Cowboys' DeMarco Murray Joins Elite Company
By Shawn Lealos
There is no question that the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarco Murray is the best running back in the NFL at this moment of the 2014 NFL season. He has rushed for 534 yards, which easily leads the NFL in rushing and is 156 yards ahead of his nearest competitor, LeVeon Bell. Murray also joined some legendary company in NFL history when he ran for 149 yards in the Cowboys' Sunday night win over the New Orleans Saints.
With that performance, DeMarco Murray became one of only four players in NFL history to open a season with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games and a touchdown. The other names on that list are all in the NFL Hall of Fame – Emmitt Smith, O.J. Simpson and Jim Brown. Smith, the current NFL rushing leader, also holds the record for most 100-yard rushing games in a career with 78.
Eric Dickerson opened the 1984 NFL season with two straight 100-yard performances before faltering in week three. Through the first four weeks of that season, Dickerson had 378 rushing yards. Dickerson finished that season with 2,105 rushing yards, a record that still stands today as the most in NFL history. At his current rate, Murray is on pace to break that record by 31 yards. Adrian Peterson missed the record by eight yards in 2012 and Chris Johnson fell short by 99 yards in 2009.
The one thing standing between DeMarco Murray and the NFL single-season rushing record is his health. No one can deny Murray's talent. He had his first 1,000 rushing yard season in 2013, but missed two game due to injury. In 2012, he missed six games, and in his rookie season, he won the starting job midway through the year and then missed the end due to an injury.
In 2014, Murray is on pace to carry the ball 396 times, which is just a ridiculous amount of carries. The more a running back carries the ball, the more wear and tear he puts on his legs and the more hits he takes to his body. Arian Foster led the NFL is carries in 2012 with 351 and then missed a large portion of the 2013 season to injury. Larry Johnson holds the NFL record for carries in a season with 416 and never ran for 1,000 yards in a season again in his career.
Eric Dickerson's career saw him break the single-season rushing record in his second year in the NFL. In his fourth season, he carried the ball over 400 times. Dickerson ranks seventh in NFL history in rushing yards because his career stalled after seven seasons. The heavy load ended his career early. Emmitt Smith topped out at 377 carries in the 1995 NFL season and only averaged 340 carries a season over his career. He lasted 15 years and broke 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons.
In Smith's case, it was about extending a career and that is why he is the NFL rushing leader. While breaking Dickerson's record would be a nice accomplishment, the plan should be to make sure Murray's legs last him through a nice career. It should be a priority to make sure that his body at least lasts him through the entire 2014 NFL season. With Murray running the ball so well, Dallas is finally playing well enough to contend for a playoff spot. It is just important to make sure that they make it to the finish line in good health.
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Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.
