Cowboys: DeMarco Murray Not A Big Concern

The Dallas Cowboys have far more to worry about than the presence of DeMarco Murray in the backfield when they play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

It seems like every week there’s a story line about some player lining up against his former team in the NFL.

Such is the case this weekend when the Dallas Cowboys face their former work-horse running back DeMarco Murray, who happened to be the league’s leading rusher in 2015.

Let’s just say that these media fueled soap operas are old and tired.

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If football was more like basketball, in that only five guys were on the court at a time, then it might be different. But football simply uses too many players in too many combinations for one guy to be the primary focus – especially running backs in today’s day and age.

The Eagles are no exception.

Not only are running backs as devalued as they are, but Murray isn’t even the only new runner in Philadelphia’s backfield this season.

Murray was signed about the same time former San Diego Chargers first-round pick Ryan Matthews was also added to the roster – we’ll have to wait until 2017 for the ‘big reunion’ between the former Fresno State running back and those Chargers, if he’s still on the Eagles roster, of course.

I had the pleasure of watching the Cowboys and Chargers play in San Diego on Week 1 of 2005. It was the first game for Cowboys rookies like DeMarcus Ware, Marion Barber, Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff.

It was also the first game for a few Chargers notables, like Shawne Merriman, Vincent Jackson and Darren Sproles.

Regarding Sproles, I remember thinking to myself, “How long can a running back this small last in the NFL?”

Well, Sproles enters his second season with the Eagles as an 11-year veteran in the NFL.

The point here is that Murray isn’t even the highest draft pick in this Philly backfield, even if he is the most accomplished on the basis of one big, healthy season with the Cowboys a year ago.

So, to make this game all about Murray versus the Cowboys is completely cosmetic and weak, to be quite frank.

There’s so much more to discuss here, like Murray’s – wait for it – nine yards rushing on eight carries against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

You realize that’s a 1.1 yard-per-carry average?

Sproles was actually the leading rusher for Philadelphia last week in gaining 50 yards on just five attempts out of the backfield. He added another 76 yards receiving on seven catches. Against the Falcons, Sproles averaged at least 10 yards every time he touched the ball.

Call me foolish, but this probably makes Sproles a much bigger story line than Murray’s presence as a part of an obvious running back committee created by Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.

Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News makes an interesting point about Kelly this week regarding the former University of Oregon coach’s offensive philosophy in the NFL:

"He has plenty of good ideas and I don’t think he has a lot of trick plays, really. He just doesn’t seem to fully grasp that this is a league that is 90% talent and having special players. He seems to believe his scheme can win with anyone and I think that is proven incorrect in the NFL. At Oregon, he had the better roster 80-90% of games. At Philadelphia, it is 50% or lower."

Unclear is whether or not Kelly has the best roster coming into Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field. A Cowboys team missing players like Dez Bryant, Randy Gregory, Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain and possibly left guard Ronald Leary looks to have it’s work cut our for them.

I don’t, however, think that just because Murray lines up for 10-15 plays behind Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford that it’s lights out for the Cowboys on Week 2.

Next: Cowboys: Can Brice Butler Be The New Laurent Robinson

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