The heat on Tony Romo isn't coming solely from Dallas Cowboys fans.
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Dallas Cowboys' 24-23 win over the
Washington Redskins from Week 16 on Wednesday, Dec. 25 at 9 p.m. ET.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that running back DeMarco Murray has become frustrated with the quarterback's game management.
"DeMarco Murray, their star running back, grumbled to teammates about not getting the ball enough," Rapoport said on NFL Network's "NFL GameDay Morning." "He doesn't understand why Romo always seems to choose pass instead of run. ... The relationship between Romo and Murray is frosty, a little bit of a growing rift there. It's surprising that some pettiness should creep in at a crucial point of the season, but that's what's happening."
There is empirical evidence behind Murray's frustration. The Cowboys' offense has the second-fewest rush attempts per game this season, with 21.1. Murray has the second-highest yards per rush among all running backs in the NFL this season, at 5.5 yards per rush. However, he ranks 17th in rushes per game, with 14.8.
"When you talk to people who know Bill Callahan, the play-caller, they say he's a run-first play-caller," Rapoport said. "But it hasn't always turned out like that."
NFL Media columnist Michael Silver pointed out that Cowboys brass knows it needs to run the ball in order to protect the defense but also feels that no lead is safe.
"They recognize that their defense is that leaky, Silver said. "If you talk to Cowboys personnel people, they tell you that they've got guys who would not start anywhere else, might not play anywhere else, so that's why they stay aggressive."
We preview every Week 16 game in the latest "Around The League Podcast."
