The Landry Hat
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Why the Dallas Cowboys don’t miss DeMarco Murray

By John Bankston

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This veteran’s play as of late is why the Dallas Cowboys don’t miss the services of the NFL’s leading rusher in 2014, DeMarco Murray.

After another anemic offensive effort from the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday’s 16-6 loss at Buffalo, it’s clear running back Darren McFadden has not got his just due this season. His 2015 renaissance is every bit as impressive as DeMarco Murray’s 2014 tour de force, even though none of the TV experts are saying so.

It was easy to laud Murray last season. The stats were the proof in a 12-win pudding, and the league honored him as its Offensive Player of the Year. It’s harder to see the truth of McFadden this year, as the Cowboys are a four-win team and he didn’t earn feature back status until Week 7.

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What he’s done in the 10 weeks since donning the bell is average 19 carries and 87 yards per game. That projects to a 1,400-yard season. Not really within shouting distance of Murray’s 1,845 yards a season ago, but McFadden’s 4.6 yards per carry is right in line with Murray’s 4.7.

The big difference: McFadden is doing it without Tony Romo. People don’t appreciate how much Murray benefited last season from lining up with the league’s top-rated passer.

Defenses have to respect the pass with Romo under center. Load up to stop the run and he’ll pick you apart. McFadden has been a productive runner with the hodgepodge of Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore at quarterback. Suddenly McFadden’s 4.6 yards per carry looks a lot more impressive than Murray’s 4.7.

Murray also benefited from the dynamic outside play-making threat of wide receiver Dez Bryant, another weapon for which defenses must scheme. Last season, scheme to stop Bryant and Murray kills you. McFadden sees far more safeties in the box than Murray ever did.

McFadden did get to play one game this year as the feature back with Romo and Bryant in the lineup. They were crippled, both mending from broken bones suffered in September, so it was hardly the same dish that Murray feasted on last season, but it was at least a taste.

In that 24-14 win at Miami, McFadden carried 29 times for 129 yards. He converted first downs on 4th-and-1 and 3rd-and-1 during scoring drives in the first half. With 6:29 to play in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys protecting a 24-14 lead, and the offense looking to ice it, McFadden got the ball 11 times on a 12-play drive that ate up over five minutes of clock. Game over. Murray couldn’t have done it better.

But it was fleeting, as the next week Romo was broken again and Bryant lost his mind. Add it up and the Cowboys are looking for their fifth win of the season next week in the 2015 finale at home against the newly crowned NFC East Champion Washington Redskins. People want answers. People want to assess blame, and hold the responsible parties accountable.

Some say the team misses Murray. Some say the loss of offensive line coach Bill Callahan was the dagger. Others say the Cowboys front office erred by not drafting a promising young running back and overestimating the quality of the offensive line. Hubris, they say, is the sin of 2015.

I won’t argue that. What’s the point? I will say that nothing I’ve seen from McFadden suggests he is the problem with this offense. Quite the opposite. He has been outstanding, even without any of the help Murray got. I don’t know that Murray would have done any better this year under the same circumstances. In fact, I suspect Murray wouldn’t have performed as well.

You look at the Miami game, and you can’t help but conclude Tony Romo makes this whole thing work. People want to assess blame. They want to fire the coaching staff or re-organize the front office. Seems awfully reactionary. Romo will be back again next year, and if he stays healthy the front office and coaching staff will all look like geniuses again.

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And if McFadden runs like he did this year, he’ll make the 2016 Pro Bowl and TV experts will cry that he is reborn. But it was all there for anyone to see in 2015. The only thing missing was Romo.

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