DeMarco Murray (1 Viewer)

[TT5]

First my heart sunk when I heard about Sigmond's loss.

I lost my mom about 5 years ago so my heartfelt prayers to go out to the ENTIRE Bloom family.

I really appreciated the segment in The Audible where Cecil & Matt broke down what they look for in their film study & evaluation of talent.

It got me thinking about my current 3rd Keeper (In a straight up 3 keeper league) DeMarco Murray.

While we all know injuries is a factor...but What is your evaluation on Murray's skill set from his college days and his limited showcase as a Pro? Injuries aside, does he have the talent to be successful NFL RB?

Should I be happy to keep him or be looking to trade the Cowboys' feature back?

Thanks,

Mike from Cincy

 

[Cecil Lammey]

First my heart sunk when I heard about Sigmond's loss. I lost my mom about 5 years ago so my heartfelt prayers to go out to the ENTIRE Bloom family. I really appreciated the segment in The Audible where Cecil & Matt broke down what they look for in their film study & evaluation of talent.It got me thinking about my current 3rd Keeper (In a straight up 3 keeper league) DeMarco Murray.While we all know injuries is a factor...but What is your evaluation on Murray's skill set from his college days and his limited showcase as a Pro? Injuries aside, does he have the talent to be successful NFL RB?Should I be happy to keep him or be looking to trade the Cowboys' feature back?Thanks,Mike from Cincy

I was just thinking about Murray's evolution as a RB earlier today driving home from Broncos minicamp. When Murray first showed up at OU he ran a lot like former Falcons RB Jerious Norwood. He has a straight line guy with little wiggle and he took too many steps to change direction. His running style is still a little upright, but I appreciate how he learned to be an inside/out runner during his junior and senior seasons. He developed better patience and didn't try to bounce everything outside. Today, I think Murray can easily be a top 10 fantasy RB if he stays healthy. Still would like better pad level (his forward lean has improved) but he has developed better footwork when changing direction.

 

[Phenix]

I dont know, didnt notice any problems when he was running for 291 yards in a game as a rookie.

 

[LittlePhatty]

I dont know, didnt notice any problems when he was running for 291 yards in a game as a rookie.

Eyeroll? Really?This topic deserves serious conversation. I guess you are referring to the St. Louis game when he rushed for 253. One game against the Rams doesn't equate to an elite career for a running back.I'll admit that I'm not the most qualified person to dissect the running style of an NFL back, but I can compare him to other guys I've watched. I like the way Murray approaches contact and he seems capable of breaking tackles and putting hits on defenders. When running he appears to have a longer-than-normal stride to me. I'm sure it's because he's a fairly big guy with long legs, but it just looks a little awkward to me compared to the open field running style of Adrian Peterson for example. I would guess that a longer stride would make it harder to cut and change directions. You've got to wait until your foot is on the ground before you can make a move, and even a small fraction of a second can be a difference. Murray looks like the opposite of Shonn Greene to me. I've always thought that Greene looked like most of his mass is in his upper body while his legs look a little too short by comparison. When I see Greene running it looks like he's taking two steps for every one stride that everyone else would take. I'd also say Chris Johnson has a very long stride in the open field, but he is constantly adjusting his stride until he gets open, taking smaller steps in traffic. Murray's style seems more like "big stride" from the first step.Last year I thought Murray looked a lot like Michael Bush. I really don't know if that's a good comparison, but that's who he reminded me of. He showed enough in 4 or 5 games to prove to me that he could put up Top 10 numbers if the Cowboys give him the majority of the carries (and I think they will).

 

[matttyl]

I dont know, didnt notice any problems when he was running for 291 yards in a game as a rookie.

I assume you're talking about the 253 he ran for against St. Louis, not 291. Let's break that down...25 carries for 253 yards (10.1 YPC) against the #31st ranked rushing defense, damn good, right?There was a 91 yard TD on his first carry (the longest TD carry of the NFL last year no less), a great run - but HORRIBLE angles taken by BOTH St. Louis safetys on that play (Darian Stewart as a first year starter and 4th start of career, and Quintin Mikell in his first year on the Rams). Take that ONE carry away, he had 162 on 24 carries (still very impressive). On his next FOUR carries he totaled THREE yards, and had two negative running plays before halftime. After halftime when the other RB (Choice) is out with an injury (which is why Murray had so many carries anyway), he had another nice run of 43 yards, though should have been stopped for a 2 yard gain by Josh Gordy (yet another first year DB for St. Louis who at that time had still not logged a single NFL start). Murray is shaken up on the play and doesn't finish the series. Had Gordy made the tackle there and either of the saftys made the tackle on the first big run, Murray would have had around 125 yards or so on 25 carries with 0 TDs against the 2nd worst running defense in the league (5 YPC, to be expected). I bring that game up because if you exclude it, his season was 644 yards on 139 carries or 4.6 YPC with 1 single TD (against Buffalo at home, another poor running defense last year). After that Buffalo game he had 223 yards on 64 carries (3.5 YPC) and 0 TDs.

 

[TT5]

I dont know, didnt notice any problems when he was running for 291 yards in a game as a rookie.

I assume you're talking about the 253 he ran for against St. Louis, not 291. Let's break that down...25 carries for 253 yards (10.1 YPC) against the #31st ranked rushing defense, damn good, right?There was a 91 yard TD on his first carry (the longest TD carry of the NFL last year no less), a great run - but HORRIBLE angles taken by BOTH St. Louis safetys on that play (Darian Stewart as a first year starter and 4th start of career, and Quintin Mikell in his first year on the Rams). Take that ONE carry away, he had 162 on 24 carries (still very impressive). On his next FOUR carries he totaled THREE yards, and had two negative running plays before halftime. After halftime when the other RB (Choice) is out with an injury (which is why Murray had so many carries anyway), he had another nice run of 43 yards, though should have been stopped for a 2 yard gain by Josh Gordy (yet another first year DB for St. Louis who at that time had still not logged a single NFL start). Murray is shaken up on the play and doesn't finish the series. Had Gordy made the tackle there and either of the saftys made the tackle on the first big run, Murray would have had around 125 yards or so on 25 carries with 0 TDs against the 2nd worst running defense in the league (5 YPC, to be expected). I bring that game up because if you exclude it, his season was 644 yards on 139 carries or 4.6 YPC with 1 single TD (against Buffalo at home, another poor running defense last year). After that Buffalo game he had 223 yards on 64 carries (3.5 YPC) and 0 TDs.

I didn't break down those stats like mattyl, but that, couple with injuries, is the kind of stuff that makes me hesitate with this kid. That said you can't take away those runs, that's why the AVERAGE them out. Also everyone should run better against bad defenses, & 253 aint too shabby. I appreciate the comments on his stride and footwork. Cecil thanks for the breakdown.

 

[jackdubl]

I see Murray putting up steady lines with decent rushing yards supplemented by above average receiving yards. If only he could get in the endzone with some consistency. Not sure if that will happen, but I hope it does. That would be a middling rb2 with upside.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

The problem with Murray and the Cowboys in general will be the questionable play calling and useage of their RB personnel.

Garrett has a good offense, but he tends to leave you scratching your head with his play calling. I assume he is calling plays again this year?

I fully expect Murray to lead the team in rushing attempts, but there will be inconsistency especially because Felix Jones is not an ordinary back up. People like to hate on Felix as he has been anything but durable, but he still poses a threat to steal carries and receptions from Murray.

It is apparent that Felix will never be leaned on again as "the guy" due to not being able to stay healthy in that role. However, Felix did just turn 25 and still has a lot of talent and will demand touches in that offense. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones still believes Felix Jones is "an integral part of our firepower."

This has the makings of being frustrating for fantasy owners unless one or the other is hurt.

 

[footballnerd]

think its a contract year for Felix too, not only is that extra motivation, but Jerry might want to see what he can get out of him. So def could see Felix being worked into the mix this year.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

I'd at least float Murray out there; he's one of those guys that some people absolutely LOVE. It's very possible that someone in your league sees him as a top-5 RB, and will pay accordingly.

Personally I think he's a solid (but not elite) talent, but so is Felix Jones, and Dallas is a passing team, particularly in the red zone. I think that the split is going to be pretty close to 50/50 to keep both RBs fresher longer.

 

[az_prof]

I like Murry a lot. I see him as a top 10 RB at least, maybe a top 5. I want to see more reps to know for sure that he is an elite top 5 guy, but I saw enough to be intrigued. I don't put much weight on the people who want to discount his big performances because of competition. My eyes showed me a really talented player. I don't think Felix will disappear, but he is going to be the complementary, third down back IMO. He will cut into the amount of receptions Murray gets (hurting Murry's value in PPR), but I expect Murray will get 65% of the carries and most of the goal line work.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

He looked really good last year. He has similiar explosiveness to Felix, but also the patience and vision Jones seems to lack. The Cowboys seem to prefer a lead back and I would expect him to get 15-20 carries a game on average, along with a reception or two.

If there is one concern, it would be his health. He's built a lot like Reggie Bush; taller, not overly thick, but a lot of lean muscle. The ankle last year wasn't the end of the world and he should be healed fine for camp. The problem seems to be that going all the way back to high school, he has had numerous injuries of his hamstrings, knees and ankles. he had trouble getting on the filed in training camp and pre-season last year. To his credit, he only missed four games in four years at Oklahoma, so he did tough most of it out.

In the end, I would definitely take the chance on his talent as a keeper; as long as he can stay on the field, he will be a big part of the team offensive attack. I wouldn't be surprised to see him put up 1200-1400 yards rushing and with Romo's ability to move the ball, 10+ TDs wouldn't be surprising either. However, don't be shocked if you have to fill his spot on your roster for a few games sometime during the season.

 

[Shanahanigans]

At their current prices I think Felix is the back to target. Murray is so hyped right now that trading for him without giving up too much is nearly impossible. Felix on the other hand can be had for next to nothing, and makes for a nice RB4. Clearly Murray is the guy to own, but Felix is the value pick imo.

 

[Eminence]

Good job to everyone who was smart enough to own him in Dynasty. His current price is much higher than I believe his true value to be, however.

Grab a surer thing and gamble on the potential of Donald Brown for a much lower price tag.

 

[lbouchard]

Good job to everyone who was smart enough to own him in Dynasty. His current price is much higher than I believe his true value to be, however.Grab a surer thing and gamble on the potential of Donald Brown for a much lower price tag.

You could do that, but the potential between the two isn't even in the same ballpark

 

[Bankerguy]

Change is coming.....two words.

Lawrence Vickers

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Felix Murray is a top 5 fantasy back. jmo the next big fantasy fad will be starting 2 rbs from same team (as specialized rbs become more n more common)....vs starting a mediocre starting rb on a meh team.

 

[sspunisher]

Can't really comment specifically on his footwork, but I absolutely love the way this guy's lower body moves when he's running. Especially when he cuts. He did show signs of getting gassed last year but I expect to see a lot of maturation from Murray's body after a full offseason with Woicik.

And his body will need that maturation...the revamped D won 't let the offense stay on the sidelines as long as last year's unit did.

 

[reginald]

Thanks for all those opinions here in Murray. But I still have a question to answer in my Keeper League. Summary of that thread for me is so far that we talk about a RB2 with upside. I do agree at this time. We keep 4 players with a max of 2 at each position. I always kept 2RB and 2 WR as I never had those franchise QB. Now my RB are Peterson and Mendenhall. I won't keep Mendy for obvious reasons. At WR i'm set with Andre Johnson and A.J. Green. My QB is Michael Vick. That said I was thinking about keeping Vick instead of Mendy. Now someone offers me Murray for Vick. Should I pull the trigger ? Please keep in mind that 13 Qbs will be gone as the other teams tend to keep at least 1QB.

Vick to le has too much questionmarks around him, first, of course, his health. Murray has questionmarks too as this thread shows. But should I really go with AP and Vick with AP coming back from surgery too ? To me a 2nd good RB seems to be the smarter keeper. But is Murray that guy ?

I appreciate your opinions in advance.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

Thanks for all those opinions here in Murray. But I still have a question to answer in my Keeper League. Summary of that thread for me is so far that we talk about a RB2 with upside. I do agree at this time. We keep 4 players with a max of 2 at each position. I always kept 2RB and 2 WR as I never had those franchise QB. Now my RB are Peterson and Mendenhall. I won't keep Mendy for obvious reasons. At WR i'm set with Andre Johnson and A.J. Green. My QB is Michael Vick. That said I was thinking about keeping Vick instead of Mendy. Now someone offers me Murray for Vick. Should I pull the trigger ? Please keep in mind that 13 Qbs will be gone as the other teams tend to keep at least 1QB. Vick to le has too much questionmarks around him, first, of course, his health. Murray has questionmarks too as this thread shows. But should I really go with AP and Vick with AP coming back from surgery too ? To me a 2nd good RB seems to be the smarter keeper. But is Murray that guy ?I appreciate your opinions in advance.

There are the contents of this thread of the Murray Spotlight thread. If that doesn't give you enough information to make your own decision, take it to the assistant coach forum. There you can post your team/league info and get help with your team without sidetracking this thread.