Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: DeMarco Murray Says 2014 Cowboys Team Is Best He's Been On

Since 2006, @DallasCowboys Tony Romo's 20 fourth quarter comebacks is 2nd only to Peyton Manning (21). pic.twitter.com/PjT4oadGQE

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 17, 2014

DeMarco Murray: 2014 group is the best Dallas Cowboys team I’ve been on | Jon Machota, DMN
I know that every player on every team thinks his team is poised for a Super Bowl run this time of year. Heck, Gil Brandt even thinks the Jaguars will make the playoffs this year. But I can't help but feel all tingly when I read that Murray considers the 2014 Cowboys the best team he's been on.

Entering his fourth year with the club, the Pro Bowl running back considers this the best team he’s been on.

"I think you can say that, yeah," Murray said Wednesday. "From the leadership we have and the young guys, I think you can say that."

"I think we’re looking good," Murray said. "I think we had a strong off-season workout with [strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik] and it carried on through OTAs and mini camp. I thought we looked good, but there’s definitely still a lot of work to do and that’s what training camp is for."

Barry Church: "J.J. Wilcox is an explosive playmaker." - Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas
In an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Tuesday, Barry Church provided a take on a number of his defensive colleagues, including this gem on J.J. Wilcox.

"Just an explosive playmaker. Those are the words that come to my mind when I think of him. This whole offseason, he was all over the place -- getting interceptions, locking up tight ends -- so I feel like he’s going to be a big playmaker for us on the back end. I’m excited to see what he can bring to the table this season."

Anthony Spencer progressing quicker than expected - Jeff Sullivan, DC.com
Sullivan writes about three things to watch early in camp, and one of those things is the defensive leadership. In the middle of his ruminations on the topic, Sully drops this little nugget about Anthony Spencer:

Also going to need someone up front, each of the positions (line, linebackers, secondary) needs its own leader. Not much experience with the ends and tackles outside of Anthony Spencer. Am hearing more and more that he's healthier and progressing quicker than anyone imagined, so he's the obvious answer.

Last Time Out: A Look At The Many DE Pass Rushers - DallasCowboys.com
The DC.com staff walk us through all the defensive ends currently on the roster, and tack on Broaddus' take on the overall DE situation at the end:

You will hear the phase "Attack in Waves" a bunch in the next few weeks from this front office and coaching staff as we work our way through training camp. There was a clear effort in the offseason to try and not only add quality players, but build depth as well. The player that I am most interested in seeing how he progresses in camp is Martez Wilson. There is something about his game that makes me believe that he has a chance to excel playing as a defensive end, despite how he views himself as a linebacker.

2014 Version of 2013 Breakouts - Draft Analysis - Rotoworld.com
Mike Clay looks at several 2013 fantasy breakout players and their 2013 headlines, and tries to find the equivalent 2014 player to fit the headline. By that logic Terrance Williams becomes this year's version of Michael Floyd.

Breakout headline: Talented sophomore wide receiver converts promotion into WR2 production.

This isn’t as good a comparison as some others because Williams’ raw talent doesn’t quite match up with Floyd’s. That said, he’s still a pretty good, developing wide receiver who, like Floyd, is in prime position to take advantage of a great opportunity. Selected in the third round of last year’s draft, Williams averaged 41 snaps-per-game while rotating between No. 2 and No. 3 duties as a rookie. Now locked in as the starter opposite Dez Bryant, Williams is no worse than third in line for targets in Dallas’ pass-heavy offense. A reasonable projection for Williams’ 2013 stats would be almost exactly in line with what Floyd did in 2013. Williams is a bit expensive in the seventh round of your average draft, but he has a good shot to live up to the selection.

Cowboys plan of attack on offense - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Todd Archer examines the three biggest issues facing the Dallas Cowboys heading into training camp, and one of them is their plan of attack on offense:

Linehan leaned toward the pass in his time with the Detroit Lions, but he did have a 1,000-yard rusher in Reggie Bush last season. With the Cowboys, he has a better offensive line, better tight end (Jason Witten) and better running back (DeMarco Murray). The Cowboys aren't about to become a run-first team under Linehan, but they need to run more, especially when they have a lead in order to help end games, protect a defense filled with questions and protect Romo, who is coming off two back surgeries. Because Romo did not take any team or seven-on-seven snaps in the spring, they will need to play a little bit of catch-up in what each other likes and, perhaps more importantly, doesn't like in situational football. The Romo-Linehan relationship might be the most important the Cowboys have. They have to make it work.

Sure the Cowboys are in trouble if Romo gets hurt, but isn't it like that with most teams? | Dallas Morning News
In a chat with fans, Cowlishaw addressed the alarmists who believe that the Cowboys would be uniquely affected if their starting QB gets hurt.

Aren't the Packers in big trouble if Rodgers gets hurt? The Patriots if Brady gets hurt? The Broncos with Manning, the Saints with Brees? Which team is in good shape even if its quarterback goes down? Other than the Browns, of course, when Hoyer gets hurt...

Urlacher: Replacing Kiffin with Marinelli made Cowboys better | ProFootballTalk
According to Brian Urlacher, the Cowboys defense will be better because the Cowboys promoted Urlacher's former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli to run the defense in Dallas.

"They’re going to be better because last year they were so bad," Urlacher said on FOX Sports. "They didn’t run any Cover-2 last year. Monte Kiffin was calling the defense, it wasn’t my man Rod Marinelli, who is going to be calling the defense this year, so it will be a lot of Cover-2."

Jerry Jones writes Mike Holmgren a note at an owners meeting | The MMQB
Greg Bishop shares an anecdote from when Mike Holmgren was hobnobbing it with the owners during his time in Cleveland:

For Cleveland, he often attended the owner’s meetings, billionaires all around, perhaps the most selective table in sports. Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys passed him a note at one of those meetings:

"If any of this stuff is over your head, just see me afterward, and I’ll clear it up for you."

Holmgren scribbled a response and passed it back.

"You’re still trying to figure out what pass interference is."

L.A., Chicago finalists to host 2015 NFL draft; New York is out - LA Times
The draft won't take place in New York next year, that much is certain.

“We’re focusing solely on Los Angeles and Chicago now,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday. "We had 12 cities that were interested,” Goodell said. “We felt the best thing to do was to focus on the three cities, because they had such a tremendous interest. There are very attractive aspects to each of those cities. Because we don’t have the appropriate dates in May our focus is completely on Los Angeles and Chicago."

Don Coryell, the man who created the modern NFL - SBNation.com
The NFL is a passing league, but you knew that already. Danny Kelly offers an in-depth look at the man who made it that way: Don Coryell.

Mike Florio wrote a sci-fi novel about football in 2001. Here's a review of it. - SBNation.com
Before Mike Florio wrote fiction for ProFootballTalk he wrote SciFi for himself. That's right - in 2001, Florio penned and published a novel called "Quarterback of the Future." It's about two college quarterbacks on the best team in the country who travel back in time to play for the 1960 Pittsburgh Steelers.