Looks like Emmitt saw what Randle and many of us saw

[dragon_mikal]

You can argue that gaining the services of Greg Hardy, who we may or may not have pursued if we retained Murray at his asking price, could help us win the division. Unless you feel that the drop off from Murray to Randle & McFadden is so big that an improved pass rush & defense wouldn't be able to overcome it...

I agree that the additions on defense have the potential to make up for the loss of Murray.

I hope they do.

To be honest...McFadden is the RB that interests me the most as I feel he has the talent needed to at least keep the running game legitimate.

 

[dragon_mikal]

Can't be true. Murray was the Cowboys and dallas will be 8-8 7-9 if lucky.

Interweb says so

He was a big part of their success last year. Why some can't admit it is beyond me.

 

[Direwolf63]

In his quote, Emmitt Smith talks out of both sides of his mouth.

He says on the one hand, he should have had 2500 yards, but he maximized his opportunities.

Huh?

I think he is saying that a more talented back, say Adrian Peterson, could have rushed for 2,500 yards behind this o-line.

And DeMarco maximized his rushing yards given his talent.

Remember the Green Bay playoff game when Peppers stripped Murray of the ball. AP takes that ball to the house and the game is almost over.

That's where Emmitt is going in his own convoluted way.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

I wonder how manys yards Emmitt left on the field when, as he played as a Cardinal agin the Dallas Cowboys, he had negative yardage against Dallas?

 

[mugsybows]

So you're saying this team goes 12-4 last year without Murray? You're right...that is laughable.

im saying people suggesting hes our whole team is laughable.

 

[Plankton]

I think he is saying that a more talented back, say Adrian Peterson, could have rushed for 2,500 yards behind this o-line.

And DeMarco maximized his rushing yards given his talent.

Remember the Green Bay playoff game when Peppers stripped Murray of the ball. AP takes that ball to the house and the game is almost over.

That's where Emmitt is going in his own convoluted way.

I don't think that Adrian Peterson or any other back in history would have run for 2500 yards behind this line, as great as it is. That's complete hyperbole. Could someone have outgained Murray under the same circumstances? Absolutely. Is it likely? Based on the fact that it happened only 17 other times in 96 years, I would say not necessarily.

And, yes, Murray nearly maximized his talent - if he would improve his ball security, he would be even more effective.

I just think the campaign on the part of people to denigrate the season DeMarco Murray had in 2014 is laughable and insane.

 

[VACowboy]

Guys, at the end of the day, every running back is different. They each have their own set of skills that lend better to certain situations and not so much to other situations. Unless you're talking about a hypothetical freak of a RB specimen that probably doesn't exist, you're not likely to find a RB who runs a 4.3, has perfect vision, can consistently power himself though defenders and push the pile forward, juke and wiggle his way from most tackles, doesn't fumble, etc.

Yes, Murray gained yards in numerous situations that our current RBs might not be able to do as well.

Randle, McFadden, etc. will be able to get more yards in situations where Murray wouldn't do as well.

Obviously we will never know what might have happened if we substituted another RB for Murray last season, but what I do know is that while Murray is far from perfect, his skill set fit well with what we were trying to do last year (fumbles aside, of course).

If McFadden proves that he's not completely washed up yet and has even 80% of his early 20's speed, running ability, etc., I think we'll be fine.

This sums up my opinion, all the way around, except I may add...

• Randle, DMC, etc, will be able to gain yards in ways that Murray couldn't.

And...

• Murray was more than just a great player. He was a great guy and great teammate who wanted to be a Cowboy. I wanted him to be a Cowboy too and was sad to see him go, but not so sad that I wanted to see Jerry pay him what he got in Philly. I am confident that we'll be fine at RB, and with the improvements the team has made this offseason, feeling really, really good about or team's prospects as training camp rolls around.

 

[tyke1doe]

On if it was insulting to hear 'he's only good because he has a great offensive line':

"At some time it does become a little insulting. When I think about DeMarco Murray, he has his own talent but when I was watching him run last year, and this is just me evaluating, I saw some opportunities there that was left on the football field where he could've had 2,500 yards, but he maximized what he had and he did the best with what he had. He had tremendous opportunities and the Cowboys — here's the most important thing — the Cowboys gave him the opportunity to do it, which showed, truly what his ability was like and how good that offensive line was in terms of combination. At the end of the day, you've got to have something yourself individually that makes everything look better and click better and feel better. ... There are certain talents out there that turn sugar into wine. DeMarco did that on his own, and yes he did have a great line in front of him to make that happen too."

That Emmitt sure can butcher a metaphor with the best of them. "A leopard can't change his stripes" was my all-time favorite.

 

[Direwolf63]

I don't think that Adrian Peterson or any other back in history would have run for 2500 yards behind this line, as great as it is. That's complete hyperbole. Could someone have outgained Murray under the same circumstances? Absolutely. Is it likely? Based on the fact that it happened only 17 other times in 96 years, I would say not necessarily.

And, yes, Murray nearly maximized his talent - if he would improve his ball security, he would be even more effective.

I just think the campaign on the part of people to denigrate the season DeMarco Murray had in 2014 is laughable and insane.

I'm assuming Emmitt chose 2,500 yards to make a point. I don't believe anybody would gain that much either. As terrific as this o-line is, I think Emmitt is overvaluing them.

 

[gimmesix]

I just think the campaign on the part of people to denigrate the season DeMarco Murray had in 2014 is laughable and insane.

I've been going back and watching games from last season to gear up for this season. With Murray, it was clear there were times he left yards on the field, but it was also clear that he gained yards when he shouldn't have by bouncing off or running through/over defenders.

I'm up to the Jacksonville game, where Moose called him the most physical back in the league.

I think fans for some reason seem to see the yards he didn't get that he should have instead of the yards that he got that he shouldn't have. His season was the result of both of those things. Another back might have picked up some of those yards that he left on the field, but left on the field some of those yards that Murray was able to pick up.

The desire to lessen Murray's accomplishment either comes from selective memory or wishful thinking (about our current backs).

 

[Sportsbabe]

http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...n-field-could-ve-had-2500-yards-last-year.ece

That Murray left a lot of yards on the field. 400 carries, behind OUR oline............He should have had the all time rushing record no problem. And 15 TD's is a small number considering the carries he got. He should have had 20 TD's minimum.

Get ready for big holes and big plays this year from our RB's.

What does 22 know

 

[tyke1doe]

So does literally every other running back who has ever played the position. Saying he left a ton of yards on the field is interesting considering that only 17 runners in league history have ever been that productive in a season. I wonder what their numbers should have looked like.

Truth be told, if a running back doesn't take the ball to the house every play, he's leaving yards on the field. But that's a rather meaningless observation, so you have to be able to structure it so it has some relevancy.

If a back can get more yards by zigging rather than sagging and doesn't, I think that's a more meaningful way to define "leaving yards on the field".

 

[jday]

I agree that the additions on defense have the potential to make up for the loss of Murray.

I hope they do.

To be honest...McFadden is the RB that interests me the most as I feel he has the talent needed to at least keep the running game legitimate.

Don't forget this guy: http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/2015/07/sturm-breaking-down-rb-ryan-williams.html/

 

[Sportsbabe]

I've been going back and watching games from last season to gear up for this season. With Murray, it was clear there were times he left yards on the field, but it was also clear that he gained yards when he shouldn't have by bouncing off or running through/over defenders.

I'm up to the Jacksonville game, where Moose called him the most physical back in the league.

I think fans for some reason seem to see the yards he didn't get that he should have instead of the yards that he got that he shouldn't have. His season was the result of both of those things. Another back might have picked up some of those yards that he left on the field, but left on the field some of those yards that Murray was able to pick up.

The desire to lessen Murray's accomplishment either comes from selective memory or wishful thinking (about our current backs).

Oh, I saw the yards he got that he shouldn't have got. That's why they're NFL caliber. I don't give people credit for what they're suppose to do. I want my #1 to break at least one tackle. Just like I want my QB to read D's and audible.

 

[StarBoyz83]

He was a big part of their success last year. Why some can't admit it is beyond me.

He was but it's not like he's irreplaceable. The success of the team this year will depend on the pass rush.

 

[tyke1doe]

I don't feel the need to "tear down" Murray because he's no longer a Cowboy. I appreciate his contribution to the team and wished we could have signed him. But even as a Cowboy, I said he benefited from the line, was injury prone and carried the ball too loosely. But he was a good back.

However, given the devaluation of the running back, given the fact that Murray is NOT Adrian Peterson, given the fact that it was widely recognized that this offensive line was the driving force behind our offensive production and given the fact that by signing him we would have hampered our chances of improving the defense and signing Dez, I believed it was a good business decision to let him go.

Even if he rushes for 2,000 yards with the Eagles, I'll still think it was the best decision for the Cowboys, given the circumstances. If money weren't an issue, yes, the Cowboys should have re-signed him. But money is an issue which is why he signed with our arch-rivals.

 

[Galian Beast]

Murray would hit the hole and get caught 5-10 years in, where a faster back could probably break one for a much longer gain.

Murray also worked for some tough yards that many if not most running backs wouldn't have gotten.

 

[GroundZero1970]

Guys, at the end of the day, every running back is different. They each have their own set of skills that lend better to certain situations and not so much to other situations. Unless you're talking about a hypothetical freak of a RB specimen that probably doesn't exist, you're not likely to find a RB who runs a 4.3, has perfect vision, can consistently power himself though defenders and push the pile forward, juke and wiggle his way from most tackles, doesn't fumble, etc.

Yes, Murray gained yards in numerous situations that our current RBs might not be able to do as well.

Randle, McFadden, etc. will be able to get more yards in situations where Murray wouldn't do as well.

Obviously we will never know what might have happened if we substituted another RB for Murray last season, but what I do know is that while Murray is far from perfect, his skill set fit well with what we were trying to do last year (fumbles aside, of course).

If McFadden proves that he's not completely washed up yet and has even 80% of his early 20's speed, running ability, etc., I think we'll be fine.

Adrian peterson lol

 

[cowboyblue22]

in the end its all about what the team accomplishes they fell way shortof what they should of done a critical turnover in a play off game on the road doomed them and he was the one responsible if he scores there dallas goes to the super bowl .

 

[plymkr]

One thing we know about Emmitt. He was much much better as a runner than he's ever been at communicating with words.

This is true, as a great man once said, "A leopard can't change his stripes"