Last season, not only was DeMarco Murray coming off 392 carries with the Dallas Cowboys, but the running back didn't fit Chip Kelly's system in Philadelphia. Murray was a square peg not even NASA could engineer a solution to fit into a round hole.
The stretch runs that were a staple of the Eagles' offense under Kelly were an awful match for Murray. Now in the Tennessee Titans' smashmouth brand of offense with Mike Mularkey, the running back is enjoying a snugger fit.
"I do. It's strictly downhill and that's what I've been accustomed to my entire life," Murray said on The Jim Rome Show. "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."
Murray won NFL Offensive Player of the Year with the Cowboys in 2014, but even near the end of that season, he seemed to grow weary, breaking fewer tackles as the year wore. Last season Murray rushed 193 times for 702 yards, a career-low 3.6 yards per carry. After a miserable 2015, the back believes he'll be fresh again.
"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."
Murray's workload shouldn't be too heavy, with rookie Derrick Henry there to share snaps, which will hopefully keep the 28-year-old back spryer down the stretch.
The Titans offer an intriguing brand of power football, and with Marcus Mariota under center, they could prove to be one of the upstart teams of 2016 if all goes right.
