DeMarco Murray #29 RB
Current team: Philadelphia Eagles (#29 / Running back)
Height: 6-0 Weight: 217 Age: 26
Born: 2/12/1988 Las Vegas , NV
College: Oklahoma
Experience: 5th season
High School: Bishop Gorman HS [Las Vegas, NV
Demarco Murray
Eagles News
Are the Eagles getting the Murray who ran for 1,845 yards in 2014 and was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year? Or is this a broken-down version who will never again be the same after enduring a punishing workload?
We're talking about the 370-carry theory, more commonly known as the Curse of 370. The hypothesis of the now 11-year-old study byAaron Schatz of Football Outsiders is this: "A running back with 370 or more carries during the regular season will usually suffer either a major injury or loss of effectiveness the following year."
Admittedly, it's not an exact science. For instance, Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson was a notable, recurring outlier. The author also noted that the number 370 is not magic but "a close approximation of the tipping point." Furthermore, there could be a variety of explanations for injuries or declining production that go beyond overuse.
Yet you don't have to be into advanced statistics or possess a medical degree to reach the conclusion that an overworked ball-carrier is a less effective ball-carrier. Curse or no, there's reason to believe Murray's usage last season may have taken its toll.
Murray carried the ball 392 times during the regular season in 2014, the seventh-highest figure in NFL history and well over the 370 threshold. Five of the six backs ahead of Murray on that list experienced a measurable dip in production, Dickerson being the lone exception in 1985.