Though it seems like this is the time of year when an anonymous NFL executive would be on vacation, he's still diligent and hard at work comparing current players.
His latest work comes to us via NJ.com, where this executive told the website that he would take Bills running back LeSean McCoy over Eagles running back DeMarco Murray.
"I'll take McCoy over Murray every time," a top personnel executive said. "When you played the Eagles, you feared McCoy. He was the guy who scared you the most. When you played Dallas, you didn't fear Murray. He's good. But you didn't fear him. You feared Dez (Bryant), or (Tony) Romo, but not Murray."
That's one man's opinion. Here's why it's a little silly:
»Both suit an offensive style almost perfectly. McCoy was the perfect sidekick in Andy Reid's version of the West Coast offense and helped him evolve the system from a more intermediate quick slant and drag sort of offense. He was a home-run threat in an offense that didn't necessarily demand one, which made the Eagles that much better. Murray on the other hand, is a phenomenally decisive runner, especially in that wide zone technique and can turn up field with power better than many running backs in the NFL today.
»If you were to project Murray's yards out another two seasons based on his previous production, they would have almost the exact same career total. In fact, McCoy would have just three more yards.
»Their difference in receiving yards is negligible. Outside of McCoy's wild 2010 season when he had 78 catches on 91 targets, the two are in the same neighborhood in terms of catch production.
»Murray has far fewer attempts under his belt despite a monstrous 2014 workload. Many in the NFL count carries over years in terms of running back lifespan.
We're not trying to begrudge anonymous executive here. He's a great guy. We've had drinks before. All we're trying to say is that it's frivolous to compare McCoy and Murray because they're both great running backs that fit a specific style of offense. McCoy wouldn't work as well in a power spread as Murray. Murray would probably not thrive in the West Coast.
The major advantage this executive sees is the fear that McCoy causes. I think he might want to poll a few of Dallas' opponents from last season, too.
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