The Importance of Murray

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/82326/vikings-decision-to-keep-latavius-murray-is-paying-off

EAGAN, Minn. -- Minutes after wrapping up interviews following the introduction of Kirk Cousins as the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback of the future, general manager Rick Spielman was back in his office trying to close another deal.

The Vikings were up against the clock, aiming to work out a contract
restructure with running back Latavius Murray ahead of a 4 p.m. ET
deadline the following day (March 16). That's when $5.15 million of his
2018 salary would become guaranteed. The organization wouldn’t have the
cap space to keep Murray at that price, but finding a way to extend his
stay in Minnesota for at least another year was a top offseason
priority.
Murray agreed to the terms of a new deal,
taking less money to stick around and eliminating the final year of his
contract. It was important for the Vikings to set up their backfield in a
way that didn’t force Dalvin Cook,
who was coming off an ACL tear that cut short a promising rookie
season, to handle too big of a load too soon. Coach Mike Zimmer said of
Cook at the NFL combine in March that the Vikings didn't want to "wear
him out."

In Murray they had a proven backup plan back in the fold. After Cook
went down four games into his rookie season in 2017, Murray assumed the
lead-back role, rushing for 842 yards and eight touchdowns while
averaging 4.8 yards per carry.The hamstring injury Cook sustained
in Week 2 of this season has so far derailed his hopes of a strong
comeback, limiting him to just 36 rushes for 98 yards over 10 quarters.
Multiple league sources have indicated a belief that Cook will miss the
Vikings' next two games against the Saints and Lions and remain
sidelined through Minnesota's bye week.
Murray once again finds
himself as the Vikings’ No. 1 rusher, and the decision Minnesota made
seven months ago is paying off for both parties.
The Vikings’ run game finally broke open against the Arizona Cardinals
in Week 6 with Murray rushing for a career-high 155 yards and two
touchdowns. Until that point, Minnesota was the last team in the league
without a rushing touchdown.
The sixth-year running back followed
up that performance with another two-touchdown day against the Jets in
Week 7 when he rushed 15 times and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. After
an inconsistent first half, the Vikings' persistence in sticking with
Murray and the run paid off.
"He’s a guy that needs carries, and the physicality of things,"
Zimmer said of Murray. "I’ve said it a million times, I like Latavius
and the way he approaches the game. Typically he’s not a
one-carry-every-quarter guy. He’s a guy that needs to get the football
some."
The Vikings weren’t looking to bring back Murray because of
just his downhill rushing ability or his capability of handling a big
workload. The approach Murray takes with his preparation is one
offensive coordinator John DeFilippo initially noticed when he spent the
2013 season with Murray in Oakland and watched how the then-rookie
handled being sidelined with a foot injury.
"The first sign that
Latavius was going to be a really good pro, even though he wasn’t
playing, he treated every day like he was a starter, even in Oakland
back as a rookie," DeFilippo said. "You can tell, guys that usually have
that mindset as a rookie have a tendency to find a way to find a niche
in this league and carve a way out for themselves. Obviously here, much
more mature player, just because he’s older and has played a lot of
football."
Murray brings balance to the run game through his
experience and skill set. Early on when the Vikings weren’t able to
generate the run the way they have the past two games, Cousins was still
able to set up play-action without it. But having Murray takes the load
off the quarterback on early downs to set up the passing attack and
provides support in pass protection.
"I have to do my job if I
have the ball or not," Murray said. "If that means getting dirty and
sticking your head in there to protect Kirk so he can throw the ball
down the field to the playmakers we have, you have to be willing to do
it."
Murray’s physicality sets him apart. Whereas Cook is the
every-down back, Murray is the bruiser who gets better as the game wears
on and he can wear defenses down.
"He’s
very diligent about his work, practices hard, but he’s got good feet
and acceleration," Zimmer said. "He stayed with the reads really well
, I thought. He runs with his pads forward. When
he gets a chance, very seldom is this guy going backwards when he gets
hit. A lot of those things I really like."
Another reason the
decision has paid off is Murray’s willingness to do whatever is asked of
him. His career experience has afforded him the opportunity to be the
lead rusher and part of a committee of backs. Whenever Cook comes back,
Murray knows his role may shift. And that’s something he’s OK with.
"I
can’t worry about how the carries are going to get split up or whether
I’ll play if he’s up or down," Murray said. "When they say
‘Latavius, go in the game,’ I go in the game and I do what I can do."