Murray Making Statement In Contract Year
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IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray had a strong season-opening performance with 118 yards rushing on 22 carries, but it has not ignited contract talks.
No doubt owner Jerry Jones is probably more focused on what the team should do to turn around his team, which looked bad in a 28-17 loss against the San Francisco 49ers.
Still, Murray is in the last year of his rookie deal and certainly looks like somebody the team needs to help turn around its fortunes.
“It is a business, so you can’t get (upset) over things like that,” Murray said. “You guys know what I mean. You got to have thick skin, I would say. Like I’ve said before, I love being here. I love playing with 9, 82 and 88. I love playing for coach (Jason) Garrett and this organization as a whole, so it’s something I’ll continue to strive for, continue to work hard for. Hopefully it happens. We’ll see.”
Meantime, there is more than the usual backlash after Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo threw three interceptions in the loss.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant remains firmly behind Romo, despite a frustrating season opener in which Romo threw two of his picks into coverage while targeting Bryant. One resulted in a violent hit that caused Bryant to stay on the field for a moment before walking off.
“Well, nobody wants to take a hit, but if the ball is there you’ve got to go get
it no matter what the situation is,” Bryant said. “If it’s there, you’ve got to go catch it and expect the hit.”
“I don’t want to say it’s me defending him. It’s what I believe. I guess if that was the case, how you like to put it, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Tony is the quarterback. He’s my quarterback and I’m going to forever uplift him the best I possibly can.
“In anything, I’ve got his back.”
In the more bad news department, linebacker Justin Durant is out three to four weeks with a strained groin. He says he will consider himself day to day and try to get back as soon as possible. But he is disappointed he is sidelined one game into the season. Durant was the team’s second leading tackler in the opener with 11 stops.
Defensive end Lavar Edwards was limited in Thursday’s practice due to a knee injury and was added to the injury report. Edwards played 15 snaps against the 49ers last week but didn’t record a tackle.
