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By Len Pasquarelli
There was some question before the 2011 draft as to whether DeMarco Murray could handle anything more than a secondary change-of-pace role in an offense, and some doubts even after the Dallas Cowboys tabbed the Oklahoma standout in the third round.
For all his brilliance in college, Murray had an injury-marred career at Oklahoma, and there were skeptics about his ability to be an every-down back. But in his last four starts (he has started five straight games overall), Murray, who battled through some injury problems earlier in the season, has averaged 22.3 carries. And he has registered a pair of 100-yard games in those four outings.
Clearly, Murray is a lot tougher runner than people felt.
"When a guy has the kind of 'long speed' he does, there's a kind of a misperception that he isn't necessarily a physical runner," Dallas left tackle Doug Free told The Sports Xchange. "But that isn't the case with him. He'll bang it up in there … and if he hits a seam and gets into the open, he can take it a long way."
