Of course Murray left "meat on the bone." All RB's do. Does anyone believe there has been a Tuesday morning meeting in which they are going over each play and the offensive coaches all agree that, "Gosh, no room for improvement here!."
, and Klepto Joe sits there and interprets that as being an indictment against Murray's entire season production and contribution to the Cowboy's success. Brilliant. There's nothing like a backup RB handing out locker room material to a division rival.
It's bold talk when you consider that Randle is already 5th place in career rushing yards for the 21st century among RB's with a BMI (Body Mass Index) in the 27's. Reggie Bush and Felix Jones 1st and 2nd respectively. He's not exactly built for durability or reliability himself, I wonder how many times he tries to pile drive a 250 pound MLB for a few more inches next season. Something tells me his survival instincts are going to show up real early in the season.
If Murray was eluding tacklers and big hits by finding the sidelines or a soft place to fall, then he's no different than any other RB that survives past his rookie contract, especially for a 3rd round pick. DeMarco Murray, by the way, now ranks 2nd place in history for yards from scrimmage per season by a RB 3rd round draft pick....among 145.
If I may remind you, the O-line he had last season were freshmen and sophomores when he ran for over 700 yards in his first 7 starts his rookie season. It was a far different level of talent when he started his 2nd year behind a line featuring 5 players that had never before played their position as a Cowboy. Murray was grabbing meat somewhere there was no bone to be had.
Besides his productivity, Murray's traits also included leadership, poise, and intelligence. That's three strikes against someone that can't even evade store security. Klepto Joe left a lot of undies on the racks.