Much ado these days about where all of DeMarco Murray's yards will wind up. Who, how many times, and for how many they'll be divvied up among the running back remnants from Survivor: Oxnard Edition.
It doesn't matter. Doesn't matter who the "who" is. Doesn't matter who gets the most tries at it. Doesn't even really matter the tally of total yards by season's end. It just doesn't matter on this team.
Being able to run the ball effectively is 90 percent of the point. Dallas can and will, and everybody on the schedule is fully aware. That's success already, and we're six weeks from a real game.
The running threat is real, and it's spectacular.
This offensive line will force every team to respect every play fake. It'll require a safety to lurk most every play. It'll make every linebacker lean forward just a bit before every snap, and play a tad closer to the line. It'll make defensive linemen hesitate a bit every time before they go hunting for Romo.
There was a time when play fakes around here only worked because they made defensive players laugh out loud. Dallas' o-line got zero push, and Romo had to dance and spin his way into seemingly every throw. Backs sheepishly knew the hole would never be there for them. It was a solo act.
Today, it's an ominous site for a defender to see Dallas break the huddle. The possibilities are endless. "That quarterback is about to rip us apart. But that running back - whoever he is - is going to have a canyon to run through if we don't get up in there. There's that damn tight end again. Crap, Dez is over there, and watch that other dude that seems to only score touchdowns on the other side. Oh, and Peter Dinklage with his goldilocks is in motion. Son of a........"
I fully expect Dallas to throw it more this year, but not really. Screens and hitches are like long handoffs, and they'll be used as part of the running game. More will be on Romo than last year with his better health, and the offense will be more diverse for it. It'll be a nice balance from his previous seasons and last year.
Balance is why..."any running back could run behind that offensive line". We hear that phrase so often, but it's an unfinished sentence. It's not just that offensive line. It's that quarterback, and that receiving corps, too. Balance.
There are a lot of good running backs in the world. Most every team has a really good one or two of them. They're not hard to find or replace, and there's only a small handful that are truly special at it.
Until an elite back surfaces around here, I have no doubt that whoever is totin' it in the meantime will be just fine. It'll make for an interesting watch and conversation, but it's not the crisis we perceive.
They'll get it figured out just fine.
