Every season the Dallas Cowboys envision a 50-50 offense in which they have equal parts rushing plays and passing plays. The goal is always to remove pressure of quarterback Tony Romo's shoulders in hopes of garnering a little more success. However, in the past few seasons, those efforts have failed miserably and whether it is a correlation or not, the Cowboys have not made the playoffs. Head coach Jason Garrett is once again talking up the running backs for Dallas and remains hopeful DeMarco Murray will be a star.
Murray showed promise last season putting up career-high numbers. He put up 1,121 rushing yards and nine touchdowns as the lead back. The Cowboys have made moves to beef up the spots behind in hopes of taking the load off Murray in the coming season and Garrett is hopeful that it benefits everyone while the running back remains the leader of the group.
"I see him as the leader of a committee, but boy, he's got bell-cow traits," Garrett said, via the Star-Telegram. "We have no issue handing the ball to that guy, throwing it to him and giving him as much touches as possible. He's one of those guys that good things happen when he has the ball in his hand. I say by committee, because boy, we like Lance Dunbar; we like Joe Randle; we like some of the things that Ryan Williams is doing. You want to give those other guys a chance to touch the ball as well. But DeMarco has all the traits you want in a runner."
There has been a lot of talk surrounding running backs like Adrian Peterson and LeSean McCoy as the star running backs of the NFL and fantasy football, but Murray could be at the top this season, if Dallas remains committed to the run. Murray put up over 1,000 yards while playing in 14 games and only three times in that stretch did he get more than 20 carries per game. The Cowboys say they will run more than that this season, which only makes Murray more valuable.
The issue with the running back has been inconsistencies and injuries. He has suffered several minor injuries in his career that has led to inconsistent time on the field. There has been a heavy amount of buzz surrounding Dunbar in training camp. Garrett referred to him as a "key player" which is why he was scratched from the team's first preseason game. Randle and Williams are expected to contribute, but not like Dunbar and Murray.
The rushing attack is giving the Cowboys a lot of confidence. According to wide receiver Dez Bryant, Dallas has the best offense in the league. Dallas certainly hopes so as they attempt to end their playoff drought.
"We can be great," Bryant said. "We can be. It's all about believing."