Oakland Raiders: Five Players Who Have The Most To Prove In 2015
By Kevin Saito
Aug 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) is defended by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Andre Fluellen (96) at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
An injury wiped out his rookie season in 2013. And a coaching staff that did not know how to use him – and didn’t seem willing to give him the chance to make his own mark – led to very limited opportunities in 2014.
One has to wonder if Darren McFadden and/or Maurice Jones-Drew had been anything close to effective in 2014, whether or not Murray would have gotten a single touch. As it turned out, Murray was – by a wide margin – the best running back on Oakland’s roster last season.
It was late in the season and the Raiders were already long out of playoff contention, that Murray finally got a chance to shine. And he took that ball and ran with it. He put up some incredible numbers – 120 yards on four carries with two touchdowns in a November game against the Chiefs – and 424 yards on 82 carries overall.
To many, Murray sure looked like the Raiders’ lead running back going into the 2015 season.
But Del Rio isn’t yet convinced. And it’s understandable. With just 82 touches last season, Del Rio doesn’t really have a big enough sample size to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Murray can in fact, handle the workload of a starter and remain as effective as he was in 2014. Given his track record with injuries, as well as his lack of playing time, there are still a lot of unknowns about Murray, including whether or not he can be the bellcow of Oakland’s running game.
He’s going to get every opportunity to be that bellcow in camp this season. But nothing is going to be handed to him. If he wants that job, he’s going to have to fight and scrap for it. He has to run with an attitude and run like he has a gigantic chip on his shoulder.
Unless Murray can prove himself in camp and establish that he has the ability to be the team’s bellcow, he may find himself buried on the depth chart. Again.
Next: Rod Streater