Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is a hot topic around the water cooler today. And why not, thanks in part to a porous St. Louis Rams run defense, Murray broke all kinds of records, including the Cowboys' single-game rushing record set by Emmitt Smith more than 15 years ago. Beyond the records, Murray's performance illustrates a key difference between the Rams and the Cowboys.
Earlier this season, Dallas struggled in the running game. Their offensive line played poorly, and the running backs were averaging around 3.0 yards per carry. Here's Murray explaining the change for Dallas:
Yeah they did and the running backs also struggled to make the right cuts. We were all on the same page this week. We worked hard in practice, it got a little physical out there on Wednesday, and I think that kinda lit a fire under guys so we knew that we had to get the running game going to help (Tony) Romo in the passing game. He had a great day passing the ball and our receivers did a great job receiving. If we get those two things going I think we're a pretty good team.
Notice anything different? Dallas sounds like they were a little more motivated to take action to address their problems.