Alfred Morris rolls old school on and off the field

With his bruising running style and physical play, new Dallas Cowboys’ running back Alfred Morris is a throwback player. He even carries that attitude with him to the parking lot.

The players’ parking lot of virtually every professional sports team resembles a luxury car dealership with dozens of high-priced vehicles on display. But with the Dallas Cowboys’ acquisition of running back Alfred Morris, at least one car in the players’ lot will look like something from a shady used car dealership on the other side of the tracks.

Despite being an NFL veteran that has made over $2 million in his four-year career, Morris still drives the 1991 Mazda 626 that he drove in college at Florida Atlantic. Though he can certainly afford a luxury automobile, Morris chooses to drive his trusty Mazda because it is a reminder for him to stay humble.

"“It just keeps me grounded, where I came from and all the hard work for me to get to this point. So that’s what helps me.” Morris said in 2012."

Ironically, Morris has named his hooptie Bentley. But sometimes he has taken an even more modest mode of transportation to work.

At times, the two-time Pro Bowler rode a bicycle to practice when he played for the Washington Redskins. While the size of the Dallas Metroplex might prohibit Alfred Morris from cycling to Valley Ranch, the point that fans should understand is that Morris is not the stereotypical professional athlete prima donna.

Perhaps unfairly, the Dallas Cowboys have become synonymous with style in the absence of substance. Through the brash persona of the team’s owner Jerry Jones and the flashy antics of former and current players such as cornerback Deion Sanders, wide receivers Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens and Dez Bryant and other headline-grabbing players, America’s Team has been criticized for being more concerned with its swagger rather than playing good football. (Though it should be pointed out that all of the players mentioned above have produced at high levels on the field.)

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The team plays in a $1 billion stadium that features a world-renown art collection, trendy ultra lounges and the world’s largest center-hung big screen. All of these facts help perpetuate the notion that the Cowboys are simply concerned with swag and remain content to be mediocre on the field so long as the franchise remains atop the list of most valuable franchises in sports.

Sure, players like tight end Jason Witten, left tackle Tyron Smith, middle linebacker Sean Lee and safety Bruce Jones are current Cowboys that contradict the notion that the franchise lacks earnest hard-working players. But the flamboyant reputation the Cowboys developed in the 1970’s and exploited in the 1990’s persists in the minds of many.

However, head coach Jason Garrett (a member of the 1990’s dynasty) is trying to fill his roster with what he often refers to as the right kind of guys and Morris seems to fit that mold. When Morris realized his beloved Bentley was outdated, he did not splurge on a new car, he simply had his Mazda re-upholstered, had the engine replaced, and added a CD player. Link

Morris plays with this same attitude. Lacking anything close to flashy speed, the newest Cowboy running back is a bruiser that plays a hard-nosed style of football, which is becoming rare in today’s game.

He runs with a style reminiscent of the great runners of a by-gone era when running backs like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Franco Harris or the Houston Oilers’ legend Earl Campbell took pride in being the toughest player on the field.

No one is going to compare Alfred Morris to those Hall of Fame running backs in terms of talent but his old school attitude is going to fit well with the identity Dallas is trying to develop, especially on offense. Behind a talented and tough offensive line, Morris should help the Cowboys return to the physically dominant running game that led the team to a 12-4 record in 2014.

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In American culture, many people have come to see automobiles as an extension of their owners. If this is indeed true, in Alfred Morris, the Dallas Cowboys have acquired a dependable, durable and hard-working player; one they hope drives them back to the top of the NFC East.

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