Did you know that Murray is one of only two RBs with 100+ carries and 5+ ypc?

[dstovall5]

He's definitely a top 10 back in the NFL, but his YPC isn't the most impressive, though a 5.3 is great. Also, ever since he came back he has been on fire, he started the year for us being not as effective.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

He's played pretty well, especially as of late. I really thought they messed up by getting away from him Monday night for a while there. He was pretty much having his way with the Bears.

 

[KJJ]

DeMarco is on top of his game right now, without question. There may be a shred of hope for our offense if he's able to continue delivering the yardage the way he has the last few games. It's the defense that desperately needs to find a solution for their woes. Sadly, I doubt it'll happen with the number of injuries they've suffered.

The solution to the defenses woes won't be found until the offseason if even then. The Cowboys had 198 yards rushing vs the Bears and still got blown out. With the defense historically bad the Cowboys are going to have to put the ball up to score enough points to win games the final 3 weeks. Running the ball keeps your score down and the Cowboys mindset has to be to score on every possession because the defense can't stop anyone. The Cowboys can't afford to get down they need to jump on opponents and force them to press to create some turnovers.

The Cowboys defense is so bad that overcoming a 2 score deficit is going to be very difficult. The Cowboys need to have the same approach in their last 3 games they had against Denver. They need to be aggressive offensively from the opening whistle and take some chances. They need to start pushing the ball down the field and create some big plays. The Cowboys may have to win out to make the playoffs so they need to come out swinging the final 3 games.

 

[burmafrd]

Running the ball controls the clock and keeps our D off the field. Sounds a lot more sensible.

 

[KJJ]

Running the ball controls the clock and keeps our D off the field. Sounds a lot more sensible.

Once our D gets on the field they can't stop anyone they bend and break. The Cowboys were only able to run the ball Monday Night because they were going up against the 32nd ranked rush defense. Murray became the 6th straight back to rush for over 100 yards against the Bears this season. The Cowboys rushed for 198 yards and still got blown out. The Cowboys ran the ball controlling the clock for almost 7 minutes on their first possession which led to a TD and the Bears answered back.

You can't play ball control when you have one of the worst defenses in NFL history. Our D can't stop the run or the pass. The Cowboys have to be aggressive and push the ball down the field because they can't afford to get 2 scores down. To play ball control you have to have a solid defense that can make stops. The Cowboys are going to have to put the ball up and outscore opponents.

 

[EPL0c0]

He's also like 26th in carries. Seemingly fragile but also very misused IMO

 

[Texan_Eph89]

Perhaps you've heard of Emmitt Smith??

There's a reason why Emmitt is the all time leader...
His records won't be broken for a while if ever, the average NFL RB comes nowhere near Emmitt in terms of durability.
Thomas Jones seemed to have played forever and even he is nowhere near Emmitt.

Using one of the best ever to set the median is a poor example..

 

[PoetTree]

There's a reason why Emmitt is the all time leader...
His records won't be broken for a while if ever, the average NFL RB comes nowhere near Emmitt in terms of durability.
Thomas Jones seemed to have played forever and even he is nowhere near Emmitt.

Using one of the best ever to set the median is a poor example..

The quote I responded to was this:

'Any RB will run out of gas after 3-4 years of getting 20+ carries a game.'

Emmitt Smith is one player who that's not true for. There are also a number of other backs it's not true for (in no particular order); Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders, Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Fred Taylor, Corey Dylan, Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James, Marshawn Lynch, Marcus Allen, Walter Payton, Stephen Jackson, Jerome Bettis, and really... the list goes on & on.

It's really not that rare for a back to carry out a heavy workload for more than 3-4 years. Emmitt was just the most Cowboys-centric example that came to mind. It was my way of disagreeing that DeMarco would necessarily be "out of gas" in 3 or 4 years as a feature back. Clearly, more than just Emmitt have accomplished the task...

 

[jblaze2004]

were does he rank in total yards running and catching?

 

[Sarge]

Not sure why we don't run the ball more - keeps our defense (if that's what you want to call it) off the field longer. Just makes sense to me anyways.

 

[Big D]

He's also like 26th in carries. Seemingly fragile but also very misused IMO

Exactly. We have him splitting 15 carries a game with the other backs. The reason we lose games after leading, expose the defense filled with journeyman lineman is because not only do we not run, but when we do we have no idea of how to capitalize from it when it's working. Most coaches understand how to protect a lead, protect a struggling defense , and protect an injured or struggling qb with the run game. Ours, not so much.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

Murray is criminally underrated by this board.