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DeMarco Murray’s Attitude Worse Than His Play

By Jeremy Klump

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Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray’s 3.5 yards per attempt isn’t as bad as his attitude.

“there is a storm brewing in Philadelphia and it isn’t a nor’easter.”

It was hard to find another player in the NFL that was as dominant in 2014 as DeMarco Murray.

Murray ran for 1,845 yards, which led the NFL, and 13 touchdowns, which was tied for the lead in the NFL. Not only was he a beast running the ball, Murray caught 57 passes for 416 yards.

Murray was a free agent at the end of the season and with 2,261 total yards in 2014; Murray seemed to be on his way for a big payday from the Dallas Cowboys. However, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapport, the Cowboys only offered the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year a four-year, $16 million dollar deal.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Week 15 QB Rankings

Murray respectfully declined the offer and was set to test free agency to access his worth in the league.

Whenever there is a big named free agent testing the market, there are always rumors and reports. More than half of the reports do not matter, but what matters the most is where the free agent actually signs.

For Murray, there were a lot of reports, but in the end; Murray decided that he would sign a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. A five-year deal worth $40 million and with $18 million guaranteed. It was a huge splash by the Eagles and a huge signing for them because they traded their starting running back LeSean McCoy before free agency started.

Many writers praised the Eagles for going out and signing Murray.

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Chris Simms of Bleacher Report had nothing but praise for the Eagles splash in free agency. He said, “DeMarco will fit into any offense because he is that talented. He is a better fit in this offense than LeSean McCoy. I am ready to say that hands down.”

Bill Polian of ESPN thought the move was a good one and he said, “Murray dropped into their laps. Good move.”

Nathan Jahnke of ESPN gave the Eagles signing of Murray an “A” and said, “In 2015, Philadelphia’s rushing attack could be better than ever with Murray instead of McCoy.”

It seemed that the Eagles had somehow replaced their all-time leading rusher that they traded before the year, but this was before the year started. Potential or a prediction is scary because it is never guaranteed. People raved about the signing and raved about Murray in Chip Kelly’s offense, but they did not 100% know if it would be a good fit or not.

It is now Week 15 of the 2015 NFL season, with Murray filling in for McCoy, and the Eagles without their all-time leading rusher.

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It has been rough to watch.

People said Murray would be great in this offense and those people were wrong. Murray has be the farthest thing from great in this offense.

Heading into Week 15, Murray only has 603 yards, four touchdowns, and is averaging 3.5 yards per carry. For those that need the numbers to be put into words, Murray has been a free agent bust.

He has not even come close to replacing McCoy and he has been hard to watch at times. To make matters worse, Murray does not even start anymore. Ian Rapport of NFL Network announced before the Eagles took on the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 that Murray had been demoted to the fourth string running back. The $40 million dollar free agent running back was behind Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner.

Talk about replacing Shady McCoy, uh, right?

In the last two games, Murray has only carried the ball 19 times (11 carries in Week 13 and eight carries in Week 14). Murray has only ran for over 83 yards once the whole season and currently sits at 25th in the NFL for rushing yards per game.

Murray and the Eagles clearly are not a fit and the experiment has failed.

What could be worse than Murray’s poor play? His poor attitude.

At one point in the season the Eagles were the laughing stock of the NFL. They got blown out in back to back weeks (they gave up 45 points in each of those losses) and lost three straight games leading into Week 14.

Nov 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia won in overtime 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The team was falling apart and to make it worse the Eagles Week 14 opponent was the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Many wrote the game off and gave the Eagles their fourth straight loss.

Then, out of nowhere, the Eagles played their best football game of the season. They would go on to score 35 points and beat the Patriots 35-28. It was arguably one of the best wins the Eagles have had in years and saved their season from a total failure.

In the game, Murray only played 25 snaps and was not used on the last drive. Murray took a backseat to the Eagles’ other running backs and looked visibly upset on the sidelines. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that the Eagles were frustrated with the way Murray handled himself on the sidelines.

Then, after the game, Ed Werder of ESPN reported that Murray had met with team owner Jeffery Lurie to address his frustrations with his role in Kelly’s offense.

He was frustrated with “his” role and that is a big problem.

The Eagles, as a team, won the football game. Football is a team game and one player is never bigger than the team, but Murray must feel differently.

The Eagles just won their biggest game of the year and Murray was complaining about how much he was touching the ball.

It is clear that Murray does not care about the “team” as much as he cares about himself, which proves that he has an attitude problem and clearly isn’t a team player.

Kelly is known for having his own “culture,” but Murray doesn’t fit that mold.

Next: LeSean McCoy Trade Was Horrendous For Eagles

If Murray was frustrated with his role in Week 14, Week 15 must have been infuriating. Murray was not on the field much (only 14 snaps) and the Eagles won again. They have shown that they do not need their “big” free agent this season.

A bad attitude can crush a season and Murray may continue to complain about his role. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported that NFL executives think Murray wants to get cut to set up a Cowboys reunion.

This leaves some big questions.

What should the Eagles do? Cut him? The Eagles still owe Murray $9 million if they do cut him.

Will Murray force his way out of Philly? He was special in the Cowboys offense and is now a bench warmer for the Eagles.

Regardless, there is a storm brewing in Philadelphia and it isn’t a nor’easter.

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