September 16, 2015
After picking up just nine yards on eight carries in his Eagles debut, DeMarco Murray doesn’t need any extra motivation heading into Sunday’s home opener. And that's a good thing, because even though the opponent is his former team, it's just any other game for the Eagles running back.
For the first time since being selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Murray will be lining up against Dallas. But ask the NFL's leading rusher from a year ago, and he'll tell you it's "just Week 2."
"I'm not worried about it [being the Cowboys]," Murray said after practice on Wednesday. "Like I said, this is a game that -- it's just Week 2. No matter who it is, I'm going to do the same thing I've been doing leading up to other weeks. I'm not going to do anything different for my preparations. I'm not going to try to go out there and do this or that and be special. We're going to do what we do and run our plays and go from there."
That didn't come as much of a surprise to head coach Chip Kelly, who earlier in the day said he expected the former Oklahoma rusher to treat it as any other game.
I think it just depends on the player," Kelly said in relation to whether or not facing a former team can help motivate a player. "I think DeMarco's a very grounded individual. He's pretty consistent in his approach every day that he's here. He's not an up-and-down guy.
"I think sometimes it just depends on the individual but he's been fine. We'll monitor him just like we monitor all our players this week, but I haven't seen any change in him because it's Dallas week and he played for Dallas."
Last season, the Murray not only led the NFL in carries (392), but also in touches (449), rushing yards (1,845), all-purpose yards (2,261), and was tied with Marshawn Lynch for the most rushing touchdowns (13). Despite all those numbers — Murray also earned his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl, as well as First-Team All-Pro and AP Offensive Player of the Year honors — the Cowboys felt comfortable letting their running back leave this summer in free agency and opted to sign wideout Dez Bryant instead.
That would leave some players feeling slighted or under appreciated. It may even cause them to lash out at their former team or coach. But not Murray.
"Not at all," he said when asked if he had any ill will towards the team that let him walk. "Not from my end, at least. Like I've said, this is a true business and I'm very, so to speak, emotionless when it comes to a lot of things, especially on the business side. I understand the business aspect of the NFL and it's all about finding guys who are right for your system. I feel like, I'm here and this is the best place for me; this is where I want to be; and this is the team that wanted me.
"So I'm not worried about those guys. Great, great group of guys, great organization. I have a lot of respect for them, but I moved on a long time ago and I'm happy to be here."
Bryant, who signed a five-year, $70 million deal in the offseason instead of re-signing Murray, will be sidelined against the Eagles after breaking a bone in his foot in the Cowboys' Week 1 win over the Giants. But even without their most dangerous offensive weapon, Murray thinks it'll be a tough game.
"[Dez Bryant is] a tough player, but they've got a lot of weapons on that side of the ball," he said. "They'll find ways to get different guys the ball. He's a great player, but I don't think they'll miss a beat. They've got a pretty good quarterback over there, tight end, a couple receivers. So I think they'll be fine."
Interestingly enough, there's one skill position Murray left out when complimenting his former team, running back.
In the offseason, his replacement on the Cowboys depth chart, Joseph Randle, told Sports Illustrated that he felt like Murray "left a lot of meat on the bone" last year. Basically, he was telling the NFL's leading rusher -- not to mention the guy he used to backup -- that he wasn't very good at his job. Perhaps this was Murray subtly returning the favor.
But regardless of the opponent or injuries, Murray needs to be more productive than he was on Monday night if the Eagles want to avoid falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2007.
"I'm learning quickly that there's not a lot of love lost between the [Eagles and Cowboys]," QB Sam Bradford said.
His eight carries against the Falcons on Monday night were his fewest in a game since Week 9 of the 2013 season, when he had just four in the Cowboys’ 27-23 win over the Vikings. His nine rushing yards were the lowest for Murray since Week 3 of 2011, his rookie year. And as for his 1.13 yards per carry? He’s only had one game with a worse average — his Cowboys debut in September 2011, when he carried the ball just two times for zero yards.
Still, Murray was able to make his presence known in Atlanta. He scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving — to help keep the Eagles in the game. Surprisingly, his five-yard TD reception from Sam Bradford was just the second receiving touchdown of his four-plus year career.
Against the Cowboys, however, Murray will need to be more consistent. And after watching the game film, he doesn't foresee that being a problem.
"We all have to be on the same page," he said. "Obviously, Atlanta did a good job of bringing that extra defender in the box and hitting on the run. So we've just got to make a couple adjustments. We're not going to freak out and change up a bunch of things. We believe in what we're doing and we know we have the right players and the right coaches to get the job done. We'll learn from it and we'll move on from it."
Even without the added Murray storyline, this game has a different feeling than nearly every other. It's Dallas Week.
And although the 27-year-old running back may not be putting much stock in that fact, his college teammate, Sam Bradford, is beginning to realize just how important this game is to the fans.
"I'm learning quickly that there's not a lot of love lost between the two sides. I think a couple of guys were at a charity event yesterday and they had some choice words for Dallas. Obviously, our first or second practice, they had the banner flying over the stadium. So obviously we know this is a big game for both teams."
For a Week 2 matchup, this is about as big as it gets.
