Current Philadelphia Eagles running back and former Dallas Cowboys ball carrier DeMarco Murray finds the whole debate over whether the Cowboys offensive line helped him lead the league in rushing last season or whether he would have done it no matter who was opening up holes for him, to be a little silly, especially in light of all the historical NFL evidence.
"I think Barry Sanders is the only one who didn't have a great O-line. Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, all these guys had great lines," Murray said recently, via Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports.
"It's a little comedic to me. Every successful running back usually has a couple good offensive linemen. Those guys (in Dallas) were great, I've got a lot of respect for those guys. This group here, they've got some Pro Bowlers and great players."
Murray, who set single season Cowboys records last year for touches (449) and rushing yards (1,845) sounds like a guy who is very ready to see both of those numbers reduced in 2015.
"I know that I'll get my touches and my carries. It's up to me to make it hard for those guys to take me off. But I'm not a selfish guy, I don't mind sharing. I don't mind letting other guys come in and do positive things for this team," Murray said.
"I think it's easy when you've got just one running back, and (defenses) have to gameplan for one guy. But when you've got two or three guys that you've really got to gameplan, I think it's an advantage for the offense."
Luckily for Murray, the Eagles already have the diminutive Darren Sproles in house and added former first-round pick Ryan Mathews in free agency as well so his number of touches next year will almost assuredly be significantly decreased.
While Murray was complimentary of Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and the rest of the Dallas offensive line, there's simply no doubting that it'll be hard for both sides to attain the same level of production without one another.
The Eagles offensive line is good, though likely not as good as All Pro and future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters recently suggested, especially with the release of Evan Mathis, so Murray probably won't get as much free run into the secondary in 2015 as he did in 2014. Limited touches could potentially increase his impact - it's clear that's what the Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly are expecting - but it's not certain.
For the Cowboys, Murray to Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden is a clear talent downgrade. Amassing over 1,800-yards rushing and over 2,200 all-purpose-yards will be no small feat for the pair or backs, even running behind Smith and what could be one of the strongest lines in recent NFL history.
