A Report: Murray "might" be Returning To Cowboys

[Miller]

Some here would rather the Cowboys allow their best players to walk so the team will have plenty of money to spend trying to replace them. You end up using up more cap space in the long run by having to go through several players to find their replacements. Their dead money is on your cap for several seasons while you're still looking to replace the good player you let get away. It's like buying something cheap to save money and have it go bad instead of spending more on something of quality that will last for awhile. If Murray gets away the Cowboys may end up having to use a premium draft pick on what was the strongest position on the team in 2014. Not exactly the thing you want to be doing when you have glaring holes on defense that need to be filled.

I see what you are trying to say but think its off. People don't want to see the best players walk. They want to see the team build long term. To do that you have to look at the variable when resigning players and allowing yourself to better that D. You have a RB who has had one healthy year. In it he touched the ball over 400 times and running it over 320 times. Both benchmarks have shown that RBs trend downwards with that much running. You also have a stud Oline. The idea isn't to be stingy and let people walk. It's to be smart and to realize that you can get a good sized production for cheaper behind that line and you have money to sign your guys in years to come AND bring in help elsewhere. I don't agree with your theory that paying more means they last longer. I feel like we are trending into finally having a smart gameplan in place and overpaying goes against that. Call it the New England way or whatever but it is a way to keep a team successful long term.

 

[DTown214]

The most annoying people on this forum are the ones that cry about potentially overpaying a player. When someone posts a thread like "________ has been released" or of course a thread about one of our own free agents (like this one), there never fails to be multiple posts saying "Please don't overpay!!" or "Only if he comes cheap"... seriously, you have to spend money in this league if you want good players. Like holy crap...people be actin like it's their own money being spent.

Sorry, I had to vent for a sec.

 

[NeonNinja]

The most annoying people on this forum are the ones that cry about potentially overpaying a player. When someone posts a thread like "________ has been released" or of course a thread about one of our own free agents (like this one), there never fails to be multiple posts saying "Please don't overpay!!" or "Only if he comes cheap"... seriously, you have to spend money in this league if you want good players. Like holy crap...people be actin like it's their own money being spent.

Sorry, I had to vent for a sec.

I understand what you're are getting at but I disagree. It's not some acting as if it's their money, just that they understand there is a cap to work around. Just paying a player whatever can hurt the overall team. Of course, just my opinion on this.

 

[dfense]

For what it's worth:

http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/artic...co_murray_is_re_signing_with_cowboys/18406658

By Larry Brown

Good news, Cowboys fans: It looks like DeMarco Murray might be returning to Big D.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reports that the talk around the league from several sources is that Murray will re-sign with the Cowboys.

Murray, a third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2011, led the league with 1,845 rushing yards last season. He also posted 13 touchdowns and 416 receiving yards.

Despite his strong stats and excellent season, Pro Football Talk reports that the Cowboys feel Murray’s success was due more to their strong offensive line than his individual skills. PFT also says the rest of the league appears to share the same belief, which would result in a soft free agent market for Murray.

Murray reportedly is willing to give the Cowboys a hometown discount, so it sounds like that may end up happening.

Excellent news. Although Murray could or couldn't be replaced, there's the theory that if it ain't broke....

Murray, Romo, Dez, Jason, Beasley and Williams formed a dynamic offense that most defenses could not find a way to stop last season. They could run and pass among the best in the league. The time could very well be this coming season when the offense is running smooth and the defense steps it up another notch. So no changes on offense isn't really a bad thing.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Who is this guy "NFL Ben" that is saying Murray is signing with the Jags?

I have not seen that reported anywhere.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

I'm not one of those who wants to break the bank on Murray but to say there's plenty of backs in the draft is really short changing what he brought to the team this past season. He was the Cowboys MVP in 2014 and helped Romo be a better, more efficient QB and his production helped improve the defense by keeping the D off the field. Without Murray's production no way do the Cowboys even sniff 12-4 and the playoffs. The Cowboys went through several backs since Emmitt including a back they invested a #1 pick in to finally come up with a franchise back and most here are ready to move on from him due to money and the belief his replacement can be easily found. Murray has accomplished some things that not even the great Emmitt Smith accomplished. Most are giving the OL the credit for Murray's season believing that any back could make the same impact he did. I'm not one of those who believes that and there's certainly no assurances an adequate replacement can be found in the draft.

There's not plenty of Demarco Murray's out there and any decline in the running game next season is going to effect Romo and the defense. Romo can't be put in a position with his age and back issues where he's back to having to carry the offense he won't last. Everyone keeps drooling over the OL but it helped get Romo sacked 29 times last season including 5 times vs Washington which caused him to miss a game with another back injury. I'm amazed at the disrespect Murray has received this offseason after such a terrific season where the team rode him to one of the best seasons the Cowboys have had in years. You have many here drooling over Gurley who's coming off an ACL and who likely won't even run a 40 until after he's drafted. If it was up to some here Romo would have been gone due to money a couple of seasons ago and Murray and Dez would be allowed to walk because many seem to think their replacements can easily be found in the upcoming draft.

Here Here...... I feel the same way, word for word...
If Dallas doesn't resign Murray, they better have a strong plan B... we are the cowboys, we win with a strong running game, and an efficient passing game... its been that way since I was a little kid.... I hope everything falls in place..... there are shades of grey in-between lowballing and overpaying....

 

[KJJ]

I see what you are trying to say but think its off. People don't want to see the best players walk. They want to see the team build long term. To do that you have to look at the variable when resigning players and allowing yourself to better that D. You have a RB who has had one healthy year. In it he touched the ball over 400 times and running it over 320 times. Both benchmarks have shown that RBs trend downwards with that much running. You also have a stud Oline. The idea isn't to be stingy and let people walk. It's to be smart and to realize that you can get a good sized production for cheaper behind that line and you have money to sign your guys in years to come AND bring in help elsewhere. I don't agree with your theory that paying more means they last longer. I feel like we are trending into finally having a smart gameplan in place and overpaying goes against that. Call it the New England way or whatever but it is a way to keep a team successful long term.

There's no guarantee's the Cowboys will get better production with another back and a decline in the running game could be mean a decline in the team and Romo's performance going forward. All we saw for 4 years prior to the 2014 season was mediocrity, frustration and disappointment and now that the Cowboys have finally turned the corner some are ready to part with the teams MVP from this past season due to money and the thought he can be easily replaced. The Cowboys have a solid run blocking OL but it's not a real good pass protecting unit. It's gotten Romo pretty beaten up the past 2 seasons causing 2 separate back injuries which forced him to miss games. Any decline in the running game is going to put more on Romo's shoulders and the D will be spending more time on the field. If Romo is put back in a position where he's having to do too much it's going to lead to mistakes and the chance of another injury. Paying more for a quality RB who just led the league in rushing means you're not going to be looking for a back every couple of years. The Cowboys went through a #2 Julius Jones, #4 Marion Barber and a #1 Felix Jones before hitting on Murray.

Romo was the best we've ever seen him this past season because of how consistent the running game was. He didn't turn the ball over a single time in the playoffs after having 12 turnovers in his previous 7 elimination games. His great efficiency was all due to the load that was taken off him from Murray's production. The 90's Cowboys could have let Emmitt walk or traded him back in 93 when he held out. There's some who think any back could have produced like him behind the Great Wall of Dallas but do you think the Cowboys would have won the SB that year and another one 2 years later without Emmitt? NE keeps rolling along with all their many changes due to Brady and Belichick. We'll see if the NE way continues to work once Brady retires. What's smart for the Cowboys is to try and keep their corp players together and build on the success they had in 2014. The window is once again open for the team and they need to take advantage of it while Romo is still playing at a high level. For him to continue playing at a high level he needs a great running game.

 

[mickswag]

 

[Dave_in-NC]

That's one heck of a home town discount.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I sure as hell hope not.

 

[KJJ]

Fair opinion and I appreciate those facts. I'm really on the fence with this and usually I'm for "one in the hand" with Murray as opposed to two in the bush. He's a great guy and obviously well loved in and out of the org which is important. There is some data about a drop off in backs after a big year which I'm not sold on either. Yes bring him back but don't mortgage everything on a RB when they are not as rare a commodity as they once were. RB's are heavily used and break easier due to their pounding. Just sayin

Many are on the fence due to money, Murray's injury history and thinking just about any back could produce behind an OL that some think is on par or better than the Great Wall of Dallas. There's a lot of data out there but one thing that history shows is that "castoff" backs are never productive becoming mostly a bandaid for a year or two and that's all the Cowboys will have to choose from in free agency if they lose Murray and are forced to go that route. Would hate to see them have to use the 27th pick on a back like Gurley who's coming off an ACL and won't even get to see workout or run a 40 until they draft him. He may not be ready for the 2015 season and the window for the Cowboys is open now and it won't stay open if there's a noticeable decline in the running game. You certainly don't mortgage everything on Murray but the Cowboys do need to make a good attempt to retain him if they hope to build on this past season.

 

[Miller]

There's no guarantee's the Cowboys will get better production with another back and a decline in the running game could be mean a decline in the team and Romo's performance going forward. All we saw for 4 years prior to the 2014 season was mediocrity, frustration and disappointment and now that the Cowboys have finally turned the corner some are ready to part with the teams MVP from this past season due to money and the thought he can be easily replaced. The Cowboys have a solid run blocking OL but it's not a real good pass protecting unit. It's gotten Romo pretty beaten up the past 2 seasons causing 2 separate back injuries which forced him to miss games. Any decline in the running game is going to put more on Romo's shoulders and the D will be spending more time on the field. If Romo is put back in a position where he's having to do too much it's going to lead to mistakes and the chance of another injury. Paying more for a quality RB who just led the league in rushing means you're not going to be looking for a back every couple of years. The Cowboys went through a #2 Julius Jones, #4 Marion Barber and a #1 Felix Jones before hitting on Murray.

Romo was the best we've ever seen him this past season because of how consistent the running game was. He didn't turn the ball over a single time in the playoffs after having 12 turnovers in his previous 7 elimination games. His great efficiency was all due to the load that was taken off him from Murray's production. The 90's Cowboys could have let Emmitt walk or traded him back in 93 when he held out. There's some who think any back could have produced like him behind the Great Wall of Dallas but do you think the Cowboys would have won the SB that year and another one 2 years later without Emmitt? NE keeps rolling along with all their many changes due to Brady and Belichick. We'll see if the NE way continues to work once Brady retires. What's smart for the Cowboys is to try and keep their corp players together and build on the success they had in 2014. The window is once again open for the team and they need to take advantage of it while Romo is still playing at a high level. For him to continue playing at a high level he needs a great running game.

Your assessment is correct as to why we were successful. I'm not debating that. Well said. I don't want to pay a RB that has had one great year and more gimpy ones. That's it. He's not a guarantee either. In my assessment I think last year wore down the treads even more. It's always a gamble. RBs have short shelf life's. Why overpay to keep someone in a market where no one is valuing backs? I agree that we have a window. But not sure bringing him in for big bucks solves anything. I think the market will bear that no one is going to break the bank for him and we will have him for a discount. Win/win

 

[Beast_from_East]

So $25 million guaranteed + draft picks to Minny.......................all for a 30 yr old RB who sat out all of last season?

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

[KJJ]

I don't want to pay a RB that has had one great year and more gimpy ones. That's it. He's not a guarantee either.

You have a great point there's no guarantee with him either with his injury history. My feeling is this after the promising season the Cowboys had in 2014 I see a great opportunity to build on it and go even further if they can keep their corp group intact. The Cowboys have been trying for years to improve their running game and it will be very discouraging after improving it so dramatically this past season to see Murray leave and the possibility of the running game declining leading to a disappointing 2015 season. Murray was so important to the teams success in 2014 that if he does walk and isn't adequately replaced by either a 2 back system or an equally productive runner the Cowboys could very well be back to 8-8 again.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Here's part of an article I read today. Take it for what it's worth, I think it makes good sense.

IRVING, Texas -- Whenever he has been asked about DeMarco Murray and the importance to the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Garrett has said, in some form, the runner matters.

Another person with a tie to the Cowboys’ Super Bowl past also believes the runner matters: Norv Turner.

“Obviously there’s some teams with the style it’s not as important, but if you look at Seattle, San Francisco with [Frank] Gore during that three-year stretch, Dallas last year when DeMarco stays healthy the whole time and I think the difference maker in Green Bay was the running back, Eddie Lacy,” Turner said. “Those guys help everyone else play better. They help the quarterback. They help their line. And there’s games where you have to depend on them.”

 

[rynochop]

There are 7-8 running backs in the draft ready to start out of the gate. Too many options to overpay Murray.

I stick to the 4 years for $16 million, take it or leave it.

name them and add carries, yards, tds for all so can revisit it after next year.

 

[erod]

Doesn't seem teams are interested in Murray.

Telling.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Doesn't seem teams are interested in Murray.

Telling.

Why, because every team isn't blabbing about what they are doing like the few that are?

 

[Bane]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I just don't see why you'd let Murray walk unless the price was just too astronomically high. There's no guarantee you'd be able to just plug and play like some people think, plus Murray seems to have good chemistry with the rest of the offense. But I'm just an armchair quarterback, so what do I know....

 

[JoeBoBBY]

I understand what you're are getting at but I disagree. It's not some acting as if it's their money, just that they understand there is a cap to work around. Just paying a player whatever can hurt the overall team. Of course, just my opinion on this.

And, how many times have we seen that happen right here in Dallas. It has really hurt this organization over the years, missing on those guys and paying so much for them,,,,

I guess Commanders fans can understand that too, I am sure there are other teams that have been burnt one too many times, but Dallas has to be right up there with really bad experiences signing some pretty big contracts and getting.....nothing.