Murray was a really good player. But that was back before he logged all the carries last season. There was no option of having 2014 Demarco Murray back; the Eagles aren't going to get that guy, either.
But the RB is not what got us to 12-4, anyway. The defensive improvement and the improved passing offense were more important, though they're all obviously related. I don't care who we have in the RB position group, I expect we're still going to run the ball about the same percentage of the plays, and I don't think the YPC is going to dip all that significantly. Though I do think we're going to have to keep an eye on the pass protection from that RB position.
But that's the thing. The guy that can come in and contribute could easily be a 2nd or 3rd or 4th round pick. If we draft well, it doesn't have to be a first or even a second rounder. Much more important to add defenders with those early picks where there aren't going to be players of anywhere near comparable quality available in the 3rd or 4th rounds.
Agreed. Murray will never have a season like that again, just because of the vast amount of carries he took. I always thought he was underrated, he just needed enough carries, but letting him leave was the right option.
I do believe the running game helped the defense and passing game quite a bit more than some of the "stat" guys that fail to recognize. Our offensive line and rushing attack directly influenced our passing game immensely, especially play action. It also allowed our very mediocre defense (except for TO's. A tribute to Marinelli's coaching. The guy can teach turnovers. The turnaround is pretty amazing actually.) to get more rest. With how Marinelli wants you to play, the morest you can get the better. Granted, our passing game did improve with the development of Beez and TW, but I think we'd be fooling ourselves if the threat of DeMarco getting 6YPC behind a nasty OL didn't play a significant role in that regard.
I just think relying on a mid round pick, or the guys we currently have, is relying on hope. Can we get a RBC approach and still put up yards? Can we replace Murray with what we have? I don't think anyone knows the answer to that. Murray was a lot tougher than people want to give him credit for, he got some tough yards out there for us when we needed it.
Our OL is built for domination, as is. I think not building to your strengths on offense is a disservice. On defense, where your biggest weakness will get exploited, you take a different approach where you strive to at least be "average" at every position. On offense, you strive to create mismatches wherever you can, and score points. This is by building to your strengths.
Building to your strengths scores points. That's the overall objective when you break down the offense's objective. Just score points. How can you score more points? I think some are failing to see that our running game CAN actually be better than last year. I think everyone saw that if DeMarco had a little more speed and get-up in his saddle, there were some serious game changing opportunities.
I also think, with our OL, as I do believe the strength of our OL is the basis for my logic that a RB that's very talented could lead to an increase in Points Scored over the decrease in Points Allowed(and also, accordingly the change in points scored from relying on less talent at RB) from a 2nd round defensive player, in this years draft.
That's the end result for me. Will the talent allow a larger differential in Points Scored and Points Allowed, over the alternative? What exactly is the opportunity cost?
That being said, I can't say for sure who I'd want and who could play this role for us this season, I haven't really watched "film". But, I keep hearing this draft is incredibly deep and I'm imagining there will be a guy in the 2nd that can fit the bill. If the talent difference isn't that much different from a 2nd rounder and a 3rd rounder, then I guess my whole point is moot.
