Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Teammates Pushing For DeMarco Murray

Could Murray’s Production Be Replaced By Just Anyone? Teammates Scoff, RB Laughs | Nick Eatman, DC.com
Somewhere, somehow the idea took hold that the Cowboys could replace an All Pro with an undrafted free agent, a fifth-round pick, and a guy who spent the whole year on the practice squad. That idea doesn't get any better if you call it "running back by committee", though Jason Witten is less diplomatic in his choice of words, calling it "silly" to assume that just anyone could replace Murray.

"We’ve got good running backs," Witten said. "Joe Randle took advantage of every opportunity he got. I think (Lance) Dunbar has got a great future ahead of him. Obviously the O-line, but I think it would be silly to not give him the credit for what he did. It’s not easy to do that. I think Coach (Jason) Garrett said it a few weeks back that he created a mindset for our team and that’s not easy to do. He deserves a lot of that credit, DeMarco does, and so that’s why you want a guy like that back because he stands for everything you want in your football team."

Tony Romo: I’m consistently getting on Jerry Jones about signing Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray | Jon Machota, DMN
Romo is making his case to Jerry Jones about keeping both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. Here's why:

"Any time you get talented guys where you can put more than two on one side of the ball, you get three, four, if you’re lucky enough to ever get five, it’s one of those things where if you can put a group like that together you can make a run and be very difficult for teams to deal with for years," Romo said on 103.3 [KESN-FM]. "I think that’s what you’re trying to build ultimately is to have sustained success. We have an opportunity to have that."

DeMarco Murray's value may be biggest for Dallas Cowboys - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
In his Twitter mailbag, Archer explains why Murray may be more valuable to the Cowboys than to any other team.

Is it realistic to expect DeMarco Murray to lead the league in rushing again? I don't know. To some, running backs are like shooting guards in the NBA. You can always find a guy. Well, maybe, but you can't find a guy who has the value to the team like Murray. And that's the biggest thing the Cowboys will have to figure out.

Sure, Joseph Randle might be able to get you 1,300 yards, but can he do all the things that Murray can do? Not really. When Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Murray was the person who set the identity of the team, I don't think you can take that lightly. But I don't know how you put a price tag on that, either. We've seen running backs be devalued over the last few years, but Murray's value to the Cowboys is probably greater than he would be to another team.

Over 70,000 fans have spoken, DeMarco Murray should be the NFL's offensive player of the year pic.twitter.com/sB6vDYMy93

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 23, 2015

Cowboys may decide against restructuring Romo's contract | Rainer Sabin, DMN
Stephen Jones said "it’s not a given" that the Cowboys will restructure quarterback Tony Romo’s contract again this offseason, though they could create up to $12.8 million in cap space if they did.

"Obviously you don’t like to mortgage your future if you can help it," Jones said Wednesday at the Senior Bowl. "We started making the move toward being a younger team and going a different direction in terms of pushing money out, so we’d prefer not to do that, but at the same time every situation has ramifications and you have to make tough decisions sometimes. I don’t think there’s an exact science, ‘Hey, we’re going to do it or not do it.’"

Translation: They'd like to avoid it, but will do it if they need to.

Why Jerry Jones winning Exec of Year award could benefit Cowboys for years to come | Jon Machota, DMN
In response to a reader question during a recent chat, Machota argues that Jerry Jones now has a formula that worked.

I think Jerry has learned how tough it is to win in this league over the last 20 years. Now that he experienced a formula that has worked, I'm confident he'll let his staff do what gave the team so much improbable success in 2014.

Jimmy Graham: Jason Witten is my idol - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
The star tight end for the Saints says he tries to emulate longtime Dallas Cowboys tight end.

"The first thing I told him is, you know, he’s my idol and he always has been," Graham said. "I try to emulate everything he does on the field and off the field. Not only does he do everything right on the field, and he’s been consistent for the past forever, but he does so much in his community. So I’ve tried to emulate myself just like him as a man, just because of the type of individual he is."

Finally, a federal lawsuit over the Dez Bryant catch against Green Bay | Dallas Morning News
Terrance "Terry" C. Hendrix - not our Terry, but an inmate at Correctional Facility in Colorado - has filed a suit against against the NFL and a whole bunch of people representing the NFL over The Greatest Catch That Wasn’t a Catch in The History of the National Football League. What is he suing all those honorable people over?

"Fraud, theft and gross stupidity in the face of an undeniable catch."

Hendrix is seeking $88 billion in damages in his handwritten lawsuit. Calling out the NFL for gross stupidity gets a like from me.

Senior Bowl: Listing Out 10 Prospects With Rising Stock After Mobile Performance | Dane Brugler, DC.com
Brugler offers 10 Senior Bowl prospects who may have helped themselves in the minds of NFL evaluators. Among them early BTB favorites like TCU CB Kevin White and Utah DE Nate Orchard

Cowboys sign two defensive players, to reserve/Future contracts | Rainer Sabin, DMN
The Cowboys re-signed Lavar Edwards and added former Eagles safety Keelan Johnson.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel struggled with commitment, preparation, sources said - ESPN
This is a sad, sad article about Johnny Manziel. At the same time, It makes me very, very happy Manziel didn't end up in Dallas. One unnamed Browns player apparently told ESPN.com that Manziel’s rookie year was a "100 percent joke." The authors of the article, for which they interviewed 20 Browns sources, conclude that Manziel engaged in a "year-long pattern that showed a lack of commitment and preparation, a failure to be ready when given a chance in his first start against Cincinnati and a continued commitment to nightlife, which affected his preparation and work while in the team facility." And that's putting it kindly.