NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Philadelphia Eagles: DeMarco Murray’s 2013 and consistency

By Kevin Parvizi

facebooktwitterreddit

Perhaps spurred on by the bitter rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, DeMarco Murray’s merits as an elite running back in the league have been put into question by some who remain skeptical of just how much of his 1,845 rushing yards were the result of his own work as a running back. Murray undoubtedly played behind an elite offensive line with Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, Doug Free, rookie sensation Zack Martin, and Ronald Leary blocking for him (throw in tight end Jason Witten for good measure onto that list of strong blockers).

More from Philadelphia Eagles

Murray averaged 4.7 yards per carry despite having to touch the rock 393 times on the ground on top of a career-high 57 receptions, and it certainly takes a durable, hard-nosed rusher to have that kind of efficiency in the midst of a monster workload.

There’s no question that his line benefited him greatly, and yet he was still tied for 12th, per Pro Football Focus, in yards after contact per carry (2.54) out of 42 qualifiers. Only seven backs had a higher percentage of runs that went for at least 15 yards, so Murray, who was second in the league in missed tackles forced on the ground (Marshawn Lynch was unsurprisingly first), brought plenty of playmaking ability to the Cowboys offense.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: These Are The 30 Best Eagles Ever

He was also quite consistent, and it goes beyond the fact that he managed to average 4.7 yards per carry despite touching the ball 450 times in the regular season alone. Murray, as per Sporting Charts, was stuffed just 9.4% of the time, which means that just four running backs with at least 200 rushing attempts were stuffed less frequently than Murray.

But even though those are all impressive numbers, the notion that the Cowboys offensive line and Tony Romo carried Murray to his elite 2014 season shroud all of his numbers. His impressive 2.54 yards after contact per carry is explained away as, “It’s easier to force missed tackles on DBs, especially in the open field, than it is to force DLs and LBs to miss tackles.”

It’s a valid point, but some just generally view all of Murray’s 2014 statistics as tainted fruit because of the road-grading done by the offensive line in front of him.

And yet all of these arguments neglect just how good Murray was in 2013, because that was his actual breakout season. He didn’t lead the league in rushing last year, but he had a fantastic season with 1,124 yards on 217 carries, averaging a robust 5.2 yards per carry in the process. He came into the season with people knocking his inability to force enough missed tackles (an assertion that wasn’t even based on facts) and his proneness to injury, and he emerged as a true feature back.

In 2013, the Cowboys offensive line was still pretty darn good with Smith, Frederick, and Free, but it wasn’t as stacked as it was last season with Martin at right guard over Mackenzy Bernadeau, who did actually play well in 2013, and better versions of the aforementioned three names.

That year, DeMarco Murray, in addition to averaging 5.2 yards per carry, put up even more yards after contact per rush (2.71), according to PFF, for the ninth-best mark in the league. His percentage of runs that went for at least 15 yards was 16th in the league, but while he had less big runs without a stacked offensive line in front him, he was even more efficient and even more consistent.

Out of the 22 running backs with least 200 rushing attempts in 2013, just three were stuffed on a lower percentage of their total carries, per Sporting Charts, and only Jamaal Charles had a higher percentage of first downs on his total carries than Murray. That’s pretty darn impressive, and these are the kinds of numbers that can be forgotten when looking back at a player’s season.

I have one final number to throw at you from Murray’s season: 5.77. Sporting Charts keeps track of a basic running back efficiency stat that I find interesting, and you can check the link for a description of the methodology (it basically modified a back’s yards per carry by rewarding an RB for their touchdowns and penalizing them for their fumbles, much in the same way adjusted yards per attempt is calculated for quarterbacks). Murray’s 5.77 mark was first among all running backs with at least 200 carries, whereas it was “just” ninth in 2014.

Why the difference? Not only did Murray average 0.5 more yards per carry in 2013 thanks to having far less carries to worry about (more carries generally equates to a lower YPC), but he also lost just one fumble in 2013 compared to five lost fumbles in 2014. Fumbles, along with injuries, were a knock on Murray early in his career, and he seemed to dispel both of those concerns in 2013. Unfortunately, the fumbles came back last season, even as he proved his durability even more.

We all know that Murray is at long-term risk after the Cowboys wore down his tires last season, but he can still have a huge year in 2015 for the Philadelphia Eagles. Everyone wants to focus on what he did in 2014, because he became such a pivotal figure for the Cowboys in their rise to becoming a Super Bowl contender. He received an unprecedented amount of carries behind an amazing offensive line and turned them into over 1,800 rushing yards, but all of that mars the fact that he was an excellent back in 2013.

Dec 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) carries against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Even with Evan Mathis gone, Murray will still have a strong offensive line in front of him in Philly with excellent players like Jason Kelce, Jason Peters (perhaps the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL), and the hyper-athletic Lane Johnson in front of him.

His line with the Cowboys in 2013 was no joke, and, in fact, will likely prove to be better than the group blocking in front of him in Philly in 2015. But at the time, nobody brought up the “meat on the bone” arguments despite the fact that Murray played at a high level, and it’s amazing what fantasy stats and a team’s success can do.

There’s no question in my mind that Murray is a great running back, and some quick tape-watching from Mike Tanier confirmed what my less scientific memory tells me about him. He’s a tough back who can wear down defenses, make people miss in the open field, and find the right hole quickly.

Murray has excellent tools, with his only key flaws being his fumbles and the fact that he doesn’t have elite speed, which means that he’s not a real home-run threat (his long runs can be the product of the blocking in front of him, though he’s still good at ripping off chunks of yardage on his own with his vision, cutting, and agility).

But what Chip Kelly and the Eagles will likely love about him (assuming he still has tread on his tires) is the fact that he’s as consistent as they come.

He rarely gets stuffed, he doesn’t make bad decisions, he’s tough, he gets more than the blocking in front him (check out his yards after contact per carry numbers and missed tackles forced again if you don’t believe me), and he can catch passes and score TDs to boot.

Next: Get Ready For This Pass Rusher

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Philadelphia Eagles