Archer: Five Wonders - The runner or the line

Cotton

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Five Wonders: The runner or the line
December, 16, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- We have wondered many things throughout the season and none of them have been about the Dallas Cowboys earning homefield advantage in the playoffs. But if the Cowboys win the final two games, it's possible.

Amazing.

Let's get to the Wonders:

Let's call DeMarco Murray highly questionable for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts because of his hand surgery. One game isn't enough to make a real judgment either way, but I wonder if we'll find out if the success on the ground this year has been Murray or the offensive line. I wondered earlier in the year of Joseph Randle would be a 1,200-yard rusher behind this line. He might get his chance to show what the Cowboys will have in 2015 if they choose not to re-sign Murray. Back in the day, the thought was any running back could run behind the Cowboys' offensive line, which was an incredible slight to Emmitt Smith. It's a slight to Murray to say any back could put up staggering numbers behind this line, but if he can't play, the Cowboys will have an indicator of what they have without Murray.

Again assuming that Murray will not play against the Colts, I wonder if the Cowboys will call up Ryan Williams from the practice squad. Many fans were apoplectic when Williams did not make the team out of training camp. Many were stunned he cleared waivers. I'm a little surprised no team has come calling on him during the season when you factor in some of the injuries teams have had at running back. But I wonder if the need for one game is worth it to call up Williams. And here's where I offer up a Wonder within a Wonder: I wonder if they would make wide receiver Dwayne Harris the emergency tailback if something were to happen to Randle or Lance Dunbar. He has running back skills with his return ability. He's lined up in the backfield already this year. And he would be needed for just one game. It makes sense to me.

I wonder if anybody who was inside the Cowboys' draft room last May was close to saying, ‘I told you so,' to Jerry Jones after Johnny Manziel's debut for the Cleveland Browns. Not to put too much stock in one game but Manziel looked lost in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Jones was clamoring for Manziel through the entire draft process and even brought up the quarterback's name when the Cowboys were about to go on the clock. It was met with silence. And the Cowboys wisely chose Zack Martin with their first round pick. Imagine where they would be without him this season? I've let the sort of revisionist history go when the Cowboys have said Martin was a huge part of their offensive line rebuild because they were going to take Ryan Shazier until he was gone to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it's proof the best moves are the ones you can't make or didn't make, like drafting Manziel.

Maybe you've heard the Cowboys have struggled at AT&T Stadium this year. The Cowboys' four losses have come at the $1.2 billion palace. There really is no good answer to why the Cowboys play better on the road than at home. Some of it has had to do with the better teams that have come there (San Francisco, Arizona and Philadelphia). Some of it has to do with the lack of atmosphere at the stadium. But I'm here to offer up a solution, somewhat facetiously. The Cowboys stay in a local hotel the night before the games, just as they do on the road. The players then drive themselves to the stadium. Well, I wonder if the Cowboys should all take buses from the hotel to the stadium, like they do for road games. Hey, can it hurt?

There is plenty of time to get into the whos and whats of the next year's draft, but I wonder if the draft will be a defense-only affair. It's not that the Cowboys won't have needs on offense. We talked about the possible running back need earlier. They might need an offensive tackle. They could take a quarterback. But with the way the team is constructed to win now under Tony Romo, it just makes sense to make the next draft all about the defense. The needs on the defensive line are obvious. The needs at cornerback are obvious. They could use help at linebacker and safety, too.
 

Genghis Khan

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Instead of dreaming up nightmare scenarios of Dwayne Harris taking snaps in the backfield as a RB in a game that may make or break your season, how about you just call up Ryan Fucking Williams if Murray can't go?
 

Cotton

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Instead of dreaming up nightmare scenarios of Dwayne Harris taking snaps in the backfield as a RB in a game that may make or break your season, how about you just call up Ryan Fucking Williams if Murray can't go?
No doubt.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Instead of dreaming up nightmare scenarios of Dwayne Harris taking snaps in the backfield as a RB in a game that may make or break your season, how about you just call up Ryan Fucking Williams if Murray can't go?
I'm 99% sure Murray will go.
 

L.T. Fan

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I am hearing that the injury is actually in his finger and close to the buckle. A pin was placed in it so there is not much risk but possibly some pain if it gets dinged. It appears he will play and should not be hindered much.
 

Cotton

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I am hearing that the injury is actually in his finger and close to the buckle. A pin was placed in it so there is not much risk but possibly some pain if it gets dinged. It appears he will play and should not be hindered much.
It's the 4th metacarpal in his hand. Basically the bone that connects the ring finger to the wrist.
 

NoDak

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If Murray doesn't go, we'd better hope whoever gets most of the carries does well. If not, you can bet Jerry will be backing up a Brinks truck to Murray's door this offseason.

If we run it even marginally well without him, it will ease a lot of worry about next years running game with our FO.
 

boozeman

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If Murray doesn't go, we'd better hope whoever gets most of the carries does well. If not, you can bet Jerry will be backing up a Brinks truck to Murray's door this offseason.

If we run it even marginally well without him, it will ease a lot of worry about next years running game with our FO.
True, but imagine if a guy like Randle goes 20-75 yards against a weak Colt run D. Jerry will think he is a competent starter and go into next season thinking that.
 

L.T. Fan

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Is this the week that everyone becomes a Randle fan? Notwithstanding Mr. Bozeman. :art
 

p1_

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True, but imagine if a guy like Randle goes 20-75 yards against a weak Colt run D. Jerry will think he is a competent starter and go into next season thinking that.
You always have the counterpoint. Funny how easy it is to read that old fucker.
 

NoDak

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True, but imagine if a guy like Randle goes 20-75 yards against a weak Colt run D. Jerry will think he is a competent starter and go into next season thinking that.
Honestly, I'd rather see Randle start next year over Jerry paying Murray like he's the illegitimate love child of Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.

He might not be an above avg guy, but I don't think he's nearly as bad as some people would have you believe, either.
 

Carp

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Adrian Peterson will be our starting RB next year anyways.
 

boozeman

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Honestly, I'd rather see Randle start next year over Jerry paying Murray like he's the illegitimate love child of Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.

He might not be an above avg guy, but I don't think he's nearly as bad as some people would have you believe, either.
He is an average RB. I don't think he is even a 1000 yard guy behind this line over the course of a full season and frankly, I don't want to try to find out.

He's effective in short stages, but I strongly doubt he is much beyond that. The guy has zero special qualities.
 

kidd

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Don't get me wrong. I like Murray. I really do. But I'm not ready to hang the hopes of this team on him by giving him a huge contract next year. This is the first year he has been relatively healthy. I find it ironic that it also just so happens to be a contract year. He also has a case of fumbleitis at times.

That's part of the reason I want to see how someone else does behind this line this weekend. I don't want Jerry selling out over this guy. I'd much rather pay Dez than Murray.
 

Cowboysrock55

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So would I but if they were going to call him up we would have heard by now.
Not necessarily. We didn't call up a corner until like the Friday before the game earlier this year if I remember correctly. When you're pulling a guy off the practice squad it's not like there is a learning curve. So there is no reason to bring him up to the active roster early in the week.
 

Clay_Allison

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Not necessarily. We didn't call up a corner until like the Friday before the game earlier this year if I remember correctly. When you're pulling a guy off the practice squad it's not like there is a learning curve. So there is no reason to bring him up to the active roster early in the week.
Also, when you cut someone on friday, it's more likely he will still be available on monday.
 

L.T. Fan

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Not necessarily. We didn't call up a corner until like the Friday before the game earlier this year if I remember correctly. When you're pulling a guy off the practice squad it's not like there is a learning curve. So there is no reason to bring him up to the active roster early in the week.
Possibly so but with as much riding on a game I would think they would want him to get as many reps with the starters as possible. If I were a coach that's the way I would want it if I knew Murray wasn't playing.
 
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