Sturm on McFadden

[Nightman]

So, was Murray a great running back and if so, where was his greatness in Philly?

Murray was great for us and Kelly only signed him to hurt us and it did.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

I like Jackson a lot and think he sticks. Wouldn't bother me none just running with Zeke, Jackson, Morris with Rod at FB.


Zeke is great as lead blocker and with him and Rod defenses will won't know who is blocking and who is running

 

[Nightman]

Does he have to give back his 5000 career rushing yards?

He was the 4th overall pick and has averaged 53 yds a game....he is easy to tackle and runs too upright

 

[pancakeman]

Zeke is great as lead blocker and with him and Rod defenses will won't know who is blocking and who is running

Smart money says the guy who comes through the hole first is the lead blocker!

 

[Kaiser]

He was the 4th overall pick and has averaged 53 yds a game....he is easy to tackle and runs too upright

Being overdrafted and playing on terrible teams doesn't make DMC "unsuited for the NFL". I know you guys don't like him, but its kind of comical to read posts saying he can't play in the NFL when he has 8 years in the NFL and just came off a 1000 yard season.

 

[Nightman]

Being overdrafted and playing on terrible teams doesn't make DMC "unsuited for the NFL". I know you guys don't like him, but its kind of comical to read posts saying he can't play in the NFL when he has 8 years in the NFL and just came off a 1000 yard season.

His numbers don't lie.....8 years and 5300 yards....that is not good...100 starts and 28 TDs....not good

Last year he averaged 68 yards behind the Stampede...easy too tackle doesn't = can't play, just means he isn't very good.......very mediocre and not worth the 2m hit......he doesn't even fit the blocking scheme

 

[Kaiser]

Last year he averaged 68 yards behind the Stampede...easy too tackle doesn't = can't play, just means he isn't very good.......very mediocre and not worth the 2m hit......he doesn't even fit the blocking scheme

Cmon, you are way better than this. He "averaged 68 yards a game" if you include the early seasons games where he got 5 carries, 6 carries and 6 carries as a backup. In the 11 games he started he averaged 87 yards a game on a team with zero passing threat.

Over the season 87 yards per game would have tied for third in the NFL. That doesn't make him great (or underpaid) but it knocks out the argument in this thread that he doesn't belong in the NFL.

 

[Nightman]

DMC is worthless......you can keep him

Just like every other Cowboy FA that we overrate and overpay

We had 22 FAs this year and 3 signed with new teams......Cassell, Bern and Turbin for a total of 4m

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Smart money says the guy who comes through the hole first is the lead blocker!

I'm saying before the snap. .....disguise, defenses won't be able to key on just 1 player. That extra second could be a TD or tackle for lost

 

[Alohawg1]

Murray was great for us and Kelly only signed him to hurt us and it did.

We weren't signing him regardless of what Kelly did or didn't do, besides this does not answer my question. A great back should be great on any team or system, that's what we're told over and over. So again, is Murray a great back and if so where was his greatness last year?
Could it be than Philly sucked......you know, like Oakland?

 

[LocimusPrime]

Cmon, you are way better than this. He "averaged 68 yards a game" if you include the early seasons games where he got 5 carries, 6 carries and 6 carries as a backup. In the 11 games he started he averaged 87 yards a game on a team with zero passing threat.

Over the season 87 yards per game would have tied for third in the NFL. That doesn't make him great (or underpaid) but it knocks out the argument in this thread that he doesn't belong in the NFL.

Great points. He didnt start all the games and only got a few carries while randle was the lead back so the numbers do not mcfadden justice. It would be similar to saying " romo didnt throw many tds last year"

 

[CATCH17]

Murray was great for us and Kelly only signed him to hurt us and it did.

Murray was great in the most optimal situation possible.

 

[Kaiser]

Great points. He didnt start all the games and only got a few carries while randle was the lead back so the numbers do not mcfadden justice. It would be similar to saying " romo didnt throw many tds last year"

Exactly, if you apply the same argument to Romo, he "averaged 55 yards per game passing" last year.

I don't think DMC is a great player but he played well last year and will be a very good backup this season.

 

[rpntex]

I was just talking about a choice between Dunbar and DMC. I would gladly upgrade Dunbar as well.

Our fans infatuation with mediocre RBs is mind blowing.

It's not an infatuation. It's smart roster building. When you have a backup RB with above-average running talent AND exceptional pass boxing and receiving skills, you keep him. That combination is practically unheard of in a backup.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Last offseason Sturm wrote about McFadden and pointed out that the Raiders averaged like 5.6 ypc or something ridiculous every time someone other than McFadden carried the ball, and only 3.6 ypc when he did. Last year without McFadden on the roster the Raiders averaged 3.9 ypc. Maybe the Raiders would trade for McFadden to not give him the ball, thereby boosting their running game back to the lofty heights in enjoyed before they released him.

"This is not the running back that is in the field"... "Move along"

 

[DandyDon52]

one thing is likability .
If McF is RKG and liked by jg and coaches, he will be kept.

I am hoping they use Jackson to return kicks/punts, and play ST.

Morris is a unknown, and they will need to see him play to decide on him.
He may need to show something in PS.
He is a RKG so that helps him, and the blocking, and pass catching are things
to look at with him.

 

[CowboyRoy]

http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...al-2015-cowboys-running-game-data-man-vs-zone

We've talked about this briefly before, but I think it is clear the Cowboys were trying to not repeat the same mistake they made in 2015 with McFadden, and yes ultimately as well as he did, I do think signing him was a mistake. Not because he isn't a decent player, but simply because he doesn't do extremely well in a zone blocking scheme. If we ran a man blocking scheme, I would probably say that McFadden probably could have been our starter and that drafting Zeke would have been the mistake.

But that isn't the reality that we live in and as most of you know I was on the Zeke bandwagon from the beginning when people were telling us all to stop talking about Zeke because we were never going to draft him. I digress, this isn't a post about bragging.

The point that is that the Cowboys are now, directly targeting running backs who have scheme fit. Alfred Morris comes from a ZBS and had an extremely high success level when Shanahan was their coach. Zeke also comes from a ZBS in Ohio State. Both players are tested within our scheme. This is why I somewhat question the drafting of Darius Jackson who scouting reports suggest has extremely limited vision. Someone mentioned Rod Smith potentially becoming a fullback, which would give him the best chance to stick with the team, but at 6'3, I find that isn't likely either.

I think when a lot of people suggested that the Cowboys didn't need a running back they didn't properly consider that McFadden didn't fit here. The argument was that he had over 1000 yards without Romo and Dez, and without starting from week 1. While there is a lot of truth to that, I feel like that argument doesn't tell the whole story and doesn't speak to the inconsistency of our running game last year.

Rather than try to make the most success out of putting a square peg in a circle hole, we made the right choice of getting circle pegs to fit the circle hole. This is going to pay dividends for our offense and give us a level of success surpassing that of 2014*. We just need to stay healthy. Speaking health, I think that is probably why they went with Morris over Foster who I think is a much better back but also older and more injury prone.

I wouldn't be surprised if McFadden doesn't make the team. Not because he isn't a really good running back, he is, but because he just doesn't fit here. Will anyone trade for him? I seriously doubt it, but I think he could go to a team that focuses on man running, has a good offensive line, and put in another really productive year for them and maybe it's worth it to keep him on the roster to prevent that from happening say for the Eagles or Giants.

Yep...............some of us tried to explain this to the MChicken supporters but they wouldnt hear any of it. Many of them the same guys that are not claiming that RB was the best choice for the 4th pick.

 

[CowboyRoy]

If you look back at 2014, the Cowboys barely had Murray off the field. McFadden won't see a ton of playing time if he can't improve his zone reads. I do think the team was desperate and didn't realize how bad he was in zone read plays. I think it was somewhat of a failure of the pro scouting team, but also I think they felt like they were going to be able to get a running back last year in the draft and it didn't work out. I think we would have taken Gurley or Gordon if they fell to us. I think Jerry might have also been involved with the choice to get McFadden.

To say RBs should fit any scheme simply isn't accurate.

It would be like saying QBs fit any scheme or CBs e.t.c.

Some players fit specific schemes and that's that.

McFadden was a Jerry signing. But its just another example of how the Cowboys show time and again they dont have the proper set plan in place and wing it too much. On one side they will claim that certain players are perfect for "their scheme" like with Marinelli. Then they will go out and sign a back that doesnt fit the scheme. You have to wonder.

 

[CowboyRoy]

one thing is likability .
If McF is RKG and liked by jg and coaches, he will be kept.

I am hoping they use Jackson to return kicks/punts, and play ST.

Morris is a unknown, and they will need to see him play to decide on him.
He may need to show something in PS.
He is a RKG so that helps him, and the blocking, and pass catching are things
to look at with him.

RKG

 

[CowboyRoy]

resdkins haven't produced quality offensive players since they got RG3 and Morris.. The QB play has been worse every year since RG3 was drafted and that has an impact on the running game.

I guess you didnt watch the Commanders last year then.