Tony Romo is looking to take the pressure off himself a little bit this season. The Dallas Cowboys have not had the strongest run game in recent years, causing the quarterback to throw more than he would like to. In order for the team to be successful in the upcoming season, Romo believes that needs to change and is calling DeMarco Murray the key to a balanced offense.
The Cowboys made almost no changes to the running backs section of their roster in the offseason. They are counting on Murray being healthy and ready to compete in 2013. Coming into training camp, Murray has remained confident that he could have a big season ahead of him. The Cowboys hired Gary Brown as the new running backs coach and he could set Murray up for success.
"Definitely, [I take it as a challenge] as a running back for this organization and knowing the history with the great backs they've had," Murray said via the Dallas Morning News. "We got to run the ball better; we got to play better as a team. You definitely have to put your best foot forward everyday, or else you're going to the wrong end of the stick. So I have to make sure my head's on a swivel, and I'm definitely ready to bring it."
Romo hopes Murray is up for the challenge. Running the ball was something the last year's team failed to do successfully and the quarterback believes that during training camp and the preseason, it needs to become a priority.
"Being able to run the ball helps a lot. If we run the ball well, we're going to keep calling the runs," Romo said. "We need to run the ball better this year just in general. To me, that's an important aspect of what we're trying to do and we need to do that."
Brown is already liking the changes he is seeing in Murray this season. Before the running back steps onto the field each day for practice, the coach quizzes him on plays and knowledge of the offense. Murray will not have a fullback this year to help carry the load, so it is up to Murray to really control the ground game.
"He's a big, physical guy," Brown said. "We want to try and get him going an running physically, because at the end of the day, if you can mix your physicality with your elusiveness, it's going to make him a much better player."
Both Brown and Murray are operating under the saying, "ugly money is good money." Brown is stressing that even small yardage is good yardage because eventually a 10-yard gain will happen. If the Cowboys are going to improve this season, those 10-yard gains will be essential.
