Will Darren McFadden Return As The Starter?

[Doomsday101]

Due to the Cowboys QB situation they were forced to lean on the running game and McFadden still couldn't crack 1100 yards or more than 3 TDs behind the best OL in football. Would you be satisfied in 2016 if McFadden starts and duplicates his production from 2015? Do you think those rushing numbers and TD's will take enough pressure off Romo that he can stay healthy and not have to carry the offense like he did in the opener?

Not really McFadden had a lot fewer carries then 2 of the RB who finished better than him and all of 3 of them avg more carries per game. I think if he can stay healthy and play in the backfield with Romo he will have a greater impact. Part of the rushing TD still goes back to teams disregarding the passing game, frankly he did not get many goal line carries to begin with. As I have said a number of time I still expect him to go out and earn the job. what I see for some are I don't want him to have that chance because you could end up being wrong and it shows once again some are more worried about their own opinion more than anything else.

 

[conner01]

I think he goes into camp the starter keeping the job really falls to him. Few if any felt he would produce as he did this past season and needless to say the doubts persist. Reality is it falls to McFadden to go out and prove himself. Everyone can have an opinion but the truth of it happens on the field

He probably goes into camp the starter but I'd draft him some competition

 

[Doomsday101]

Murray had zero impact in 2015 which was my question. Unless you mean the impact of getting Chip Kelly fired.
If DMC did not have an impact in 2015 for Dallas who did?

We won 4 games, so no one had an impact. Not a single one of those Pro Bowlers really impacted games or we'd have won more games.
And some of those guys are the best in the league at their position.

It is a CLEARLY pointless statement is what I was pointing out.

He has a major impact in 14, my mistake and his play was a big part of the success. I think McFadden impact would have been better if we had a QB who defense had to be concerned over. I am a fan of balance in an offense the ability to run and pass and I think when you can get those 2 things happening you will win a lot more than you lose.

 

[Doomsday101]

He probably goes into camp the starter but I'd draft him some competition

Dallas may draft I'm fine with that or they may look to FA I'm fine with that. I fully expect McFadden as well as a lot of guys to have to earn their jobs I don't want to see it handed to him if he keeps it I think he should go out an earn it.

 

[KJJ]

You are so far out in the left field you can't even see the plate.

You have yet to name a RB who hasn; been All Pro, much less a Pro Bowler, much less is AVERAGE.
You've also covered 20 years for your LOTS of examples.

Dude, just stop while you are behind.
Lynch averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 61 yards for game for Buffalo.
McFadden was at 4.6 yards per carry last year and 68 yards per game even when he wasn't a starter added in,
As a starter he averaged 87 yards per game.
OH and Beastmode is NOT AVERAGE.

You're the one swinging and missing because I've named some solid runners who've produced with bad QB situations. Seattle didn't possess potent passing attacks from 2011 to 2014 but that didn't stop Marshawn Lynch from producing consistently. Lynch put up over 1300 yards and 12 TD's with Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst at QB in Seattle have anything to counter that fast ball? LOL You should stay in the dugout or used some pine tar because you haven't even fouled off a ball yet. McFadden's rushing average was misleading due to a 12.3 rushing average vs Green Bay where he only receive 9 carries and he had a 5.8 average vs Atlanta on only 5 carries. The facts are he averaged under 4.0 a carry in 8 games and contributed to our 3rd and one woes.

 

[jterrell]

He has a major impact in 14, my mistake and his play was a big part of the success. I think McFadden impact would have been better if we had a QB who defense had to be concerned over. I am a fan of balance in an offense the ability to run and pass and I think when you can get those 2 things happening you will win a lot more than you lose.

No argument there.
In 2014 Romo, Dez, Murray were all impactive.
OL did it's part as well.

In 2015 no one was special but DMC more than did his part.
Arguing he didn't make an impact is just pointless. Tyron Smith didn't make an impact either. Should be look to upgrade?
Or perhaps hope for better QB/WR play???

You upgrade everywhere you can, but you only have so many resources.
Dallas will add some back and will let them compete but it will be against a back drop of knowing DMC is a great pass blocker and very solid runner.
No one will beat him out in pre-season because he won't play much.
Steven and Jerry have both stated DMC is the starter and they plan to give him carries like they did the last 11 games.

Any why not, he's one of the league's best bargains.

 

[Doomsday101]

No argument there.
In 2014 Romo, Dez, Murray were all impactive.
OL did it's part as well.

In 2015 no one was special but DMC more than did his part.
Arguing he didn't make an impact is just pointless. Tyron Smith didn't make an impact either. Should be look to upgrade?
Or perhaps hope for better QB/WR play???

You upgrade everywhere you can, but you only have so many resources.
Dallas will add some back and will let them compete but it will be against a back drop of knowing DMC is a great pass blocker and very solid runner.
No one will beat him out in pre-season because he won't play much.
Steven and Jerry have both stated DMC is the starter and they plan to give him carries like they did the last 11 games.

Any why not, he's one of the league's best bargains.

I agree with you. RB right now is not a big factor for me. I felt McFadden did a good job but running with no passing game was not going to win games. I will say all passing with no running attack has not bode well for this team either. The 2 working in unison is what we had in 2014 and it works.

 

[jterrell]

You're the one swinging and missing because I've named some solid runners who've produced with bad QB situations. Seattle didn't possess potent passing attacks from 2011 to 2014 but that didn't stop Marshawn Lynch from producing consistently. Lynch put up over 1300 yards and 12 TD's with Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst at QB in Seattle have anything to counter that fast ball? LOL You should stay in the dugout or used some pine tar because you haven't even fouled off a ball yet. McFadden's rushing average was misleading due to a 12.3 rushing average vs Green Bay where he only receive 9 carries and he had a 5.8 average vs Atlanta on only 5 carries. The facts are he averaged under 4.0 a carry in 8 games and contributed to our 3rd and one woes.

good lord ..........
yards per carry are averaged across EVERY carry ... not by averaging per game results. ALL the yards DIVIDED by ALL the carries.

marshawn lynch is a potential hall of famer that makes 8mil per year.

yes, virtually any ole all pro could have duplicated what dmc did.

did you have an actual point???

you are not getting a new starter and i am simply trying to provide you with the basic understanding of why.
much like explaining to a small child why they are in time out.
but feel free to stand there in a corner looking confused and crying.

 

[KJJ]

Not really McFadden had a lot fewer carries then 2 of the RB who finished better than him and all of 3 of them avg more carries per game. I think if he can stay healthy and play in the backfield with Romo he will have a greater impact. Part of the rushing TD still goes back to teams disregarding the passing game, frankly he did not get many goal line carries to begin with. As I have said a number of time I still expect him to go out and earn the job. what I see for some are I don't want him to have that chance because you could end up being wrong and it shows once again some are more worried about their own opinion more than anything else.

He had fewer carries because he wasn't producing consistently but did have a career high in carries and produced less with those extra carries than he did in Oakland behind a lesser OL. None of the backs who rushed for more yards in 2015 than McFadden had a better OL to run behind than he did. McFadden will never have a bigger impact than he did this past season because he's getting older and he's slowing down. The workload he had in 2015 will show on him next season. Answer my question would you be satisfied if McFadden starts in 2016 and duplicates his production from 2015?

 

[Doomsday101]

He had fewer carries because he wasn't producing consistently but did have a career high in carries and produced less with those extra carries than he did in Oakland behind a lesser OL. None of the backs who rushed for more yards in 2015 than McFadden had a better OL to run behind than he did. McFadden will never have a bigger impact than he did this past season because he's getting older and he's slowing down. The workload he had in 2015 will show on him next season. Answer my question would you be satisfied if McFadden starts in 2016 and duplicates his production from 2015?

That is fine you evidently have a bone to pick with McFadden I don't know what your prediction for him was but fact remains he was the 4th leading RB in the NFL out of 32 team meaning he played much better than avg. Yes Dallas had an OL they had no passing attack it was pathetic, there was no reason for Defense to worry about the Cowboys passing game and as long as they loaded up on the run they were good yet McFadden still finished 4th. If Dallas brings someone is to compete I have no problem with that and if McFadden wins the job I have no issue with that. I'm not getting into this crap of crow eating BS. you did not want him to begin with and can't even acknowledge he was 4th in the NFL in rushing which means not many RB did better than he did. You have to look to Peterson as some example

 

[KJJ]

good lord ..........
yards per carry are averaged across EVERY carry ... not by averaging per game results. ALL the yards DIVIDED by ALL the carries.

marshawn lynch is a potential hall of famer that makes 8mil per year.

yes, virtually any ole all pro could have duplicated what dmc did.

did you have an actual point???

you are not getting a new starter and i am simply trying to provide you with the basic understanding of why.
much like explaining to a small child why they are in time out.
but feel free to stand there in a corner looking confused and crying.

McFadden's average was padded by 3 games in which he averaged 12.3, 7.7 and 6.3 and those were during games when the Cowboys were either aleady eliminated from the playoffs or were just about done. When we were still in the thick of it he didn't do much. Against NO he only avenged 3.1 a carry on 10 carries and that was a loss that really got the Cowboys spiraling downward. When he did have a big game he followed it up with a dreadful performance the next week. After 117 yard game vs Philly he followed it up with 32 yards and on 17 carries vs Tampa in another huge loss for the team. After 129 yard game vs Miami he followed that up with 11 yards on 10 carries vs Carolina.

His best production came when we were basically done later in the season. The Cowboys will go after another back because they know they have to run the ball better especially in short yardage situations and they know McFadden is unlikely to go through another 200+ carry season injury free. As for Marshawn Lynch he's a great back and a future Hall of Famer and thats what we should be striving for at RB. The greatest teams the Cowboys have had featured HOF RB's. Dude, I always have a point which are accompanied by facts. While you're standing at the plate swinging and missing I'm pitching a no hitter now go cry about that. lol

 

[KJJ]

That is fine you evidently have a bone to pick with McFadden I don't know what your prediction for him was but fact remains he was the 4th leading RB in the NFL out of 32 team meaning he played much better than avg. Yes Dallas had an OL they had no passing attack it was pathetic, there was no reason for Defense to worry about the Cowboys passing game and as long as they loaded up on the run they were good yet McFadden still finished 4th. If Dallas brings someone is to compete I have no problem with that and if McFadden wins the job I have no issue with that. I'm not getting into this crap of crow eating BS. you did not want him to begin with and can't even acknowledge he was 4th in the NFL in rushing which means not many RB did better than he did. You have to look to Peterson as some example

McFadden did better than I predicted but I didn't think he would stay healthy. If I knew he would stay healthy and "start" I would have predicted better than the 700 yards I did. Most on the board felt he would put up at least 1200 yards and 8-9 TD's behind our OL if he stayed healthy and "started" go back and review the predictions last summer. You still haven't answered my question would you be satisfied if McFadden starts in 2016 and duplicates his production from 2015?

 

[KJJ]

He finished top 4 in rushing and didn't play the first few games of the year..

He also had a playcaller that told everyteam in the league when we were running and we didn't have a passing game at all that could help us keep drives going..


We need to upgrade the position but McFadden isn't some weakness.

Not saying McFadden is a weakness but he's not a strength who compliments our OL. I want to match our our OL up with an elite runner I want to build a great team not an average team. Every championship team the Cowboys had they had a great RB. In 1971 they had Duane Thomas. In 77 they had Tony Dorsett and during all 3 of their championships in the 90s they had Emmitt Smith. A great runner has always been a vital cog to the Cowboys championship teams. McFadden isn't a bad back but he's not the answer if we want to be a great team again.

 

[Redball Express]

I know Murray was definitely a better back for this offense...but all the doom and gloom about the OLine not being dominant...

"Over the course of the final 11 games,1) McFadden averaged over 87 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards per game on less than 21 touches. Prorate those final 11 games over the course of a season, and you get 1,725 yards on 335 touches (5.15 yards per touch). That would’ve put him third in the entire NFL."

The weirdest part about McFadden to me was how often he'd get chased down once he broke into the open. He's definitely lost a step or two.

That's part of the illusion with DMac.

He has lost speed and he gets hit pretty good and he's sort of long in the legs.

So he takes alot of punishment.

I really think we need a smaller, more compact guy who can hammer b/w the tackles and cut back.

DMac is more of a downhill runner which is fine, but there are times where the RB has to really punch up in there.

DMac is not that guy.

We need a better answer.

I want a guy like Eddie Lacy.

Strong and low and powerful.

 

[Alohawg1]

I just wonder how Murray would have done this year without Romo and Dez.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Probably. But here are some things Dallas has to consider. He's three years past his peak:

Anyways.. here's the article: http://www.footbology.com/what-should-the-cowboys-do-with-darren-mcfadden/

I pray no, but alas, Jerry is calling the shots so he probably will be.

 

[Redball Express]

If he's the starter next year, it shows that the FO is completely out of touch with what made the team successful in 2014. He's a solid runner, but with our O-line, you do what it takes to have an outstanding run game.

Or you ignore things and convince yourself the defense is going to win ball games.

We need to score 25+ points a game and then I will worry about the defense.

I say draft a RB and WR with our top 2 picks and let's fix the offense.

We have no idea if Dez is going to be Dez after 2 surgeries and we need more speed on the outside and on the inside slot.

Stop this political correctness about drafting defense.

We can sign some FA's for that.

 

[KJJ]

After we wasted how many games with our saviour Randle. Look at facts man he didn't even have many reps while Randle was here. What would he have done if he was our #1 back from the beginning? Who cares we don't need 1800 rushing to be successful, look at the Patriots for one.

Randle out performed McFadden during the summer which is why he was named the starter. He was quicker and shiftier and almost put up 100 yards by the half vs Atlanta but was only good for a half. He got off to some great starts but would sputter out by the second half. McFadden was given the same role to start the season that Randle excelled in last season. Randle averaged 5.8 a carry in that role while McFadden who looks stiff out in space was averaging under 4.0 a carry in that role. It's ridiculous to look at the Pats and what they've been successful with when we don't have near the coaching or team they do.

They're able to bring in average backs off the street during the season and have success because their offense revolves around Tom Brady and their passing game. They've won SBs with average backs because they have Tom Brady. The Cowboys have NEVER won a championship without having an elite runner because our best teams revolved around the running game. It will be downhill from this point on for Romo if the running game doesn't get back to where it was in 2014 or at least close to it.

 

[CATCH17]

Not saying McFadden is a weakness but he's not a strength who compliments our OL. I want to match our our OL up with an elite runner I want to build a great team not an average team. Every championship team the Cowboys had they had a great RB. In 1971 they had Duane Thomas. In 77 they had Tony Dorsett and during all 3 of their championships in the 90s they had Emmitt Smith. A great runner has always been a vital cog to the Cowboys championship teams. McFadden isn't a bad back but he's not the answer if we want to be a great team again.

With the salary cap the way it is they better be extremely elite and not Demarco Murray type elite to pay the kind of money you have to pay for a stud RB.

The position is too injury prone to invest unless you have a Charles, Peterson, or Bell type.


I think we messed up not going up and getting David Johnson in last years draft.

 

[KJJ]

With the salary cap the way it is they better be extremely elite and not Demarco Murray type elite to pay the kind of money you have to pay for a stud RB.

The position is too injury prone to invest unless you have a Charles, Peterson, or Bell type.


I think we messed up not going up and getting David Johnson in last years draft.

Murray was extremely elite in 2014 and I firmly believe in our offense behind our OL he would have had 1300+ and at least 8 TD's minus Romo. Charles only played 5 games this past season with KC due to an injury and Bell missed a majority of the season with an injury. Gurley missed 3 games with an injury so you can't avoid paying a back because of the fear of injuries they're going to happen at that position. Lynch missed a lot of time in 2015 with injuries. We messed up by trusting Randle who we knew had off the field concerns and not looking for a back who would have complimented our OL better. We put too much faith in our OL to make several average backs productive.