Murray Had 1 Good Year

[rynochop]

Mcfadden doesnt have fumbling problems, at least not recently. dont know about eraly in his career

 

[gimmesix]

One day Murray may be a HOFer. Maybe 2015 was his breakout year for a historical career. Perhaps he will have his # retired by the Philadelphia Eagles after leading them to their first of multiple SuperBowls where he will be win multiple SuperBowl MVPs. Seriously. Crazier things have happened in sports.

However, as of today, May 14, 2015, Demarco Murray has had 1 really good professional NFL year.

Why does this one-year crap persist? Are people really that determined to disparage Murray's performances while with the Cowboys or elevate the other backs Dallas has?

Murray was good EVERY YEAR he played for Dallas, with the only bad for him being the injury problems he had his first two years.

He averaged 5.5 YPC his first year behind a line that started players like Phil Costa and Montrae Holland, starting 7 of 13 games and carrying the ball 164 times. But I guess that's not a good year because he didn't rush for 1,800 yards.

The next year was more average, but he still averaged 4.1 YPC, starting 10 of 10 games. It's a good year for any starting back when he averages at least 4 yards per carry.

For those who poo-poo on that because he didn't break 1,000 yards in either year, in 2013 he did just that in 14 games. And with 217 carries, also added 9 rushing TDs.

I really don't get this line of thinking. Dallas was right not to pay Murray what he got from the Eagles, but there's no reason for us Cowboys fans to try to make it look like he wasn't really a good player now that he's gone.

 

[Doomsday101]

Why does this one-year crap persist? Are people really that determined to disparage Murray's performances while with the Cowboys or elevate the other backs Dallas has?

Murray was good EVERY YEAR he played for Dallas, with the only bad for him being the injury problems he had his first two years.

He averaged 5.5 YPC his first year behind a line that started players like Phil Costa and Montrae Holland, starting 7 of 13 games and carrying the ball 164 times. But I guess that's not a good year because he didn't rush for 1,800 yards.

The next year was more average, but he still averaged 4.1 YPC, starting 10 of 10 games. It's a good year for any starting back when he averages at least 4 yards per carry.

For those who poo-poo on that because he didn't break 1,000 yards in either year, in 2013 he did just that in 14 games. And with 217 carries, also added 9 rushing TDs.

I really don't get this line of thinking. Dallas was right not to pay Murray what he got from the Eagles, but there's no reason for us Cowboys fans to try to make it look like he wasn't really a good player now that he's gone.

Exactly my feelings. I'm not mad at the Cowboys, I will not sit here and say Dallas will rue the day or any of that non sense. I will say we lost a very talented RB who produced in all aspect that is required of the position.

 

[Derinyar]

Why does this one-year crap persist? Are people really that determined to disparage Murray's performances while with the Cowboys or elevate the other backs Dallas has?

Murray was good EVERY YEAR he played for Dallas, with the only bad for him being the injury problems he had his first two years.

He averaged 5.5 YPC his first year behind a line that started players like Phil Costa and Montrae Holland, starting 7 of 13 games and carrying the ball 164 times. But I guess that's not a good year because he didn't rush for 1,800 yards.

The next year was more average, but he still averaged 4.1 YPC, starting 10 of 10 games. It's a good year for any starting back when he averages at least 4 yards per carry.

For those who poo-poo on that because he didn't break 1,000 yards in either year, in 2013 he did just that in 14 games. And with 217 carries, also added 9 rushing TDs.

I really don't get this line of thinking. Dallas was right not to pay Murray what he got from the Eagles, but there's no reason for us Cowboys fans to try to make it look like he wasn't really a good player now that he's gone.

Murray was a good player who was lacking the most important skill a player can have for 2+ years, health. If you aren't healthy your football skills matter a lot less. Lee is a very talented player who has minimal impact honestly, because he just can't stay on the field consistently. Murray stayed healthy last year and had a special year. How much was the line keeping him clean for a couple of yards on a lot of carries and how much was Murray is a question that no one can really answer. The fact that the line frequently was getting him clean into the second level makes me hopeful that the group of guys we have can be successful also. I doubt we have a back with an 1800 yard season. I doubt we would have had a back with an 1800 yard season if we had resigned Murray. I want us to have a good running game and I think that's still definitely possible.

 

[DFWJC]

I'm not overly worried about the RB position this year, but saying Murray had only one good year is underselling him.

I'd say his 2013 year--with 1471 total yards (1121/350) and 5.2 pc--would be considered "good" by 99% of the sports world. He was top 10 in the league.
Great? No.
Good to very good? Yes

 

[joseephuss]

Outside of a season ending injury, he has missed 3 games his entire career. Spanning 7 years.

Murray has missed games 3 out of 4 seasons...

And over the last 4 years Charles has started 1 fewer game, but has produced far fewer yards while fumbling it more.

 

[Broges74]

And over the last 4 years Charles has started 1 fewer game, but has produced far fewer yards while fumbling it more.

Compare and contrast!

 

[Galian Beast]

And over the last 4 years Charles has started 1 fewer game, but has produced far fewer yards while fumbling it more.

And he has over a seasons worth of touchdowns over Murray in an offense that is significantly harder to be productive in than ours...

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

One day Murray may be a HOFer. Maybe 2015 was his breakout year for a historical career. Perhaps he will have his # retired by the Philadelphia Eagles after leading them to their first of multiple SuperBowls where he will be win multiple SuperBowl MVPs. Seriously. Crazier things have happened in sports.

However, as of today, May 14, 2015, Demarco Murray has had 1 really good professional NFL year.

365 days ago, Murray was considered an average back - perhaps slightly above average - but a back that also had durability issues.

In 2014 Murray lead the league in yards. Although some important stats such as YPC and broken tackle average dropped significantly in the last 1/4 of the season.

Now we currently have:

Joseph Randle - a back that had more YPC than Demarco in 2014, albeit with far fewer carries. Can he maintain a better pace than Murray with 20-25 carries a game. No one knows. But Randle was much improved from 2013 to 2014. That was crystal clear in watching film.

Darren McFadden - a back who also had 1 good year (2011) before injury cut it short. Similar power runner as Murray. Similar fumble issues. Faster back with more breakaway speed. But like Murray 365 days ago, much concern about his durability. Can McFadden duplicate 2011? No reason to believe he magically will, but if his body is in as good of shape as Murray, no real logical argument to why he can't either.

Ryan Williams - signed multi year deal after being on PS and turning down interests from other teams. Not your typical PS back. Great pedigree. Low/no mileage. It's probably his last shot at rebooting his career. Physically no reason to believe he can't. But that's hardly a reason to believe he will either.

Dunbar - not an every down back so not in this discussion other than to say Dunbar could potentially shoulder more of the load than he did last year - which would not be difficult given that he only saw the field 5 or so plays a game.

Free Agent Possibilities:

Chris Johnson - former All-Pro that ran pretty good last year for the Jets.
Knowshon Moreno - another accomplished back that could be an option.

Overall: as far as "on-the-field" ability and injury risk/reward scenarios, I think the loss of Murray has a better chance than not of being made up for in some way - 1 back or multiple back performances.

Was there some Murray off-the-field intangibles - i.e. leadership or motivator that made Dallas better and cannot be replaced? Hard to know. It's always possible.

But in totality, I am not as worried as most. Why? Simply because, as of right now, Murray is still an NFL back that had ONE GOOD YEAR.

Yo not worried? I think you are whistling past the paved yard.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I think you're underrating him. I think he has been a very good running back since he got here. Underutilized and not terribly durable, but a very good running back.

Availability is a talent. One Murray lacked.

Going into last year I thought Murray was a nice back. I still think he's a nice back.

But recency bias is inflating his value and perceived worth.

We should be thankful that our front office looked at his body of work and not his last season when ascertaining his worth. I wish some on the zone would do the same.

 

[CATCH17]

I have been saying this all along. He wasn't good until we put the best offensive line in football in front of him. I think he is an average back with bow average speed who won't do much in philly[/B] . A lot of his runs last year he looked like he was jogging . I would have liked one of the top 2 backs in the draft but the draft didn't fall that way . I think we'll be fine with our current backs. I trust the scouts and the coaching staff , I wouldn't havd said this 3 yrs ago but I think they have figured it out.

I am a Murray critic but to be fair he did get a lot more opportunities compared to past years.

Yes, he did play on the most optimal team to run the rock on but having Jason Garrett call plays for most of his career really handicapped him.

 

[Galian Beast]

Availability is a talent. One Murray lacked.

Going into last year I thought Murray was a nice back. I still think he's a nice back.

But recency bias is inflating his value and perceived worth.

We should be thankful that our front office looked at his body of work and not his last season when ascertaining his worth. I wish some on the zone would do the same.

I was against re-signing for over what I though this value was, but I do think some are guilty of getting that value wrong. I would say that Murray was a top 5 or top 10 running back in this league.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

And over the last 4 years Charles has started 1 fewer game, but has produced far fewer yards while fumbling it more.

Could you game the numbers any more than you just did? 4 years ago Charles had a bad injury and missed 14 games. You include his 2 game sample with only 12 carries and that only serves to bring Murray and Charles in line with each other. Other than that season Charles has played in 45 of 48 games.
If we look at the last 3 seasons....

Murray has 26 rushing tds and 1 receiving TD for a total of 27. Charles has 26 rushing tds and 13 receiving tds for a total of 39.

Murray has 3,629 rushing yards and 1,017 receiving yards for a total of 4,646 yards. Charles has 3,829 rushing yards and 1,220 receiving yards for a total of 5,049.

Murray has 770 carries and a 4.71 ypc average. Charles has 750 carries and a 5.11 ypc average.

Murray has missed 8 games of a possible 48 playing in 80.3% of total games. Charles has missed 2 games of a possible 48 playing in 95.8% of total games.

Please never compare these two players again.

 

[jrumann59]

Mcfadden doesnt have fumbling problems, at least not recently. dont know about eraly in his career

Early on he fumbled like Murray did last year. After his 3rd or 4th year he avg'd about 1 a season.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

One day Murray may be a HOFer. Maybe 2015 was his breakout year for a historical career. Perhaps he will have his # retired by the Philadelphia Eagles after leading them to their first of multiple SuperBowls where he will be win multiple SuperBowl MVPs. Seriously. Crazier things have happened in sports.

However, as of today, May 14, 2015, Demarco Murray has had 1 really good professional NFL year.

365 days ago, Murray was considered an average back - perhaps slightly above average - but a back that also had durability issues.

In 2014 Murray lead the league in yards. Although some important stats such as YPC and broken tackle average dropped significantly in the last 1/4 of the season.

Now we currently have:

Joseph Randle - a back that had more YPC than Demarco in 2014, albeit with far fewer carries. Can he maintain a better pace than Murray with 20-25 carries a game. No one knows. But Randle was much improved from 2013 to 2014. That was crystal clear in watching film.

Darren McFadden - a back who also had 1 good year (2011) before injury cut it short. Similar power runner as Murray. Similar fumble issues. Faster back with more breakaway speed. But like Murray 365 days ago, much concern about his durability. Can McFadden duplicate 2011? No reason to believe he magically will, but if his body is in as good of shape as Murray, no real logical argument to why he can't either.

Ryan Williams - signed multi year deal after being on PS and turning down interests from other teams. Not your typical PS back. Great pedigree. Low/no mileage. It's probably his last shot at rebooting his career. Physically no reason to believe he can't. But that's hardly a reason to believe he will either.

Dunbar - not an every down back so not in this discussion other than to say Dunbar could potentially shoulder more of the load than he did last year - which would not be difficult given that he only saw the field 5 or so plays a game.

Free Agent Possibilities:

Chris Johnson - former All-Pro that ran pretty good last year for the Jets.
Knowshon Moreno - another accomplished back that could be an option.

Overall: as far as "on-the-field" ability and injury risk/reward scenarios, I think the loss of Murray has a better chance than not of being made up for in some way - 1 back or multiple back performances.

Was there some Murray off-the-field intangibles - i.e. leadership or motivator that made Dallas better and cannot be replaced? Hard to know. It's always possible.

But in totality, I am not as worried as most. Why? Simply because, as of right now, Murray is still an NFL back that had ONE GOOD YEAR.

Our roster is filled with guys who half had "one good year."
Randle, McFadden, Dunbar, Williams. . . .

Someone wake me up with a big breakfast when any one of those mutts even approaches 1,000 yards next year.

 

[Swanny]

Availability is a talent. One Murray lacked.

Going into last year I thought Murray was a nice back. I still think he's a nice back.

But recency bias is inflating his value and perceived worth.

We should be thankful that our front office looked at his body of work and not his last season when ascertaining his worth. I wish some on the zone would do the same.

This is exactly how I feel

 

[CyberB0b]

He's at nearly 5 YPC for his career, at 4.8. They didn't use him very often through the offense, early in his career, and he had some injury problems. When he was on the field, he was well above average.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Lets don't kid ourselves though..... Demarco only has one great year because he was hurt. Now if you are banking on him getting hurt next year than fine. But he's always been a solid back and any Cowboy fan who watched games and not stats will tell you that.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

He's at nearly 5 YPC for his career, at 4.8. They didn't use him very often through the offense, early in his career, and he had some injury problems. When he was on the field, he was well above average.

He had a high average when we had a bad line because we only ran in very favorable situations. This has been explained many times.

 

[CyberB0b]

He had a high average when we had a bad line because we only ran in very favorable situations. This has been explained many times.

He's had pretty much the same average his entire career.