DeMarco Murray Continues To Dominate For the Dallas Cowboys
Although the season is still young, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is already turning heads and proving why he should be considered a top back in the NFL.
After playing five games this season, he has recorded 670 rushing yards, putting him on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record with a grand total of 2,144 yards.
While it may be a stretch to claim Murray is going to be the one to snap Dickerson’s 30-year-old record, his stats this far into the season are nothing to joke about. After Dallas’ impressive win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, Murray marked himself as the fourth player in NFL history to start the season with 100 yards and a touchdown in four consecutive games.
Although Murray did not score a touchdown the following week against the Houston Texans, he still managed to rack up 136 yards, making him the third player in NFL history to start the season with 100 or more rush yards in the first five games. Furthermore, Murray was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, an honor that the Cowboys have not received since quarterback Tony Romo earned the award in 2009.
Murray’s dominance on the ground can be directly attributed to the Cowboys’ many additions to their offensive line and also to the addition of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Between locking up veteran tackle Tyron Smith, dropping down to the last pick in the first round of the 2013 draft to grab center Travis Frederick and using their 2014 first-round pick on tackle Zack Martin, the Cowboys are on their way to having one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Under Linehan, the Cowboys’ offense is really starting to show how well they can work together. He has done an excellent job of opening the run game, which was almost nonexistent last season. The more Dallas runs the ball, the more the pressure is taken off of Romo to score, which hopefully will result in fewer turnovers.
Yet, it is unfair to solely blame Romo for the Cowboys’ turnover problem. Murray is guilty as charged when it comes to turning the ball over, as he has fumbled four times in the five games played this season, all of which have occurred in the first quarter. Despite his inability to hold onto the ball at times, Murray is on his way to having the best season of his NFL career.
Murray leads the league in rushing attempts (130), yards (670) and touchdowns (5). After just breaking the top 10 last season, there is no question that Murray has bounced back in a huge way. Following the Cowboys’ victory over the Texans in Week 5, head coach Jason Garrett announced that Murray’s carries would be limited going forward.
The decision was based in part due to the fear of injury, which has been an issue for Murray since his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma. Garrett also mentioned that he is interested in giving Murray’s backups, Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randall, more touches.
As the Cowboys look to take down the Seattle Seahawks on the road going into Week 6, fans can only hope that Murray will continue to dominate and that Dunbar and Randall can keep up with the Cowboys’ run game.
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