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Clip and save: Cowboys will miss DeMarco Murray
By Randy Galloway
DeMarco Murray? Miss you, man. And yes, the Cowboys are going to miss you.
I know that’s not a popular local opinion. I know it’s all about the offensive line, and about the theory “anybody can run behind that offensive line.”
Anybody is now named Darren McFadden and Joe Randle. This confuses me. It also amazes me.
Frankly, when it comes to our local pro teams, I can’t remember any player who produced as much as Murray in one season, then when he leaves, the overwhelming attitude is oh, well.
And that’s not just fans. That’s not just some segments of the media. That’s also from within the Valley Ranch walls. Oh, well.
Confused. Amazed.
But since that January afternoon in Green Bay, we’ve been waiting for next season. Next season — thank gawd the exhibition game crap has gone away — arrives next weekend for the Cowboys.
Expectations, of course, are high. The high expectations are also legitimate, although not without concern.
Orlando Scandrick going down in training camp for the season was the one defensive injury the Cowboys couldn’t afford. Defense, overall, is a wait-and-see, even with some hopeful upgrades in pressuring the quarterback.
DeMarco Murray became the first player in NFL history to start a season by rushing for at least 100 yards in eight consecutive games.
But the departure of Murray has had my attention throughout the spring, summer and now.
I know and accept the DeMarco flaws. As injury-prone as he’d previously been, what are the odds he would have the same health blessing as last season?
Fumbles too much. If I had to pick the most nagging negative play of the entire 2014 season, playoffs and all, it would be the DeMarco fumble in the Green Bay game:
Wide-open hole, a pathway to many, many yards, maybe the end zone, and he loses the ball without taking contact. A blocked-out defensive end stuck out his hand and knocked the ball out. Ugh.
And for those who analyze film, the whispers, even as he was leading the league, by far, in rushing last season, centered on this guy leaving a lot of yardage on the field.
Murray is a bullish runner, and a good one, but, granted, when he’s one-on-one in the secondary with a safety, the safety could take him down. If Murray had 120 yards rushing in a game, I’d hear the film guys saying the next day he should have had 160.
In 2013, Murray became the first Cowboys running back to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season since Julius Jones in 2006.
Then came the Philly overpayment free-agent offer, which Murray obviously would have been nuts to turn down, and DeMarco was gone for good. Gone to Philadelphia, never a good thing.
So why then are the Cowboys going to miss Murray?
No. 1, there was no emphasis by the team to attempt to upgrade at running back. The Cowboys talk highly about Randle, but he’s a rock-head with a bad pedigree when he’s on the streets.
In the free-agent market, McFadden was signed, and McFadden has a long injury history, and carries an ongoing “bust” label. It’s not exactly like he was in high demand.
With Lance Dunbar a package back, the Cowboys are still a running back short when it comes to someone being used for multiple carries.
Without doubt, Jerry Jones thought he had a shot at Adrian Peterson in a trade, and that held up the pursuit of an established running back. Then came the draft, and the Cowboys had an interest in several names, but those went off the board ahead of where the picks were.
Stephen Jones has admitted the team left itself open for criticism by not landing a running back in the draft, but Stephen’s defenders say, well, at least they didn’t reach for one, that the Cowboys followed their board.
When Randle this summer blurted out “there was meat left on the bone” in referring to Murray’s banner 2014 season, Cowboys coaches, particularly Jason Garrett, cringed. Obviously, a coach had mentioned that to Randle in confidence, going back to DeMarco couldn’t make the safety miss.
Last season, Murray averaged 4.7 yards a carry and finished with 1,845 yards on 392 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. He lost five fumbles.
However, even those within the Valley Ranch walls who believe Murray didn’t “clean the bone,” concede that Murray was great at not yielding “negative” yards. A blown-up running play that might have been a 3-yard loss, he could turn into a 1-yard gain. There’s a big difference between second-and-13, and second-and-9.
Then there are two areas where the positives on Murray are going to be almost impossible to replace by any other running back this season:
No. 1. Understanding and being successful in his pass protection role for Tony Romo.
No. 2. Being a good check-down receiver for Romo.
In no way am I attempting to de-emphasize the greatness of the Cowboys’ offensive line, and what that meant for Murray. But in the overall package, how can anyone think McFadden or Randle can come close to bringing everything Murray did?
Well, let me backtrack. There are certainly those who think they can. Even members of the Cowboys’ offensive staff think that. The “anybody can” theory mushrooms around those guys blocking up front.
The offensive success last season was based on a productive balance between running it and throwing it.
Even though Murray is lacking in love around here at the moment, he was a major part of that balance, and also in protecting Romo.
Clip and save. DeMarco will be missed.
By Randy Galloway
DeMarco Murray? Miss you, man. And yes, the Cowboys are going to miss you.
I know that’s not a popular local opinion. I know it’s all about the offensive line, and about the theory “anybody can run behind that offensive line.”
Anybody is now named Darren McFadden and Joe Randle. This confuses me. It also amazes me.
Frankly, when it comes to our local pro teams, I can’t remember any player who produced as much as Murray in one season, then when he leaves, the overwhelming attitude is oh, well.
And that’s not just fans. That’s not just some segments of the media. That’s also from within the Valley Ranch walls. Oh, well.
Confused. Amazed.
But since that January afternoon in Green Bay, we’ve been waiting for next season. Next season — thank gawd the exhibition game crap has gone away — arrives next weekend for the Cowboys.
Expectations, of course, are high. The high expectations are also legitimate, although not without concern.
Orlando Scandrick going down in training camp for the season was the one defensive injury the Cowboys couldn’t afford. Defense, overall, is a wait-and-see, even with some hopeful upgrades in pressuring the quarterback.
DeMarco Murray became the first player in NFL history to start a season by rushing for at least 100 yards in eight consecutive games.
But the departure of Murray has had my attention throughout the spring, summer and now.
I know and accept the DeMarco flaws. As injury-prone as he’d previously been, what are the odds he would have the same health blessing as last season?
Fumbles too much. If I had to pick the most nagging negative play of the entire 2014 season, playoffs and all, it would be the DeMarco fumble in the Green Bay game:
Wide-open hole, a pathway to many, many yards, maybe the end zone, and he loses the ball without taking contact. A blocked-out defensive end stuck out his hand and knocked the ball out. Ugh.
And for those who analyze film, the whispers, even as he was leading the league, by far, in rushing last season, centered on this guy leaving a lot of yardage on the field.
Murray is a bullish runner, and a good one, but, granted, when he’s one-on-one in the secondary with a safety, the safety could take him down. If Murray had 120 yards rushing in a game, I’d hear the film guys saying the next day he should have had 160.
In 2013, Murray became the first Cowboys running back to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season since Julius Jones in 2006.
Then came the Philly overpayment free-agent offer, which Murray obviously would have been nuts to turn down, and DeMarco was gone for good. Gone to Philadelphia, never a good thing.
So why then are the Cowboys going to miss Murray?
No. 1, there was no emphasis by the team to attempt to upgrade at running back. The Cowboys talk highly about Randle, but he’s a rock-head with a bad pedigree when he’s on the streets.
In the free-agent market, McFadden was signed, and McFadden has a long injury history, and carries an ongoing “bust” label. It’s not exactly like he was in high demand.
With Lance Dunbar a package back, the Cowboys are still a running back short when it comes to someone being used for multiple carries.
Without doubt, Jerry Jones thought he had a shot at Adrian Peterson in a trade, and that held up the pursuit of an established running back. Then came the draft, and the Cowboys had an interest in several names, but those went off the board ahead of where the picks were.
Stephen Jones has admitted the team left itself open for criticism by not landing a running back in the draft, but Stephen’s defenders say, well, at least they didn’t reach for one, that the Cowboys followed their board.
When Randle this summer blurted out “there was meat left on the bone” in referring to Murray’s banner 2014 season, Cowboys coaches, particularly Jason Garrett, cringed. Obviously, a coach had mentioned that to Randle in confidence, going back to DeMarco couldn’t make the safety miss.
Last season, Murray averaged 4.7 yards a carry and finished with 1,845 yards on 392 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. He lost five fumbles.
However, even those within the Valley Ranch walls who believe Murray didn’t “clean the bone,” concede that Murray was great at not yielding “negative” yards. A blown-up running play that might have been a 3-yard loss, he could turn into a 1-yard gain. There’s a big difference between second-and-13, and second-and-9.
Then there are two areas where the positives on Murray are going to be almost impossible to replace by any other running back this season:
No. 1. Understanding and being successful in his pass protection role for Tony Romo.
No. 2. Being a good check-down receiver for Romo.
In no way am I attempting to de-emphasize the greatness of the Cowboys’ offensive line, and what that meant for Murray. But in the overall package, how can anyone think McFadden or Randle can come close to bringing everything Murray did?
Well, let me backtrack. There are certainly those who think they can. Even members of the Cowboys’ offensive staff think that. The “anybody can” theory mushrooms around those guys blocking up front.
The offensive success last season was based on a productive balance between running it and throwing it.
Even though Murray is lacking in love around here at the moment, he was a major part of that balance, and also in protecting Romo.
Clip and save. DeMarco will be missed.
