News: Weakest running back groups: Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots

[Stash]

It can be a bit dangerous to look at Murray last year and assume his success was all due to the OL.

Murray averaged more per carry in 2011 (5.5) and 2013 (5.2) with much less talented Dallas OLs than he did last year (4.7).

If the OL was the primary contributor to Murray's success, why did his ypc decline vs earlier in his career?

One possible explanation could be a loss of pure speed. Murray did not look like the same back who burst onto the scene with that huge run in his coming out party against the Rams several years ago.

 

[Seven]

HOW IN THE BLUE HELL DOES HE KNOW THIS!!!!!!!

Seriously folks.

 

[CrownCowboy]

I wonder how they'll classify the Eagles' running back group after Demarco and Ryan Matthews are habitually put on the injury report and miss multiple games.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

People are underselling Randle. But it doesn't matter until he hits the field... keeps himself healthy, and out of trouble...

offseason is the offseason... who cares really.

 

[jazzcat22]

One possible explanation could be a loss of pure speed. Murray did not look like the same back who burst onto the scene with that huge run in his coming out party against the Rams several years ago.

I think from all that water he would drink leading up to the games. The water weight gain, slowed him and made him a bit more sluggish. Though it may allowed him some more power behind some of his more brutal runs. But also cost him some yards downfield.
I now wonder if somehow it contributed to his fumbling.

 

[TrailBlazer]

My bold prediction: whoever emerges as the RB1 will be the next to get a big contract somewhere else. This oline is going to make a ton of money and they're going to make a few backs a good chunk of money as well.

 

[TrailBlazer]

I think from all that water he would drink leading up to the games. The water weight gain, slowed him and made him a bit more sluggish. Though it may allowed him some more power behind some of his more brutal runs. But also cost him some yards downfield.
I now wonder if somehow it contributed to his fumbling.

Is this serious?

 

[big dog cowboy]

News: Weakest running back groups: Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots

I wonder if the Patriots message boards are littered with running back threads also over this?

 

[mugsybows]

Wow the media is so butthurt that we didn't sign Murray. Get over it already, we have.

 

[punchnjudy]

One possible explanation could be a loss of pure speed. Murray did not look like the same back who burst onto the scene with that huge run in his coming out party against the Rams several years ago.

He wasn't even the same guy during the last 8 games of the season, where his avg dipped to around 4.2. Understandably so, of course, given how much Dallas rode him.

 

[morasp]

I kind of doubt his analysis of McFadden is based on hours of film study that eliminated their offensive line as the problem. When we signed him, our guys seemed to think he has the same burst as he did when he was a first round selection in the draft.

 

[Jstopper]

It can be a bit dangerous to look at Murray last year and assume his success was all due to the OL.

Murray averaged more per carry in 2011 (5.5) and 2013 (5.2) with much less talented Dallas OLs than he did last year (4.7).

If the OL was the primary contributor to Murray's success, why did his ypc decline vs earlier in his career?

The same reason that Randle has more ypc this year than Murray. It's about volume of carries. Nobody is gonna average 5.5 over the course of an entire season if they are getting a lot of carries. But you could blatantly see with your own eyes that our o-line was significantly better this year.

 

[Stash]

He wasn't even the same guy during the last 8 games of the season, where his avg dipped to around 4.2. Understandably so, of course, given how much Dallas rode him.

Yeah, despite his denials, it did look like the big workload was having an effect on him. But, whatever his reasons were, the man was a warrior last year and a true professional.

 

[DFWJC]

This was an article about ALL position groups, not just RBs.

Some might find it interesting that when including all position groups on offense and defense, Dallas did not show up as one of the worst (or even in the top 5 worst) in ANY of the other position groups.
It's just the nature of this site--kind of like ESPN lately--that we would make a thread highlighting the only position group where they had us lagging. I understand to some degree though, because RB is such a hot topic. Just pointing out the other end of the spectrum.

Here was their list of weakest groups (honorable mention in parenthesis):

QB: Cleveland, (Buffalo, NY Jets, Oakland)
RB: Dallas and New England (Tampa Bay, Tennessee)
WR: Kansas City (Cleveland, St Louis, Seattle)
TE: Arizona (Atlanta, Cleveland)
OL: Tampa Bay (Kansas City, Carolina, Jacksonville, St Louis)

S: Tampa Bay (NY Giants, Washington, Oakland, Pittsburgh, NY Jets)
CB: New England (Washington, Oakland, Miami, San Francisco, Pittsburgh)
LB: New York Giants (Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, Cincinnati, New Orleans)
DL3-4: Chicago (San Francisco, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Pittsburgh)
DL4-3: Oakland (Tampa Bay, Atlanta)

 

[jazzcat22]

Is this serious?

On one of the games, I think it was a SNF game. They talked about how many bottles of water Murray told them he would drink within 24 hours or so before games.
Enough to be a damn buster.
I can't recall how many bottles, but it was an awful lot.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

The only think we are missing in any of our RB's IMO is that battling ram type. Demarco was that. That's the only reason I am worried. Dunbar and Randle may run for a 90 yard TD, but can they knock that LB on his back on 3rd and 3?

We run the ball on 3rd and 3?

 

[tyke1doe]

People are underselling Randle. But it doesn't matter until he hits the field... keeps himself healthy, and out of trouble...

offseason is the offseason... who cares really.

I don't think people are underselling Randal as much as they are comparing him to Murray.
Randal is not the back Murray is. He's not going to run the ball for plus 20-25 carries. He doesn't have the size for that workload over the course of a season.
He does have a burst and can take it to the house when he gets threw the hole. That's how we should view him and not as a bell cow.
And that's why we have the other backs. They're going to spell Randle because he simply can't take the pounding or carry the ball as much as Murray did.

 

[tyke1doe]

Wow the media is so butthurt that we didn't sign Murray. Get over it already, we have.

 

[DFWJC]

Ranking postion groups by importance:

Offense
QB
.
.
Oline
WR
RB
TE

Defense
DLine
CB
LB
S

 

[superonyx]

Ryan Williams will run somebody over. He's not afraid of contact and mixing it up.

He'll definitely fight for every yard after contact.

He should be afraid. One look at a football and his knee will blow up like a tick.