DeMarco Murray: I’m capable of 2,000-yard year for ‘Boys

DeMarco Murray: I can have 2,000 yards for Cowboys

Murray dealt with a hamstring issue this spring, but he said he’s “100 percent” and will be “ready to go” for training camp this month. Murray’s inability to avoid injuries has led to questions if he can shoulder the load over a full season. But this is July, a time of eternal optimism in the NFL. During an appearance on the yellfest “First Take,” Murray was asked if he had the ability to run for 2,000 yards in a season. “I think I’m capable of anything,” Murray replied, via The Dallas Morning News . (Note: If Murray and Dez Bryant both go over 2,000 yards in 2013, how much pie will that leave for Miles Austin and Jason Witten ? We estimate a mid-sized crumb. Possibly two.) Murray then headed over to “SportsCenter,” on which he discussed his hopes that Dallas will increase its commitment to the run in 2013. “We definitely need to emphasize the running game,” Murray said.

Stephen A. Smith talks with DeMarco Murray about ‘underachieving’ Cowboys

Murray’s inability to avoid injuries has led to questions if he can shoulder the load over a full season. But this is July, a time of eternal optimism in the NFL. During an appearance on the yellfest “First Take,” Murray was asked if he had the ability to run for 2,000 yards in a season. “I think I’m capable of anything,” Murray replied, via The Dallas Morning News . (Note: If Murray and Dez Bryant both go over 2,000 yards in 2013, how much pie will that leave for Miles Austin and Jason Witten ? We estimate a mid-sized crumb. Possibly two.) Murray then headed over to “SportsCenter,” on which he discussed his hopes that Dallas will increase its commitment to the run in 2013. “We definitely need to emphasize the running game,” Murray said. “When you’re second to last in attempts, more than likely you’re going to be second to last in rushing, so we definitely got to get the running game going.” Forget Tony Romo . If the Cowboys are going to make the leap from .500 also-rans to bona fide NFC contenders, Murray must take the next step as a player.

DeMarco Murray says he’s capable of a 2,000-yard season

No, DeMarco Murray . Although similarities between Murray and Peterson are only in their physical appearance and running styles, the Dallas Cowboys runner said the following, per Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News , in response to a question about running for 2,000 yards in a season, something the reigning NFL MVP did in 2012. USA TODAY Sports “I think Im capable of anything.” While that’s far from an outright guarantee, Murray’s confident comment has made many think about the possibility of him becoming the eighth member of professional football’s mostprestigious running back club. Outside of tremendous natural ability, a multitude of things have to go right for a back to reach the 2,000-yard plateau, so let’s dive into Murray’s chances of achieving immortality. Murray’s History In order to run for 2,000 yards, a running back must average 125 yards per game over a full, 16-game regular season. As pointed out by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio , Murray had single-game outputs of 253, 139, 135, and 131 yards all in his first nine contests as the Cowboys feature back. In his first 16 games as the main guy in Dallas, a period that spanned from the middle of 2011 through late in the 2012 campaign, Murray accumulated 1,371 yards, a respectable total but clearly well short of 2,000. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports Actually, his last 100-yard performance came in the season-opener against the New York Giants a year ago. To put succinctly, Murray’s “first” nine games provided a glimpse of what the former Oklahoma Sooners star is capable of, but since then, he’s been average at best. Cowboys’ Offensive History With a 253-yard and three 130-plus-yard efforts, along with five games of 40 yards or less, Murray’s been the definition of “boom-or-bust” with the Cowboys. As it currently stands, Murray’s career yards-per-carry average is 4.8, which is .2 yards lower than Peterson’s (in 1,429 fewer carries). Take away the first five games of his NFL career, before he was the unquestioned starter in Dallas, and Murray’s yards-per-carry average is 4.95. His 25-carry, 253-yard breakout campaign is majorly responsible for his relatively high per-carry efficiency and overall yardage sum, but there have been four instances in which Murray averaged at least five yards per carry in a game when he was not given more than 14 carries. Also, Tony Romo ‘s presence mustn’t be ignored. Fully healthy a season ago, the polarizing quarterback threw the ball 648 times, which was the third-highest total in the NFL. Tom Pennington/Getty Images As a team, per ProFootballFocus (subscription required) the Cowboys ran 703 pass plays to only 355 on the ground, which equated to a run percentage of 33.55, a offensive tendency that doesn’t bode well for Murray’s 2,000-yard chances. To compare, the Minnesota Vikings ran 591 pass plays to 515 runs in 2012, a run percentage 46.5 percent. This chart illustrates how trulystark the contrast was: Not surprisingly, in Murray’s non-100 yard games, his cumulative yards-per-carry average dipped to 3.89, definitely not part of the recipe for a 2,000-yard masterpiece. Additionally, he only averages 82.6 yards per game in his 18 games as the “starter.” If Murray was given the 348 carries Peterson received in 2012, at the 4.95 yards-per-carry he averages in 18 games as the starter, he’d finish a full season with 1,722 yards. Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images Larry Johnson carried the ball a record 416 times in 2006, and ran for 1,789 yards. Therefore, Murray would have to be fed the ball a whopping 405 timesan attempt total which would be exceeded only by James Wilder in 1984, Jamal Anderson in 1998 and Larry Johnson in 2007to eclipse 2,000 yards. Actually, in the theoretical, absolute best-case scenario, extrapolating the 6.0 yard-per-carry average Murray had in his first nine games as the starter in Dallas, 334 carries would get him to 2,000. However, in an offense that appeared to be decidedly pass-predicated in 2012and forced to throw more when trailingit seems as though Murray would be lucky to get 300 carries, much less 400. Even 334 would be considered far fetched.

Could DeMarco Murray Really Tally a 2,000-Yard Season?

Jul 11, 2013 8:43 AM Maybe if the season stretches over four years. Jul 11, 2013 8:53 AM is he going back to high school? wittenisgod says: Jul 11, 2013 8:54 AM Im a cowboys can but dont get why Murray and Bryant keep going on! Just do it dont talk about it!! bennyb82 says: Jul 11, 2013 8:59 AM Gotta love reporters asking that question. If he says yes or even no then they have a story. popcrowl says: Jul 11, 2013 9:03 AM How about saying that you are capable of staying healthy for a full season. That would be a good start. mazzstar30 says: Jul 11, 2013 9:06 AM Talk about baiting a guy into saying something (as First Take likes to do) and then making him sound like a gloating tool He was on ESPN all day yesterday and sounded like a genuine and nice guy and is now under fire And this is coming from a diehard Giants fan! Jul 11, 2013 9:42 AM He didnt bring it up. Whats he gonna do, say no?

Smith brought up that point while Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray was on “First Take” Wednesday morning. Unlike Smith, Murray was laid back when responding. Smith wasn’t satisfied with several of Murray’s answers so the co-host continued to get louder. Murray never seemed fazed by Smith’s multiple attempts to get the third-year back to say something he might later regret. “The stats say we haven’t done those things you’ve said but all that matters is this year and right now,” Murray said. “We’re ready to take the next step and get things going.” In regards to the criticism that the Cowboys have received for going three consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, Murray said it’s something he understands but is not concerned with. The 25-year-old Las Vegas native said he’s only worried about the thoughts of the people within the organization. “We understand the expectations here in Dallas Cowboys Nation,” Murray said. “We have a lot of great players and we’re definitely ready to change some things around here. We moved some things around in the off-season and we’re getting better.