Eric Dickerson fumbled 14 times in his 2105 yard season

[Risen Star]

Same kind of upright running style. He also takes a lot of shots.

He doesn't have Dickerson's burst or deep speed.

 

[bigdnlaca]

So far Murray has been fumbling, but luckily for the Cowboys, he has done it in the 1st quarter. It seems like he runs harder/better after the fumble. What I am afraid about is Murray not fumbling at all in the beginning and then fumbling in the 4th quarter.

 

[romothesavior]

Some of his fumbles have been the "fluky" kind where an arm or a helmet hits just the right spot at just the wrong time. Those things happen.

But yesterday's fumble was completely inexcusable. Not securing the football and fighting for an extra six inches while stood up in the red zone when you have a first down? Cannot happen, period.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

No, you shouldn't have to "take them".

That's an unacceptable position to take because most fumbles are due to a lack of concentration and nothing more.

Fumbling is bad. You don't make good out of bad.
You alter flow / momentum.
You lose games.
Playoffs - you go home!

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Fumbling is bad. You don't make good out of bad.
You alter flow / momentum.
You lose games.
Playoffs - you go home!

That's exactly right.

How many here that are expounding on the virtues of Murray would appreciate having their season ended by another fumble?

 

[Carolina Cowboy]

Just please stop putting the damn ball on the carpet.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

That's exactly right.

How many here that are expounding on the virtues of Murray would appreciate having their season ended by another fumble?

Yep.

I like Murray. I lie him a lot.

But there are two things he does that hurts us.

1. Fumbles. He needs to lay low and get down. The extra inches or yards are not worth the fumble in any scenario.

2. He needs to stay inbounds when trying to turn the corner when we are bleeding the clock.

Both are fundamentals. "Mental"

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Yep.

I like Murray. I lie him a lot.

But there are two things he does that hurts us.

1. Fumbles. He needs to lay low and get down. The extra inches or yards are not worth the fumble in any scenario.

2. He needs to stay inbounds when trying to turn the corner when we are bleeding the clock.

Both are fundamentals. "Mental"

Yep, I noticed #2 also.

And you're right, both deal with the mental aspect of the game.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Yep, I noticed #2 also.

And you're right, both deal with the mental aspect of the game.

And mental is in fundamental.... Hmmmm lol

 

[MichaelWinicki]

And mental is in fundamental.... Hmmmm lol

So what is his approach to the mental aspect of the game after he gets $7 mil of guaranteed money?

 

[gimmesix]

In 1984 he had 379 attempts, 2105 yards, and 14 fumbles.

Murray is on pace for 416 attempts, 2144 yards, and 12.8 fumbles.

Heck, Tony Dorsett fumbled 12 times in the 1978 season, when we lost the SB against the Steelers, and had 2 other seasons where he fumbled 10 or more times.

Is it the end of the world? I don't know, you tell me. I for one think Murray will get it together and this fumbling won't be an every week occurrence, but history tells us we can still go far.

(Yes, i'm trying to make light out of a bad situation in this thread)

It's just like with any turnover ... it isn't significant until it's significant.

In the San Francisco game, Murray's fumble set the tone but was overshadowed by Romo playing so poorly, which made it less significant.

In the Houston game, it likely took points off the board that Dallas could have ended up needing, but didn't. People would have probably focused more on the missed field goal, or Romo's interception, than Murray's first-quarter fumble.

So ... we can live with the fumbling until a fumble costs us more than the production we're getting from Murray. That likely won't happen until the game is on the line and he fumbles it away.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

So what is his approach to the mental aspect of the game after he gets $7 mil of guaranteed money?

It's so odd. I hear him speak and he reminds me of a military son,man army brat.
So, when I see him do things like I, we, have mentioned. It's strikes me as odd.
I expect the opposite.

He has worked really hard to get here. I hope the money is the "goal" then he is comfy!

 

[WV Cowboy]

If you want to look at a famous fumbler look no further than Dorsett. I think he averaged about 10 fumbles a year most of his Dallas career.

He was 185 lbs, .. surprised he didn't fumble more.

Landry did a real nice job of not running him too much, .. to keep him healthy.

 

[movaughn88]

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is he's lost all 4 fumbles (as in not recovered by him or his team).

This is a stat that's absolutely random, and the historical recovery rate is exactly 50%.

So if he gets a bounce or wobble and 2 of these had been recovered, we wouldn't be having this conversation, and we might be 5-0.

I'm not defending him, as he definitely needs to get two hands on the ball sometimes, particularly being mindful fighting for that last yard. I'm just pointing out an unlucky wrinkle in the narrative.

 

[tyke1doe]

He was 185 lbs, .. surprised he didn't fumble more.

Landry did a real nice job of not running him too much, .. to keep him healthy.

I thought he was 177lbs.

 

[WV Cowboy]

I thought he was 177lbs.

You could be right, .. which only bolsters my point.

I was thinking 185 though, .. not sure.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Yeah, it's probably not a great idea to compare Murray to Dickerson or TD. I mean, they were both fumblers by reputation and they deserved the label but, they were also both HOF RBs. Why were they able to be considered HOF RBs when they both fumbled a lot? Because they were both game changing, breakaway threats to take to the house from any point on the field, at any point in the game in any situation. Not to put to fine a point on it but, they are, respectively, the 7th and 8th all time leading rusher in the history of the NFL.

The question here is, do you see Murray as that kind of talent? Do you see him eventually being a top 10 all time rusher in NFL history? Do you see him as a HOF RB eventually? If the answer is yes, then I think it's fair to make that kind of comparison. If the answer is no, then it's probably a bad idea.

 

[BlindFaith]

Now i feel soooo much better ;-)

No seriously. As long as he does not put both hands on the ball when he runs into traffic he wont stop fumbling.
The fumble on 3-1 against the Texans was as stupid as it gets (he already had the first down). And it was all his fault.

If i were the HC i would bench him for 1 game so he could make up his mind. Use both hands or catch a cold on the bench. Its his decission.

Leading rusher and all. He is hurting us and it nearly cost us the game against Houston.

He cradles the ball, and doesn't three point it. Pretty basic stuff. They were actually talking about this during the game. Murray has big hands and doesn't think he needs to carry the ball correctly. Maybe he'll start listening now.

 

[tyke1doe]

You could be right, .. which only bolsters my point.

I was thinking 185 though, .. not sure.

I read somewhere that Dorsett was 177lb max. He was a slight-looking fellow when you saw him up close. But, boy, could he run. The reason I'm a Cowboys fan.

 

[joseephuss]

Yep.

I like Murray. I lie him a lot.

But there are two things he does that hurts us.

1. Fumbles. He needs to lay low and get down. The extra inches or yards are not worth the fumble in any scenario.

2. He needs to stay inbounds when trying to turn the corner when we are bleeding the clock.

Both are fundamentals. "Mental"

Murray has been very good at #2 during his career. He often will dive into the ground in that situation. Seeing him do otherwise is the exception, not the rule for him.