August 03, 2015
Chris Szagola/AP
Eagles' DeMarco Murray practices as running backs coach Duce Staley looks on.
Don't worry, Eagles fans. The NFL's leading rusher last season, DeMarco Murray, is not injured. In fact, he feels great.
”No, I'm fine, I'm fine," Murray said when asked if injury was the reason why he was more of a spectator than participant on Sunday. "That's how it goes some days. I think some guys get more reps one day, then get less reps. I guess it's part of the deal."
So why was he held out of practice on Sunday, the team's first day of training camp?
"That's how it goes," Murray continued. "I don't know whose decision it was."
The 27-year-old rusher was back out on the field Monday, but said he was still confused -- and slightly upset -- about his lack of reps.
"You're always upset when you don't get a chance to go out there and compete and really take a little pressure off the other guys," he admitted. "Obviously wanted to be out there."
"I mean I'm trying to do as much as I can," he added, "so I don't know."
Murray also said that he didn't plan on reaching out to his coaches -- head coach Chip Kelly or running backs coach Duce Staley -- to find out why.
"No, I do what I'm told," he said.
Perhaps one of the reasons for holding Murray back on Sunday was to preserve his health. After all, he did carry the ball an NFL-high 392 times last season (plus another 44 in the playoffs). Knowing what we know about Kelly's sports science programs, they likely have a very specific schedule worked out for Murray based on the dates of their preseason games -- and more importantly, their season opener.
Maybe giving him the day off was necessary in order to keep him on their schedule.
But the intense workload Murray shouldered last season with the Cowboys -- he had twice as many carries as his previous career high of 217 (2013) -- hasn't impacted his preparations for the upcoming season.
"No, I never think about it," Murray said. "Last year was last year. I've moved on. I just try to make sure that I'm mentally, physically, emotionally ready to handle whatever they throw at me, whatever challenges may occur. But definitely not worried about how many touches I've had."
On how QB Sam Bradford has looked:
"He looks good. He's working hard and he's trying to compete at a high level. He's zipping the ball. ... I think he looks good for the most part."
On if he thinks the offense can be as explosive with all the new pieces:
"I definitely do. I think we have playmakers across the board. Obviously the offensive line, those guys have been playing a long time together. They have a lot of camaraderie and then adding a couple new players. But it's not young players; it's veteran guys who have played in this league and had a lot of success in different ways.
"So I think we're going about it the right way. We're competing every day against each other, against the defense, against ourselves. So I think we're giving ourselves a chance to win and be good."
On how a Chip Kelly practice compares to Dallas:
"I felt the workload was equal [to Dallas], because you're only allowed to be on the field for a certain amount of time. But the tempo here [in practice] and how fast you get going is obviously different. I’ve always been in good shape. I pride myself in being able to run all day. But tempo and things like that are a little different.”
On how the Eagles injury prevention techniques and how they differ:
"They have a lot of stuff that you get a chance to improve yourself, not just on the field but off the field as well. And make sure you're fresh every day, both mentally and physically. We have a lot of extracurricular things here that we're allowed to do and they give us great resources.
"For me, that stuff is exciting. I love to take care of my body. I love to try new things. And they definitely give us a hand up here."
On what he did in his six weeks off since OTAs:
"What did I do? I got married [laughs], took a little time off and obviously worked out."
