Why the Colts Must Avoid DeMarco Murray

DeMarco Murray was the best running back in football last year. He was on pace for 2000 yards for most of the season and fell 155 yards short when it was all said and done. Murray also received 2 MVP votes and it shows the impact that he had on the Cowboys. Murray is a powerful running back with great speed. He can run over linebackers and speed by defensive backs. Murray is a free agent and will command a large contract.

The Colts running game has been in the bottom half of the league ever since Edgerrin James was in his prime. Many running backs have come and just as many have gone. We've seen everything from Joseph Addai to Donald Brown to Dan Herron. Over the past few seasons, the Colts have struggled to consistently run the ball at a high level. They have occasional spurts of good play, but it's never more than a few games. On top of that, the Colts are a pass-happy team and will tend to pass 35-40 times in a game, leaving the running game behind. There just isn't an emphasis on a running game that fails to produce year after year.

Why is the running game in the bottom half of the NFL? Why do they fail year after year? Here's why: every good running game has a good offensive line. In short, they need to open up the holes to run through and they need to be the ones to give you openings. If they can't do that, how can you have a successful running game? With the exception of Anthony Castonzo, the Colts have had many different starters and even more offensive line combinations. They just can't get it right along the offensive line and it has been hurting the running game. The Cowboys have two all-pros and a pro bowler. That is an all star line and has been named by many to be the best offensive line in the NFL. The Colts don't have a good offensive line, so Murray would be going from best to worst. Murray wouldn't have as much success with this offensive line.

Murray is going to reach the market, and he will ask for a lot of money, which he deserves. He laughed at a 2 million a year deal and will most likely take a deal in the 7-8M a year range. The Colts have a good amount of cap space, but do you want to spend 33% of it (give or take) on a running back. The Colts don't rely on the running back in their system, so the need for an elite running back isn't there. He will demand a lot of money and even then the Cowboys will match anything that is within their range. The Colts would need to spend big bucks on Murray and it just isn't worth it.

What people forget is that he has an extensive injury history. This past season, he dealt with a nagging hand injury, but managed to play in all 16 games for the first time in his career. In his previous 3 seasons, he dealt with ankle, foot, knee and wrist injuries, all of which caused him to miss several games and placed on IR in 2011. He has never been known to be an ironman. For a team like Indy, who had their top two running backs go down with season ending injuries last year, the last thing they want to do is sign another guy with an injury history.

To recap, Demarco Murray is one of the best running backs in football, but because of his injury history, a potentially massive contract and a weak offensive line, it would be smart for the Colts to look away from Murray. The Colts rely on their quarterback, and don't need an elite running back in their system. The Colts shouldn't spend any time looking at Murray and should spend their money wisely on other need positions (cough cough safety or defensive line).

Save your money Indy!