Most people wouldn’t be excited about being traded to a team coming off of a 3-13 season, but after a few months of being a member of the Tennessee Titans, former All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray couldn’t be happier.
Following a disappointing season with the Philadelphia Eagles in a system that didn’t seem to fit Murray’s skills, the running back was asked on The Jim Rome Show if he believes Mike Mularkey’s offense in Tennessee is a better fit for him. He answered, “I do. It’s strictly downhill and that’s what I’ve been accustomed to my entire life. Nothing against last year or what happened, it just didn’t work out, but I’m very excited about this upcoming season and looking forward to it.”
As a member of the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Murray led the NFL in rushing. In contrast, Murray was only able to pick up 702 yards rushing in his lone season in Philadelphia, but he believes he can take away positives from both seasons.
“It’s hard to look back, but it was a great season two years ago and it definitely was a tough one last year,” Murray said. “But I think from both seasons, I took some positives things from it and learned and appreciated the game more and appreciated the time you have to play the sport.
“Obviously it was tough last year, and I’m just looking for a huge back bounce year this year. I don’t mean it individually but collectively as a team, and we know how hard we have to work to make our goals happen, and it’s definitely going to take a lot of hard work.”
For someone who seems like he’s ready for another high workload season, Murray was surprisingly excited about the team using one of its 2016 2nd round picks on Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry.
“I feel like it could help the team,” Murray said. “When he slid that far in the draft and we were able to get him, I was extremely happy.
“Obviously we got some other running backs that are going to help the team as well. Just having him and having a guy that’s powerful that can get us the short yardage runs and the one-two yard runs when we need it,” Murray said. “If I come out of the game, I’m not looking in there saying who is in the game. I know I can trust him, take a deep breath, take a minute out of the game if I need to. But he’s a guy who is a good, young player. He works hard and everyday in OTA’s and minicamp he took a step forward and becoming a better pro, so obviously with Coach [Sylvester] Croom as the running backs coach, he’s a great great leader and he definitely knows how to get the best out of each and every last one of us.”
