Too Early to Think of Pitch Counts for DeMarco

[Bleu Star]

Murray’s on pace for a career-high 396 carries this year, as the Cowboys keep feeding the NFL’s leading running back who just earned NFC Player of the Month honors for his breakout September.

As play-caller Scott Linehan said, it’s tough for the coaches to take Murray off the field when he’s rolling the way he is.

“I think it’s too early to be thinking about pitch counts and stuff like that,” Linehan said. “There may be days where we’re mindful more of his carries, but he’s never really slowed down at this point. We’re full speed ahead at this point, but we’ll probably be addressing that as the year goes on. Like I said, it’s hard to do right now.”

Linehan said there may be days where the other backs can help take the load off Murray, particularly because he’s happy with what Lance Dunbarand Joseph Randle have contributed in their limited roles. But it’s tough to limit the lead back.

That’s just fine with Murray, who said he feels he’s capable of rushing 400 times this year if needed.


Link for more:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/a...r-Murray/3350419a-28db-46bf-b0f7-7b74f509abc4

 

[xwalker]

Jerry said on the radio that they could probably double Randle's carries and give Dunbar a few more.

 

[viman96]

Everyone will care when he gets one too many in a meaningless game. Unless they need him at the end of games then need to let Dunbar and Randall handle the end of game carries. I like Murray in the 18-22 range.

 

[Tabascocat]

The way it is going, he will be out of gas by week 12. They really need to get the other RB's involved later in the game, especially if we have a decent lead.

 

[jazzcat22]

There may be games when we are behind, and may dictate throwing more. Or against a good run defense, and need t pass until the run gets set.
Then he won't have as many carries. it will all even out, but hopefully more so because Randle & Dunbar are getting carries because we are many points ahead.

 

[BAT]

Murray’s on pace for a career-high 396 carries this year, as the Cowboys keep feeding the NFL’s leading running back who just earned NFC Player of the Month honors for his breakout September.

As play-caller Scott Linehan said, it’s tough for the coaches to take Murray off the field when he’s rolling the way he is.

“I think it’s too early to be thinking about pitch counts and stuff like that,” Linehan said. “There may be days where we’re mindful more of his carries, but he’s never really slowed down at this point. We’re full speed ahead at this point, but we’ll probably be addressing that as the year goes on. Like I said, it’s hard to do right now.”

Linehan said there may be days where the other backs can help take the load off Murray, particularly because he’s happy with what Lance Dunbarand Joseph Randle have contributed in their limited roles. But it’s tough to limit the lead back.

That’s just fine with Murray, who said he feels he’s capable of rushing 400 times this year if needed.


Link for more:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/a...r-Murray/3350419a-28db-46bf-b0f7-7b74f509abc4

Ride Murray into the ground. He wants the rock, keep giving it to him. No time to play timid. Cowboys have no guarantee of winning anything, especially if not giving it their all every single down. Pitch counts are looking ahead, this team cannot afford to do that.

"If you are going to punch a gorilla, don't hit him lightly hit it with everything you got." And then keep hitting it with everything you got until one of you goes down.

 

[BigStar]

What is wrong with putting Williams out there? Randle is improved but as a pure runner? Dunbar had a nice play last week but would easily take Williams over him as well. I say this more to determine if he is someone we can look at next season if Murray becomes too expensive. Not necessarily a rush to do so as things are working well right now, but would like to see him get time with this line to determine how much "skill" is needed back there.

But agree with BAT above, ride Murray all day until a team proves they can beat it.

 

[Frozen700]

Whatever you do. Feed him the rock this week. I need him for fantasy, big time.. After this week do what you want.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I cannot believe PAID, PROFESSIONAL coaches do not realize that Murray is not built to keep this up for 16 games. Almost no RB is built for this. There is a reason the MAJORITY of teams use "RB by committee". Defenders are too big, strong, and fast for a feature RB in todays NFL. The collisions between these men are downright violent. Scary even. I love that Dallas is commiting to the run. I love what Murray is doing. But if we are on the verge of a playoff run this year....we cannot accomplish this with Murray at 80% by year's end. If you do not trust and/or like your other RBs....get someone else. This OL has looked great. And if we got RBs that CANNOT run behind this OL..then we have the wrong RBs!

 

[Red Dragon]

Cowboys should pick a weak opponent - say, the Jags - and give Murray a total rest. Feed Dunbar and Randle 35 combined carries that game.

 

[Idgit]

What is wrong with putting Williams out there? Randle is improved but as a pure runner? Dunbar had a nice play last week but would easily take Williams over him as well. I say this more to determine if he is someone we can look at next season if Murray becomes too expensive. Not necessarily a rush to do so as things are working well right now, but would like to see him get time with this line to determine how much "skill" is needed back there.

But agree with BAT above, ride Murray all day until a team proves they can beat it.

I'm not sure what people don't see in Lance Dunbar that they keep wanting to let him off the roster, but it's not happening. He adds a dimension to this team we don't have in any other player, and at some point this year, we're going to be pleasantly surprised that we've got it available.
That said, I like Williams a lot, too, and would like to see him get some game time at some point. I don't think it happens until later in the season unless another player goes down, but it would be nice to see him in live game action. It's too bad I don't trust him in pass protection more, because that's the real area where I think he compares unfavorably to Demarco Murray (because Demarco is so good at pass protection). I do think Williams is a better RB than Randle just toting the rock, but if Randle keeps averaging what he's averaging when he gets his chances, it gets harder and harder to say that with a straight face.

We're pretty lucky at RB right now. And our RBs are pretty lucky with the blocking they're getting, and not just from the OL.

 

[BigStar]

I'm not sure what people don't see in Lance Dunbar that they keep wanting to let him off the roster, but it's not happening. He adds a dimension to this team we don't have in any other player, and at some point this year, we're going to be pleasantly surprised that we've got it available.
That said, I like Williams a lot, too, and would like to see him get some game time at some point. I don't think it happens until later in the season unless another player goes down, but it would be nice to see him in live game action. It's too bad I don't trust him in pass protection more, because that's the real area where I think he compares unfavorably to Demarco Murray (because Demarco is so good at pass protection). I do think Williams is a better RB than Randle just toting the rock, but if Randle keeps averaging what he's averaging when he gets his chances, it gets harder and harder to say that with a straight face.

We're pretty lucky at RB right now. And our RBs are pretty lucky with the blocking they're getting, and not just from the OL.

I hear you there Idg regarding Dunbar's speed but what I keep seeing posters do is compare Williams to Randle, when it should be towards Dunbar (pass protection/sp teams). Outside of that nice screen, he hasn't been able to do much and that's not necessarily a knock against him but our game plan up to this point (which I like too). I feel that speed backs are out there in FA, and unless we really utlize him as you are insinuating there is no reason to keep him over Williams. Especially when considering Murray is racking up yards and unfortunately for us, garnering attention from other teams looking to make a splash (Jax or other bottom dwellers, etc.)

 

[JBell]

I cannot believe PAID, PROFESSIONAL coaches do not realize that Murray is not built to keep this up for 16 games. Almost no RB is built for this. There is a reason the MAJORITY of teams use "RB by committee". Defenders are too big, strong, and fast for a feature RB in todays NFL. The collisions between these men are downright violent. Scary even. I love that Dallas is commiting to the run. I love what Murray is doing. But if we are on the verge of a playoff run this year....we cannot accomplish this with Murray at 80% by year's end. If you do not trust and/or like your other RBs....get someone else. This OL has looked great. And if we got RBs that CANNOT run behind this OL..then we have the wrong RBs!

There's no need to be extra cautious with him since we don't have a lot invested in him. His contract expires after this season.

Worry about pitch counts if you re-sign him to a 4 year deal in the off-season.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

There's no need to be extra cautious with him since we don't have a lot invested in him. His contract expires after this season.

Worry about pitch counts if you re-sign him to a 4 year deal in the off-season.

Uh....so you are saying his pitch count THIS season is nothing to worry about. Not sure how you assume that someone...with his injury history...has become a workhorse over night. We made the SAME sorry assumption when we drafted Felix Jones. A RB who split carries in high school AND college. But we used a 1st round pick on him...and thought he could be a featured RB. Murray is good. He is having a great season. I just know over the course of the season...he would be better off averaging 20 carries a game...in addition to catching some passes out the backfield...and his 3rd down responsibilites.

 

[JBell]

Uh....so you are saying his pitch count THIS season is nothing to worry about. Not sure how you assume that someone...with his injury history...has become a workhorse over night. We made the SAME sorry assumption when we drafted Felix Jones. A RB who split carries in high school AND college. But we used a 1st round pick on him...and thought he could be a featured RB. Murray is good. He is having a great season. I just know over the course of the season...he would be better off averaging 20 carries a game...in addition to catching some passes out the backfield...and his 3rd down responsibilites.

Murray got hurt in Week 6 in 2012. His carries through the first 5 games (one bye week) were 20, 12, 18, 11, 14.

Murray got hurt in Week 6 in 2013 as well. His carries through the first 6 games were 20, 12, 26, 14, 12, 7.

Those are modest workloads for a starter and he still ended up getting hurt.

I think our best chance at keeping Demarco healthy is just sitting him in Week 6.

 

[Bleu Star]

At some point during the season, Demarco’s ego is going to take a bit of a touch up on the chin as Linehan begins to scale his work back a bit in preparation for a playoff push. He’s a competitor. It’s natural for him to want to absorb 30 carries a week to help this team get the W. We are so lucky to have this guy at the RB position. The one thing that gets under my skin is when people say RBs are a dime a dozen. If they were, the competition for OPOTW would be extremely stiff amongst RBs. Demarco’s vision, shiftiness, burst, and overall ability to drive forward stands on its own merits. I’m hopeful we’ll see the guy remain in Dallas for another 4 years. He is a cornerstone of the future on the offensive side of the ball. We can ride him and this offensive line right into areas we haven’t seen in several years. No doubt Linehan is watching closely and won’t hesitate to begin scaling carries if Demarco shows any signs of wear during the season. What in incredibly positive problem to have..

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I cannot believe PAID, PROFESSIONAL coaches do not realize that Murray is not built to keep this up for 16 games. Almost no RB is built for this. There is a reason the MAJORITY of teams use "RB by committee". Defenders are too big, strong, and fast for a feature RB in todays NFL. The collisions between these men are downright violent. Scary even. I love that Dallas is commiting to the run. I love what Murray is doing. But if we are on the verge of a playoff run this year....we cannot accomplish this with Murray at 80% by year's end. If you do not trust and/or like your other RBs....get someone else. This OL has looked great. And if we got RBs that CANNOT run behind this OL..then we have the wrong RBs!

Relax. We are 4 games in.

 

[conner01]

What is wrong with putting Williams out there? Randle is improved but as a pure runner? Dunbar had a nice play last week but would easily take Williams over him as well. I say this more to determine if he is someone we can look at next season if Murray becomes too expensive. Not necessarily a rush to do so as things are working well right now, but would like to see him get time with this line to determine how much "skill" is needed back there.

But agree with BAT above, ride Murray all day until a team proves they can beat it.

williams is not on the roster. you have to cut someone to move him to the roster. riding a guy into the ground could leave you without him late in the year in some very important games. i would limit his carries to around 20, especially in games you have a lead. randle will do just fine behind this line . maybe when we get everyone well we can find a way to move williams up form the ps. love the way he runs

 

[conner01]

Murray got hurt in Week 6 in 2012. His carries through the first 5 games (one bye week) were 20, 12, 18, 11, 14.

Murray got hurt in Week 6 in 2013 as well. His carries through the first 6 games were 20, 12, 26, 14, 12, 7.

Those are modest workloads for a starter and he still ended up getting hurt.

I think our best chance at keeping Demarco healthy is just sitting him in Week 6.

injuries can happen on your first carry. to me, it's not about him getting injured its about wearing him down.

 

[Section446]

Use him and abuse him, he probably won't be here next year.