DeMarco Murray: I took a year off in Philly

[HammerDown]

After DeMarco Murray carried the ball 392 times with Dallas in 2014, his total dipped to just 193 totes last year in Philadelphia. After getting a fresh start with a trade to Tennessee, Murray was in a joking mood.

"I feel like I took a year off last year, so I am fresh,'' Murray quipped to the Titans' official website Wednesday.

While not exactly Aaron Ross calling playing a year in Jacksonville a "paid vacation," the notion is sure to rile up Philly fans.

Murray hasn't looked the same since the end of the 2014 season, when the workload appeared to weigh on him. Last season with the Eagles, the running back lack speed, quickness and lateral agility. At certain times it looked like Murray was attempting to carry a piano in quicksand.

After averaging a career-low 3.6 yards per carry last season, Murray is out to prove that was an aberration.

"I'm 100 percent (motivated)," he said. "The NFL is a place where you have to make the best of your opportunities, and every day is a challenge, every day is a competition. I look forward to competing every day and getting back on track and running the ball the way I know I can, and running plays I am intrigued by."

Can he prove his down season was due to Chip Kelly's offense and not the product of a running back in decline? We remain skeptical, but he'll certainly get the chance to carry a large workload under Mike Mularkey in Tennessee.

DeMarco Murray jokes he 'took a year off' in Philly

 

[Blitzville]

Murray is a lucky man to be out of Philly.

Howie Roseman is looking vindictive and power mad. Some of his moves make little sense, only serve to show that there was not only bad blood between Roseman and Kelly, but a vicious power struggle. Hard to be productive in your job when the Lurie's guy Roseman is leaking hurtful stories to the media, it appears more than likely Roseman was. Who would want a boss like that? Kelly was simply not a member of the club, wrong religion and from the wrong side of the tracks. Kelly was a football player, Roseman never played a down.

He just gave away Murray. Maybe Philly is a better team today, it just doesn't seem like it.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Him and the other 72 guys

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Murray is a lucky man to be out of Philly.

Howie Roseman is looking vindictive and power mad. Some of his moves make little sense, only serve to show that there was not only bad blood between Roseman and Kelly, but a vicious power struggle. Hard to be productive in your job when the Lurie's guy Roseman is leaking hurtful stories to the media, it appears more than likely Roseman was. Who would want a boss like that? Kelly was simply not a member of the club, wrong religion and from the wrong side of the tracks. Kelly was a football player, Roseman never played a down.

He just gave away Murray. Maybe Philly is a better team today, it just doesn't seem like it.

Interesting thoughts.

Everyone knew there was a power struggle going on in PHI, but it had appeared Kelly won that battle...he's just didn't deliver on the field.

I'm not expecting a 2k season in TN from Murray, 1200-1300 I would think would be a big success....even if TN wants to give him the ball 300 times, teams will key on him and make the young QB beat them. He's the perfect playaction RB...you fake it to him and the DEF has to respect it.

 

[flyerhawk]

I think Murray is more trying to say that he is fresh and that last year shouldn't be used to judge him.

Certainly doesn't sound good though.

 

[mcnabb7542]

Murray is a lucky man to be out of Philly.

Howie Roseman is looking vindictive and power mad. Some of his moves make little sense, only serve to show that there was not only bad blood between Roseman and Kelly, but a vicious power struggle. Hard to be productive in your job when the Lurie's guy Roseman is leaking hurtful stories to the media, it appears more than likely Roseman was. Who would want a boss like that? Kelly was simply not a member of the club, wrong religion and from the wrong side of the tracks. Kelly was a football player, Roseman never played a down.

He just gave away Murray. Maybe Philly is a better team today, it just doesn't seem like it.

I would say he's taken care of business:

he's extended a couple of the younger stars, and is working on Cox's contract.
he hired a (I believe) a very head coach and defensive Cord.
and he's getting rid of guys not living up to their contracts.

As for "giving away" Murray, if nobody is offering the farm for him then it was take what ever you get to get the guy out of town. Murray didn't want to be there so why not move him?

 

[eaglesnut]

Murray is a lucky man to be out of Philly.

Howie Roseman is looking vindictive and power mad. Some of his moves make little sense, only serve to show that there was not only bad blood between Roseman and Kelly, but a vicious power struggle. Hard to be productive in your job when the Lurie's guy Roseman is leaking hurtful stories to the media, it appears more than likely Roseman was. Who would want a boss like that? Kelly was simply not a member of the club, wrong religion and from the wrong side of the tracks. Kelly was a football player, Roseman never played a down.

He just gave away Murray. Maybe Philly is a better team today, it just doesn't seem like it.

"and running plays I am intrigued by"

Takes a big shot at Chip Kelly's offense there.

 

[night]

Watch him get injured this year.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Watch him get injured this year.

Bingo.

 

[jarntt]

I think Murray is more trying to say that he is fresh and that last year shouldn't be used to judge him.

Certainly doesn't sound good though.

Agree. I hope people don't read this as "I didn't try my hardest". I think it's him saying I wasn't used that much so I didn't wear down at all. Which coming off the monstrous workload of the year before is probably a good thing for Tenn and Murray going forward.

Murray is just a great character guy. Don't know what happened in Philly, but he is not a locker room cancer at all. If something was going on there I'm guessing it didn't originate from him.

 

[DutchBird]

Murray is a lucky man to be out of Philly.

Howie Roseman is looking vindictive and power mad. Some of his moves make little sense, only serve to show that there was not only bad blood between Roseman and Kelly, but a vicious power struggle. Hard to be productive in your job when the Lurie's guy Roseman is leaking hurtful stories to the media, it appears more than likely Roseman was. Who would want a boss like that? Kelly was simply not a member of the club, wrong religion and from the wrong side of the tracks. Kelly was a football player, Roseman never played a down.

He just gave away Murray. Maybe Philly is a better team today, it just doesn't seem like it.

I am no Roseman fan at all, but this is pretty much nonsense.

By all accounts - emerging after Kelly was gone - Kelly was a disaster as both a coach, a player-personnel guy and as a colleague within the building. Kelly's oppressiveness became evident simply by looking at the way the players reacted on and off the field. It also - suddenly - makes a number of comments by former Eagles' players completely understandable; comments from players that at the time lead to a 'WTF?' reaction among Eagles fans. Players not known for their vindictiveness (think Evan Mathis, Boykin), and at least one of them took less money to get out of Philly (Mathis).

Kelly as a play-caller, as a schemer, as a manager was an utter disaster. He got rid of a whole lot of talent deliberately (McCoy, DJax) or negligence (Maclin). Getting Murray was utter stupidity (especially in hindsight, though many called it at the time).

Roseman right now is getting rid of a number of Kelly failures (Murray, Alonso) and bad contracts (Murray, Maxwell). He has already plugged a massive hole (guard) created by Kelly.

 

[shopson67]

After 392 carries the year before, Murray needed a lighter workload this year. He's 28, so he should have a year or two of solid production left, but another heavy workload would've shortened that.

 

[Iggloo]

It was pretty obvious that he "took a year off" to anyone watching him run. I don't think I have ever seen an NFL back do this before. His teammates spoke to reporters after this, they were outraged.

 

[PDay8810]

AGAIN!
Funny what a difference a year can make...for the tunes about Murray, Kelly, hell even Bradford were far far different among the philly faithful.