Tennessee Titans: DeMarco Murray Will Regain Star Form in 2016
By John Laird
Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray has a chance to regain his old form with his new team in Nashville this upcoming season. We look at how the team is set up for Murray to dominate in 2016.
Every time you hear coach Mike Mularkey speak about his offense, there’s one word that sticks out, physical. He is trying to build the same brand of ‘exotic smash-mouth’ offense that flourished in Pittsburgh when he was coaching Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis. General manager Jon Robinson has set up his coach with pieces to accomplish just that.
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When the new league year was set to begin, breaking news came out about the team swapping fourth-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire the 2014 NFL Offensive Player of the Year in DeMarco Murray. A physical, north-south runner who was looking for a way out of Philadelphia after a down year with a team he didn’t fit with. A year earlier, he led the NFL with 1,845 yards rushing for the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys.
You can blame Murray’s below average campaign on a number of things. Scheme fit, coaching, effort, lack of opportunities, anything like that would be a valid excuse, but that’s in the review mirror now and we’re looking forward to a brand new football season with the former leading rusher on a new team. A team that’s set up very well to punish opposing defenses with a ground and pound approach.
In Tennessee, the offensive line was one of the worst units in the NFL last season. Injuries, inconsistency, and talent were all factors for the putrid performance, but things are looking up for a unit that gave up a league leading 54 sacks in 2015. The team already has first round draft picks Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack manning the left tackle and guard spots, respectively, but two solid lineman don’t make an offensive line great.
The front office realized that and made moves to better up the unit up front. They signed a big, nasty center in Ben Jones in free agency, who is exactly the type of player you want manning the pivot. It didn’t stop there, as Robinson decided to select Michigan State mauler Jack Conklin in the first round of this year’s draft, to play opposite Lewan to give the team a solid pair of bookend tackles to have for the next 10-plus years.
That leaves only one guard spot open, which is being contested by Jeremiah Poutasi, Quinton Spain, and Sebastion Tretola. If you know anything about those three lineman, they all like to block through the whistle. They all want to punish the opponent in run blocking which continues the physicality theme we’ve been hearing. If you now look at this newly revamped line, you see an aggressive, hungry unit that’s ready to win in the trenches in 2016.
The tight ends can also be a great compliment to a physical offensive line, as Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, and Craig Stevens all graded in the top-5 for run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. That’s a lot of beef to run behind.
The offensive line isn’t only beneficial to Murray as it is to franchise signal caller, Marcus Mariota, who took an absolute beating in his debut NFL season. This run-based offense will feature a lot of bootleg/play-action passes,which tailors to Mariota’s strengths and could open things up for the 6th year runner on the backside of formations. Mariota is also the type of passer who looks to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible on every snap, making the running back an option nearly every passing down.
When given the chance to catch the ball out of the backfield, the former Oklahoma Sooner refused to take a snap off. In each of the last three seasons, Murray caught around 50 balls, which is a high number for running backs. He can make plays in space and between the tackles, which is exactly what Mariota and the rest of the Titans’ offense desperately needed.
Many people see Derrick Henry coming in and stealing some of Murray’s snaps, which is a realistic possibility. The coaches have already stated they want to ride the hot hand when it comes to the running backs which could mean he gets more carries then his veteran counter-part some games, and that’s fine. Just because he may not match his insane numbers from 2014 doesn’t mean he is performing poorly. In Dallas he was a one-man show and at this stage of his career he may not have it in him to take that sort of beating again.
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With that being said anything less then 1,100 yards would be a disappointment. In this type of run-based offense, I expect Murray to get that number with ease. I’m excited to see the tandem of Murray/Henry flourish behind a mauling offensive line in the Music City. Titans fans should be getting excited for what’s in store for the future.