The 2015 Dallas Cowboys and the Myth of DeMarco Murray

[Galian Beast]

I'm far more excited about this 2015 team than I was even about our team after it made it to the playoffs last year. I think this team isn't as reliant on any individual for success, which is a good thing, especially at the running back position.

I hear so many people lamenting the loss of DeMarco Murray. I never wanted to sign him back for anything much more than 4 million a year, certainly not anything close to the 8 million per year that the Eagles gave him, which like Laurent Robinson who was aided by Tony Romo, I think the Eagles will find that the DeMarco Murray experiment in Philly is short lived. His production will wane, and as he gets older and slower, his dependability will reduce greatly. I'm sure fumbles will continue to be a problem for him as well.

It's very interesting what the Eagles have done. They really want to be the 2014 Dallas Cowboys, but with a better defense and a worse offense. They think that they can win the time of possession battle with the running backs that they have, but without an offense that can actually score points, that will never come to fruition.

Don't get me wrong, DeMarco Murray is a great player, but he average 4.7 yards per carry last year. That isn't insanely good. It was primarily great for how many carries he had, but he also slowed down in the second half of the year, especially in the last quarter.

In the second half of the season he dropped from 5.1 yards per carry to 4.2 yards per carry. In December he averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Again, this isn't a knock on him, what it is, is a knock on the idea that you can put the weight of the entire running game on one person the entire season, and expect to maintain production through out. To Philly's credit, that is not what they are doing here. And to our credit that is not what we are doing here anymore either.

The idea that you need one person to replace Murray's production and the fact that we do not have that player is looking at the situation wrong. Instead of having one player we have three players who are all more explosive and dynamic than Murray. Each has the ability with the offensive line's run blocking to average more than 5.1 yards per carry in my mind. By relying on 3 guys instead of 1 or even 2, you know have the ability to sustain production for the entire year as opposed to have a huge drop off at the end of the year.

This brings me back to the 2015 team. I think this team is going to be much more dynamic and explosive on offense than the 2014 team. I think you're going to see huge gains out of the running game on a regular basis, and I think you're going to see the passing pick up the slack when it comes to consistently moving the chain when the running game isn't completely successful. I think that is why we re-signed Cole Beasley, and I think that investment has already shown dividends if you've seen him in training camp or in the blue/white scrimmage. I expect to see us pass the ball more, and that isn't a bad thing. We were 7th in the league in yards last year and only 5th in scoring, because we handcuffed the offense.

This brings me to a greater point, which is that this team will be completely different from the 2014 team. We no longer need to win the time of possession in order to beat teams. We can be aggressive and dynamic on offense without the fear of putting the defense on the field for a long time. This is a complete game changer. Being more aggressive on offense and defense will pay dividends, similar to what we saw from the Saints in 2009. Early leads, leading to reckless and aggressive play by opposing QBs which will lead to more turnovers. This is the first time since 2009 that we've had an offense and a defense, and I think we'll have them from the get go, despite suspensions to Hardy and McClain.

The 2014 team was fundamentally flawed, and that is why we didn't make it further. That fundamental flaw is no longer an issue, and our greatest strength last year was not the running game. The running game simply represented our crutches. We are off those crutches now, but people still think we need to rely on them and are freaking out that we don't have them. We can walk now, hell we can run now. That isn't to say we will abandon the run going forward, but we don't need to use it to the extent that we did last year. There are other options that are just as good if not better i.e. more targets to Cole Beasley, which are high percentage in nature. At 8.5 yards per target, expanding Beasley's involvement in the offense is the best way to make up the difference in consistency and production.

 

[Ashwynn]

I personally agree with what you say in principle, but, the reason we didn't make it further was the refs stole a catch from Dez. Rule that a catch, which it was, and we are probably playing in the superbowl.

 

[ufcrules1]

I personally agree with what you say in principle, but, the reason we didn't make it further was the refs stole a catch from Dez. Rule that a catch, which it was, and we are probably playing in the superbowl.

Not completely true. Murray's fumble was huge, also before the half our offense screwed up a sure field goal and then put their offense in a good position to score on us. That was a 6 point swing right there. There were several other mistakes throughout the game. It was honestly a team loss.

With regards to Murray.. there was no myth, he was a very legit running back. He wasn't perfect.. he ran to the dark at times and had an issue with fumbling but when he was on he demoralized defenses. Teams had to do all they could to have a chance to stop our run game and that opened up the passing game and ate up a ton of clock. Nobody on the team currently can replace the production of Murray. We just have to hope Randle pans out because he is literally our only hope at this point.

 

[Stash]

I don't agree with this one. Not by a longshot.

"and our greatest strength last year was not the running game"

Seriously? That's rubbish.

And here's another one:

"The idea that you need one person to replace Murray's production and the fact that we do not have that player is looking at the situation wrong. Instead of having one player we have three players who are all more explosive and dynamic than Murray"

What's 'looking at the situation wrong' is any talk of explosive and dynamic players when the fact is that the key characteristic at least two of the three lack is availability.

At present, Randle is an unknown as a starter and both McFadden and Dunbar continue to show that they can't take the physical pounding that the position demands.

And if they aren't available, they're of no help at all.

 

[kevm3]

I wanted Murray back, but not at that price. He got paid off of that one year's production. With that said, I'm not convinced we have what we need in the running game. Like it or not, Murray was critical at turning those 3rds into 1sts.

We were predicated on the running game. If the defense shows up after the added talent, we won't be AS predicated on the running game, but it is still highly important and we have huge question marks back there. McFadden is injury prone and Dunbar is a smaller guy, so he won't be getting that many carries. We're pretty much leaving things up to Randle. While I'm sure Randle can get some nice runs behind this line, can he be the primary back through this whole season? I say we still need to explore options at RB.

 

[bark]

The last thing a chip Kelly offense is concerned with is time of possession

 

[mattjames2010]

Defense is still unknown, Linehan has already stated he wants to keep the same formula as last year, and our RBs continue to prove they are unreliable outside of Randle; who has only looked decent in practice.

Sorry, there is no myth here; the loss of Murray was big, the run game was the biggest reason we got to 12-4. The only myth is people thinking RBs are plucked from the street and becoming 2,000 yard rushers yearly. You need a quality RB on a run first team.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree would not pay 8 mill to have kept Murray but I do think it is a loss for this team. Anytime a player accounts for as much of the offense as Murray did and then is injured or leaves via FA it has a negative impact on the team. Randle will get his chance to show what he can do and if the defense performs at a higher level that too can help offset the loss of Murray. I like Murray but at this stage my focus is not on Murray it is on what our current RB are capable of doing.

 

[starfrombirth]

I wanted Murray back, but not at that price. He got paid off of that one year's production. With that said, I'm not convinced we have what we need in the running game. Like it or not, Murray was critical at turning those 3rds into 1sts.

We were predicated on the running game. If the defense shows up after the added talent, we won't be AS predicated on the running game, but it is still highly important and we have huge question marks back there. McFadden is injury prone and Dunbar is a smaller guy, so he won't be getting that many carries. We're pretty much leaving things up to Randle. While I'm sure Randle can get some nice runs behind this line, can he be the primary back through this whole season? I say we still need to explore options at RB.

I wouldn't sleep on adding either Seastrunk or Gus Johnson either... I like the speed of Lache and the combination with Gus.

 

[jazzcat22]

The running game still needs to be used to control the game. Even after the defense gels and does not need protection with T.O.P.
now they can be more aggressive than last year, but the plan is still use the running game, but in a different way now. I'll wait to see what the coaches come up with. As there is nothing anyone can do about the RB's we have. So why whine about it. LOL.

If Murray was signed, for no matter how much or how little, someone would complain....may be some of the same ones complaining why he isn't here...LOL...it would be said, why did they sign Murray, he fumbles, he wore down, he cost too much, he will be 32 by the time the contract is up, but only has a few years left, so why a long contract....

Now one guy said last night, can't remember who...that the thing with Murray, he got the yards they needed many of times, because he fell forward when tackled or hit. A one yard run became 3, a 4 yard run became 7. That is what they will miss. Can Randle or McFadden do that, or any other back that may come in. They need that bruiser type RB, and goal line guy, or even 3 and 1, 4th and 2 type RB.
That is so true, as you can't rely on a finesse type run every time. So how does the team handle this, without giving away the play. But on the flip side, how many times will Randle or McFadden break a long TD run as to where Murray didn't do it, or would look for someone to hit, instead of trying to run by them.

I still wish we had Murray even though he drove me nuts at times, but the good was much better than the bad. But I am not whining that he is not here either. The defenses knew what was coming and still couldn't stop it all the time. So is that Murray or the OL...we know it was a combination of both. So only thing we can do now, is see if whatever RB in there can do the same.

 

[Richmond Cowboy]

Not completely true. Murray's fumble was huge, also before the half our offense screwed up a sure field goal and then put their offense in a good position to score on us. That was a 6 point swing right there. There were several other mistakes throughout the game. It was honestly a team loss.

With regards to Murray.. there was no myth, he was a very legit running back. He wasn't perfect.. he ran to the dark at times and had an issue with fumbling but when he was on he demoralized defenses. Teams had to do all they could to have a chance to stop our run game and that opened up the passing game and ate up a ton of clock. Nobody on the team currently can replace the production of Murray. We just have to hope Randle pans out because he is literally our only hope at this point.

I honestly believe our OL was the one that demoralized defenses. They physically demoralized their opponent and DeMarco was the beneficiary.

 

[TrailBlazer]

We don't have to run it quite as much as we did last year. But with our oline, it should be about 60/40 pass/run. We've got maulers up front and we should use them. Take some of the load off Tony's shoulders. Control the clock with the running game, keep opposing qb off the field. That's the winning formula. Its been proven to work for many many years. Let's not mess with it too much. We're built for it.

 

[DallasEast]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I desperately want the regular season to start because I think more people's separation pains for Murray will finally begin to subside. Then conversations would focus more on what Dallas Cowboys running backs are doing to benefit the Dallas Cowboys. Murray would finally be regulated to background noise--not totally omitted but more infrequently mentioned as the season progresses.

On the other hand, I anticipate more people will ramp up their anxieties about the running backs when the season begins. Then one of two things will happen. More people will do their customary shock and amazement routines if one or more of the running backs can contribute and stay healthy. Or more people will fall automatically drop down into their disapproval and depression cocoons, salting the airwaves and internet with Demarco "I told you so" Murray regrets.

Either way, CowboysZone's gonna get a LOT of content contributed by its members this season. Of course, there is the watch-the-team-and-ignore-fan-drama fallback option to consider... Ah, whatever. Go Cowboys!

 

[John813]

I honestly believe our OL was the one that demoralized defenses. They physically demoralized their opponent and DeMarco was the beneficiary.

Well, I can't say with certainty that Murray put fear into defenses, but he sure loved to hit defensive players, like they were the ball carrier.
Was never shy about contact

 

[BlindFaith]

The "myth" is that Murray wasn't explosive. Given his size, he was a blue chip athlete. He is far and away a better athlete than Randle.

Murray had a lot of miles on him. That started costing him. You take that many hits, and you will start to slow down. We saw that with him last year. But I guarantee you that if Murray and Randle were to both run a forty today, Murray would still beat him.

Now did Murray have his short comings? Yes. He wasn't very elusive, has questionable vision, runs a little too upright, fumble issues and is still an injury concern. But lets' not pretend that if he was still here that we would even be talking about Randle or anybody else. We wouldn't. There was a reason why Randle was virtually invisible the last two years. Same for Dunbar.

I predict that Randle will come out of the gates fast. He'll look pretty good the first 2 or 3 games. Then he will begin to fade. By mid season we will have shifted from a ball control, running team to a much more pass oriented team. I'm not counting on McFadden or Dunbar to give us much of anything. I still think we make a move for a guy before the season starts. Heck, maybe even Gus the Bus gets more looks.

Now, I'm not saying we need Barry Sanders to be good. We do have a great OL. And we can't pay everybody. So I'm ok with having less at RB. But not worst. We have at the very best, the 32nd best RB in the league as our starter. And there are backups I'd rather have than Randle. That's not good enough for a team looking to win a Super Bowl.

 

[TrailBlazer]

I wouldn't sleep on adding either Seastrunk or Gus Johnson either... I like the speed of Lache and the combination with Gus.

Guys, Gus can't play at this level. He's here to play scout team for a couple weeks. Lache might make PS but they would sign a retread off the street over him IMO. Guys like this are brought in every year and they're cut every year.

 

[TrailBlazer]

Murray isn't anything special. The oline opened holes and he got what was blocked. Murray isn't elusive or fast. Just a grinder that can block well and catch the football. Good player, not great. Won't have near the success he had in dallas. Randle will have higher YPC IMO. Maybe even more yards as well. Wouldn't surprise me at all as Murray will share the load with Mathews.

 

[Ken]

I don't agree with this one. Not by a longshot.

"and our greatest strength last year was not the running game"

Seriously? That's rubbish.

And here's another one:

"The idea that you need one person to replace Murray's production and the fact that we do not have that player is looking at the situation wrong. Instead of having one player we have three players who are all more explosive and dynamic than Murray"

What's 'looking at the situation wrong' is any talk of explosive and dynamic players when the fact is that the key characteristic at least two of the three lack is availability.

At present, Randle is an unknown as a starter and both McFadden and Dunbar continue to show that they can't take the physical pounding that the position demands.

And if they aren't available, they're of no help at all.

Physical pounding is not what has DMac on the sideline...its a tweaked hammy. When he comes back later this week, people are going to feel a lot better about our rb position.

He is a very good back and proved he could stay healthy last year in spite of getting his head kicked in every time he touched the ball.

 

[jazzcat22]

We don't have to run it quite as much as we did last year. But with our oline, it should be about 60/40 pass/run. We've got maulers up front and we should use them. Take some of the load off Tony's shoulders. Control the clock with the running game, keep opposing qb off the field. That's the winning formula. Its been proven to work for many many years. Let's not mess with it too much. We're built for it.

60/40 is too big of a ratio. You said pass / run, so you saying 60% passing plays? I would think it would be 60% running which is still too much IMO.
Last year, 1014 plays, 476 passes at 46.7%, 508 rushes for 50.1 %. So 30 plays for sacks, so if those go as passing plays, then 506 attempts. so 50/50, missed by 2 plays.

But I understand what you are saying, still use the OL to it's strength, control the clock. Even if / when the defense gets better and more dominate, still control the clock, keep the D rested for the 4th quarter.

 

[percyhoward]

The rushing yards will be there, but that's not the concern.

If the RB who is in the game at the time can pass protect as well as Murray, we're going to have to rely on a little luck, just like we did last year. If he can't, we'll have to rely on a little more. Maybe a lot more. That's the concern.