KEim: Cowboys RB Alfred Morris on free agency - 'I don't want to do it again'

Cotton

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Cowboys RB Alfred Morris on free agency: 'I don't want to do it again'
5:47 PM CT
John Keim
ESPN Staff Writer

ASHBURN, Va. -- Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris anticipated his departure from the Washington Redskins. He wasn't happy, but he accepted the inevitable. What he didn't like was something many players want: free agency.

"The free-agency process was very insulting, to just say the least," Morris said in a conference call with the Washington media Wednesday. "I didn't like it one bit. I don't want to do it again."

That process resulted in Morris signing with the Redskins' biggest rival, where he's now a backup to rookie Ezekiel Elliott. Along the way, Morris said he grew tired of hearing people bash his productivity in 2015.

Morris' stats decreased last season for a variety of reasons. The blocking wasn't as crisp and coaches said, though they liked Morris, they didn't think he created enough holes for himself. His supporters say he was still effective. Regardless, Morris' numbers in Washington went from a club-record 1,613 yards as a rookie in 2012 to 751 last year. And his yards per carry dropped from 4.8 as a rookie to 3.7 last season.

The Redskins didn't make a strong attempt to re-sign him.

"By the end of the year, I figured my time there was gone," said Morris, a sixth-round pick by then-coach Mike Shanahan in 2012. "You're not the coach's guy, you're not the GM's guy, they draft a young guy. It's a business, so I expected that. They just had a different plan and I wasn't a part of it and that was OK.

"I can't cry over spilled milk. I just had to go buy me another gallon."

But free agency was not OK.

"It was a crazy experience and just due to last season and everybody saying my production went down, a lot of people threw shots at me and tried to say, 'Hey, he just wasn't good,'" said Morris, who eventually signed a two-year deal worth up to $5.5 million.

He said the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos spoke with him early in free agency, but he was told they had bigger priorities than signing a running back. So they spent their money elsewhere. Morris' quest for a new home took longer than he anticipated.

"I was like, wow, man this is not going the way I expected it to go," Morris said. "Eventually Dallas came knocking. I did a visit and it just seemed like a good fit. So I said, 'Why not?' It's a rival team, but I didn't even think about that. I was a kid trying to keep his dream alive and it just happened to fall to the rival team."

Morris said wisdom from other veterans helped him. Morris said when he was a rookie, players such as DeAngelo Hall and Santana Moss helped shake the idealistic notion of the NFL out of his head. They stressed the business aspect to him. He was reminded of that this past offseason, one he hopes not to repeat.

"But you have to remember not to let that steal your joy," Morris said. "I still get an opportunity to live my dream. Is it going the way I wanted it to go? It's not, but that's OK because I'm still here. There's millions of people who would give anything to be in our shoes. So it kept me level-headed. I knew if it wasn't there, there would be other opportunities and I just happened to fall in Dallas. We'll see how this works out over time."
 

DLK150

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"I still get an opportunity to live my dream. Is it going the way I wanted it to go? It's not, but that's OK because I'm still here. There's millions of people who would give anything to be in our shoes. So it kept me level-headed. I knew if it wasn't there, there would be other opportunities and I just happened to fall in Dallas. We'll see how this works out over time."
I'm glad he's here because he seems to have the right attitude and outlook.
 

DLK150

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Agreed, Elliott could not have a better guy to emulate.
Yep. It's why I prefer guys that have talent that just love the opportunity to play the game, don't take it for granted and whatever money comes to them is just a bonus. Morris seems to be that type.
 
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