It's not just him, it's just that the NFL is at a point in its evolution where RBs are considered a dime a dozen. The conventional wisdom today is that any half way decent back can do the job if running behind a stellar offensive line.
So despite the record start for Murray last year and the near record final numbers Jerry Jones and friends seem to think they can do just as well with a committee of-comparatively lowly paid-runners next year.
"When Joseph Randle suggested last month that DeMarco Murray left "a lot of meat on the bone" last season, the implication was that the starting running back left yards on the field."
"Does the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year owe his award to the Dallas Cowboys' dominant offensive line?"
So despite the record start for Murray last year and the near record final numbers Jerry Jones and friends seem to think they can do just as well with a committee of-comparatively lowly paid-runners next year.
"When Joseph Randle suggested last month that DeMarco Murray left "a lot of meat on the bone" last season, the implication was that the starting running back left yards on the field."
"Does the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year owe his award to the Dallas Cowboys' dominant offensive line?"
"In a conversation with USA Today's Nate Davis, Murray scoffed at that suggestion."
"I think Barry Sanders is the only one who didn't have a great O-line," Murray said. "Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, all these guys had great lines.
"It's a little comedic to me. Every successful running back usually has a couple good offensive linemen. Those guys (in Dallas) were great, I've got a lot of respect for those guys. This group here (in Philadelphia), they've got some Pro Bowlers and great players."
"It's fair to point out that Murray wasn't as explosive in December as he was in October, but nobody was questioning his talent when he put the team on his back with a record-breaking seven consecutive 100-yard rushing performances to open the 2014 season."
"Prior to the new league year in March, coach Jason Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo and tight endJason Witten all rejected the notion that the Cowboys could simply plug in another back to replace Murray."
"It wasn't until Murray defected to Philadelphia that a narrative was constructed to devalue the workhorse running back's contributions to the Cowboys' most successful season in nearly a decade."
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000497290/article/demarco-murray-not-just-a-product-of-cowboys-oline
Ok, I guess this is a theory-that RBs are a dime a dozen; if you have a great OL you can suit up virtually anyone and get 1,500 yards. What we'll have this year is what the economists call a 'natural experiment' to test this 'RBs don't matter all that much' theory.
For more on natural experiments and other empirical tests see Noah Smith.
http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-paradigm-shift-in-empirical-economics.html
Another natural experiment will be the Philadelphia Eagles, the theory being Chip Kelly;s theory that he's so brilliant that it doesn't really matter who plays for him.
He's certainly gone unorthodox and if the Eagles miss the playoffs again this year he'll have no where to shift the blame.
You wonder if Kelly's a Republican as we hear so much about 'culture' in Philly.
"The Eagles' release of guard Evan Mathis last week led to a stir as Philly opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday."
"Following Chip Kelly's statement that Mathis requested his release multiple times, players addressed the removal of the veteran."
"Their responses overwhelmingly underscored one main point: It's about the culture."
"(The coaches) had to make decision whether they wanted to keep a guy or further emphasize the culture," center Jason Kelce said, via the Philly Daily News' Zach Berman. "To Evan's credit...he hasn't made this at all a distraction to the team, he hasn't ever been a bad teammate."
"The precedent has already been set. ... It's all about culture. It's all about team. Precedent has been set long before this."
"Eagles players echoed Kelly's long-held belief that "culture will beat scheme every day."
"If you don't want to be on the team, then by all means go somewhere else," safety Malcolm Jenkins added. "I'm not judging Evan. I see it from both sides. If you feel like you're due that money, you're a grown man making a grown man decision."
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000497288/article/eagles-players-say-mathis-release-is-about-the-culture
In all fairness. this is not 'culture' in the sense that Stephen A. Smith talks about it-as a euphemism for race. This seems to be about what is seen as a team player. If the players are incorporating this then maybe Kelly is on the right track.
When you look at this offseason moves though you wonder did he plan to bring in Murray all the time or was this just in such a negative reaction to trading away LeSean McCoy?
Time will judge this and other theories.
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