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Murray's ego at root of fumble woes
Thinking he can't be brought down has become turnover risk for Cowboys' star RB
Updated: October 31, 2014, 3:37 AM ET
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- There is no drill the Dallas Cowboys can use that will stop DeMarco Murray from fumbling.
There is no power-point presentation head coach Jason Garrett or playcaller Scott Linehan can show that will prevent the problem. The same goes for running backs coach Gary Brown, who has been known to give lengthy lectures on the subject of five-point pressure and its relationship to a reduction in fumbles.
This issue will end when Murray makes up his mind the fumbles must cease.
Most of the explosive running back's fumbles this season have been about ego. Not in a bad way, as if he is putting himself before the team. But in the way he thinks he is unstoppable; he loses his grip on the football while he fights for extra yards.
It's easy to understand why he feels so invincible this season. He is in the midst of a historic start that has seen him break legendary running back Jim Brown's 56-year record for consecutive 100-yard games to begin a season. And he's on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 30-year single-season record of 2,105 yards.
Yes, Murray thinks he can't be tackled this season.
But 36-yard catch and run against the Washington Redskins that ended in a lost fumble is a classic case in which Murray should have toned down his ego and allowed himself to go down without as much of a fight.
Forcing himself to fall to the turf is nothing new for Murray. He has done exactly that several times this season, usually at the end of games when he throws himself to the ground to stay in bounds and keep the clock moving. For the fumbles to stop, he must adopt the same mentality at other key times in a game.
Against Washington, he dragged safety Brandon Meriweather five yards to the Washington 7. Then cornerback Bashaud Breeland delivered a blow that might have driven just about any other runner to the ground. Instead, Murray balanced himself with his left hand. Then his legs started churning again as he spun away from Breeland, who at that point was tugging at the ball instead of trying to tackle Murray because he knew help was on the way.
Three more defenders arrived, bringing the total of Redskins to five. That's when the ball squirted out of Murray's grasp -- just before his knees hit the ground.
Washington recovered, and a Cowboys scoring opportunity vanished.
Murray, who leads the NFL with five fumbles, lost the ball in similar situations against the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans.
"People see that your style is fighting for inches and they're going to be fighting for the ball," Linehan said. "You'd rather have to rein a guy in from fighting for inches. I don't think we'd change that, but there is a time when going down is OK. But it's hard to tell a competitor like DeMarco that's it's OK to go down.
"In a situation where there's no way to go, you have to do that. On the other hand, you have to respect his effort. It's more about the technique on how you carry the ball at the end of a run."
Prior to this season, fumbles were not a problem for Murray, who had just seven in 756 carries and receptions, or one fumble every 108 touches. This season he is fumbling once every 46.2 touches.
Part of the problem now is that Murray has a new reputation as a fumbler, and opposing players spend almost as much time tugging at the ball as they do trying to tackle him. At this point, it's probably not going to change, which means Murray must be more diligent than ever about when to fight for extra yardage.
The Cowboys' 6-2 record is great and they are off to a better start than anyone, including the coach and owner, could have imagined. But winning the turnover battle has more impact on victories and defeats than other stat.
Teams that are on the plus side of turnovers are 74-22-1 this season.
The Cowboys have been an anomaly, going 2-2 when they lose the turnover battle. They can't expect that to continue.
"Somehow, someway, we have to communicate it better, drill it better and show it better," Garrett said. "In DeMarco's case, this is probably the third or fourth one, where it's the end of the down, he's staying up and making yards and the third or fourth guy comes in, rips it out.
"Understanding where he is in the play and getting down is important for him, and he does that a lot. When you carry the football as much he does, he has that circumstance happen 25 times a game."
Talk to Murray and he'll tell you the fumbles must cease and he understands the importance of ball security.
Words without action, though, mean little.
But as he has done for several weeks, he cradled the ball snugly in his right arm during individual practice drills Thursday morning as a reminder of its importance.
We will see if it translates to better control when it counts.
Thinking he can't be brought down has become turnover risk for Cowboys' star RB
Updated: October 31, 2014, 3:37 AM ET
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- There is no drill the Dallas Cowboys can use that will stop DeMarco Murray from fumbling.
There is no power-point presentation head coach Jason Garrett or playcaller Scott Linehan can show that will prevent the problem. The same goes for running backs coach Gary Brown, who has been known to give lengthy lectures on the subject of five-point pressure and its relationship to a reduction in fumbles.
This issue will end when Murray makes up his mind the fumbles must cease.
Most of the explosive running back's fumbles this season have been about ego. Not in a bad way, as if he is putting himself before the team. But in the way he thinks he is unstoppable; he loses his grip on the football while he fights for extra yards.
It's easy to understand why he feels so invincible this season. He is in the midst of a historic start that has seen him break legendary running back Jim Brown's 56-year record for consecutive 100-yard games to begin a season. And he's on pace to break Eric Dickerson's 30-year single-season record of 2,105 yards.
Yes, Murray thinks he can't be tackled this season.
But 36-yard catch and run against the Washington Redskins that ended in a lost fumble is a classic case in which Murray should have toned down his ego and allowed himself to go down without as much of a fight.
Forcing himself to fall to the turf is nothing new for Murray. He has done exactly that several times this season, usually at the end of games when he throws himself to the ground to stay in bounds and keep the clock moving. For the fumbles to stop, he must adopt the same mentality at other key times in a game.
Against Washington, he dragged safety Brandon Meriweather five yards to the Washington 7. Then cornerback Bashaud Breeland delivered a blow that might have driven just about any other runner to the ground. Instead, Murray balanced himself with his left hand. Then his legs started churning again as he spun away from Breeland, who at that point was tugging at the ball instead of trying to tackle Murray because he knew help was on the way.
Three more defenders arrived, bringing the total of Redskins to five. That's when the ball squirted out of Murray's grasp -- just before his knees hit the ground.
Washington recovered, and a Cowboys scoring opportunity vanished.
Murray, who leads the NFL with five fumbles, lost the ball in similar situations against the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans.
"People see that your style is fighting for inches and they're going to be fighting for the ball," Linehan said. "You'd rather have to rein a guy in from fighting for inches. I don't think we'd change that, but there is a time when going down is OK. But it's hard to tell a competitor like DeMarco that's it's OK to go down.
"In a situation where there's no way to go, you have to do that. On the other hand, you have to respect his effort. It's more about the technique on how you carry the ball at the end of a run."
Prior to this season, fumbles were not a problem for Murray, who had just seven in 756 carries and receptions, or one fumble every 108 touches. This season he is fumbling once every 46.2 touches.
Part of the problem now is that Murray has a new reputation as a fumbler, and opposing players spend almost as much time tugging at the ball as they do trying to tackle him. At this point, it's probably not going to change, which means Murray must be more diligent than ever about when to fight for extra yardage.
The Cowboys' 6-2 record is great and they are off to a better start than anyone, including the coach and owner, could have imagined. But winning the turnover battle has more impact on victories and defeats than other stat.
Teams that are on the plus side of turnovers are 74-22-1 this season.
The Cowboys have been an anomaly, going 2-2 when they lose the turnover battle. They can't expect that to continue.
"Somehow, someway, we have to communicate it better, drill it better and show it better," Garrett said. "In DeMarco's case, this is probably the third or fourth one, where it's the end of the down, he's staying up and making yards and the third or fourth guy comes in, rips it out.
"Understanding where he is in the play and getting down is important for him, and he does that a lot. When you carry the football as much he does, he has that circumstance happen 25 times a game."
Talk to Murray and he'll tell you the fumbles must cease and he understands the importance of ball security.
Words without action, though, mean little.
But as he has done for several weeks, he cradled the ball snugly in his right arm during individual practice drills Thursday morning as a reminder of its importance.
We will see if it translates to better control when it counts.
