A win against one of the best teams in the NFL should have stabilized things for the Philadelphia Eagles and Chip Kelly, right? Well, turns out DeMarco Murray isn’t happy with how things are for him, and is stirring up trouble for the team just trying to somehow make it into the playoffs.
Murray is one of the most disappointing players this season, getting a big $8 million per season deal after leaving the Dallas Cowboys. Kelly expected him to be someone who steps right into the shoes of LeSean McCoy, but it hasn’t been working out. Murray has just 569 yards in 11 games this season, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Last season he led the NFL with 1845 yards and 13 touchdowns on 392 carries. This season he has five all-purpose touchdowns, one as a receiver.
In the win over the Patriots, Murray had just 8 carries, his lowest contribution since week 3, when he also ran 8 times. He finished with just 24 yards, and it seems Kelly has officially demoted him to backup running back, although this wasn’t the first time he didn’t start. So what does Murray do? He went to Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and told him he’s frustrated with his role in Kelly’s offense. Not wanting to cause a scene? In today’s league, everything leaks out.
While Murray is leading the Eagles in rushing, all three other running backs: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner have been more efficient with the ball, getting more yards per carry. Unless Murray has some special influence of Lurie, this move, if it’s actually happened and this isn’t just some media spin trying to create more havoc for the franchise, is backfiring on Murray, who’ll see even less playing time in the final five weeks of the season.