Chip Kelly reveals potential reasons behind DeMarco Murray struggle

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DeMarco Murray has been the topic of many debates all season as his low production rate continues to shock both fans and analysts alike. But at times it seemed as though Murray was trying to burst through holes as he would as a Cowboy, only the Eagles Offensive Line isn’t as intimidating and thus the holes were never really there.

Murray has had to adapt to the Eagles east/west style of play which has been a bumpy process to say the least. But according to a report from Cory Seidman of CSNPhilly, this was always going to be the case. Kelly spoke to the media today and claimed

“we never had any discussion that we were going to change out system”. “The only discussions we had (and this is why I like DeMarco) is we all talked about winning when he came here on his visit.”

But the mindset of Murray appears to have swayed left of where the Eagles apparently stood with him. This week marks the second occasion this season in which Murray has spoken about lack of snaps. Once to the media and now straight to owner Mr Lurie.

Kelly confirmed to Murray prior to the game that he would be taking less reps than both Barner and Sproles. The reason being that both seem to be much more decisive than Murray who has a tendency to remain hesitant and wait for a hole to open instead of bursting through what could develop into one.

Kelly also claimed that the reason Murray has struggled here out of the gun as opposed to in Dallas is actually down to opposing Defenses. In Dallas Murray had 42 carries from the shotgun for 206 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. In the Eagles, production has been stunted for one reason….

“It’s a different dynamic. You have a receiver outside who might get doubled all the time because he might be the best receiver in the game in Dez Bryant. You’ve got a Hall of Fame tight end (Jason Witten). It’s a different dynamic in terms of how people defended Dallas and how they defend us.”

So in summary, Murray’s struggle to succeed could be down to two things. Chip Kelly’s reluctancy to adapt to DeMarco Murray’s style which could also be flipped onto the other side as Murray refusing to adapt to the Eagles style of play. Number two is that opposing Defenses are seeing Murray in a different light for a variety of reasons that range from the Cowboys Offensive weapons and line to the lack of both on the Eagles.

We are sure the reasons run deeper than this and we have already posted countless articles breaking down where it’s all going wrong, but this is the first time Chip has actually given us any insight as to why Murray is struggling.