing hand? | UGA sports blog I played QB in high school, and thought other QBs who wore gloves were retarded, although Tom [...]

how2fish

March 18th, 2010
6:09 pm

Bama fans…please play us more we want more shots at you guys..your program is doing great..well until the NCAA rules on your appeal anyway..but hey that could go your way and you won’t be stripped on all your wins from 05, and 06 oh and two in 07..but I digress point is your a very good program and we want all of you every year..period Hell we own Auburn the last decade and if memory serves me they own you guys..so pardon us if we are less scared that say most of the SEC.Congrats on the NC this year…but beat your chests somewhere else….

The real story should be...

March 18th, 2010
6:09 pm

Amazing that “The Glove” has attracted so much attention, yet last year all you saw were players wearing one long sleeve on their left arm while their right arm was bare…to me the glove can be explained logically, but that one sleeve look had me completely baffled…help out here if you knew why this is/was done…tks

Techster

March 18th, 2010
6:52 pm

How2fish,

Goodness gracious. You guys really want more shots at the bammers after what they did to you on blackout night? Its easy to talk a lot of bravado when you don’t have to play them. You guys don’t want none of that. And for that matter you don’t want none of us this year but you got no choice. Look for a repeat of our backs running wild at sanford and son stadium.

RED DOG 77

March 19th, 2010
12:46 am

AltamahaDawg……..Thanks for the update on our buddy”BuLLdawg”…….Gotta watch that rascall, he might go back to writing books again. Heaven forbid. I’ll keep an eye out for ya out there, keep up the good work, you’re a damn good DOG !……..GO DOGS !!! GATA!!!!

[...] Click here for more on Murray’s glove. [...]

Jimmy

March 23rd, 2010
9:40 pm

Hmmmm, small hands?? I wonder if his teammates have to hold a BK double cheeseburger for him??

[...] Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray is experimenting with a glove on his throwing hand. [...]