NFL Dallas Cowboys

Making the Case for DeMarco Murray as 2014 NFL MVP

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By @JordanWevers

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Getty Images

No running back in the NFL capped off a better regular season and in turn made their team playoff relevant than the Dallas Cowboys‘ DeMarco Murray did in 2014.

Murray obliterated the competition this season, leading all ball carriers in total rushing yards (1,845), attempts (392) and rushing touchdowns (13). He finished first in the league with 2,261 yards from scrimmage and first in the league with an average of 115.3 rushing yards per game, nearly 10 whole yards more than Arian Foster, the runner-up. He did not miss a single ball game for his Boys either, despite  suffering a broken hand in mid-December.

If ever a player paid homage to the nostalgic days of workhorse backs like Walter Payton or Jim Brown in the NFL today, one would have to glimpse no further than Murray.

Sweetness was awarded his only MVP in 1977. That year, he ran for 1,852 yards, 14 touchdowns and finished with 2,121 total yards from scrimmage.

Brown won league MVP honors in 1957, 56 and 65. During none of those seasons did he eclipse as many rushing yards or carries as Murray.

Both Brown and Payton played in a different time. Neither of their offenses routinely lined up in four-wide receiver sets. Neither player shared the field with a Second Team All-Pro quarterback and First Team All-Pro wide receiver in Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, respectively. The wealth was shouldered primarily by Payton and Brown, not expected to be distributed around equally as it was with the Cowboys in 2014.

By all accounts, the MVP is defined as an award given to a player who is the most valuable to his team. If that’s the case, Murray should win. In an offense with all the talent the Cowboys’ had on it, he managed to do something that isn’t too easy — he stood out, but at the same time elevated everyone else’s play around him.

In the preseason, many analysts felt the Cowboys were headed toward another dismal 8-8 season, or worse. Murray’s ferocity running the football made defenses respect the Dallas run game, something that probably last happened on a regular basis going back to the 90s when Emmitt Smith was still in town.

Murray’s offensive line was a wonderful thing to run behind in 2014. But he still endured every hit and got up from every tackle, a feat in itself over the course of a gruelling 17-week season.

Murray brought balance to Dallas’ game, and Romo reaped the benefits. He finished with a 69.9 percent completion percentage, 3.78 TD:INT ratio and passer rating of 113.2, all single-season personal bests for the 11-year veteran signal caller.

Where Romo benefited from Murray’s play, it should go without saying that so too did Bryant. Safeties played down in the box, corners played softer coverage to be able to read plays and come up to help play the run and Bryant was allowed to run about freely at times, especially off of play-action.

The NFL is a pass-happy league now. Before Adrian Peterson won MVP in 2012, LaDainian Tomlinson was the last running back to capture the distinction back in 2006.

Murray was without question a standout for the Cowboys in 2014. Telling him, any of his teammates or even Jerry Jones otherwise that there was a better player in the league this season probably would not go over so well.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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