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DeMarco Murray still underperforming

Among the many fires Chip Kelly was looking to extinguish last week leading up to Sunday's win over New Orleans, one that proved difficult to contain was the apparently growing unhappiness of running back DeMarco Murray.

Eagles running back DeMarco Murray.
Eagles running back DeMarco Murray.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

Among the many fires Chip Kelly was looking to extinguish last week leading up to Sunday's win over New Orleans, one that proved difficult to contain was the apparently growing unhappiness of running back DeMarco Murray.

After the deflating loss to Washington, Murray was asked if he thought he should be getting the ball more. He carried the ball eight times against the Redskins and caught two passes. The fact that he gained just 36 yards on those eight runs should have made him a bit circumspect, but considering he had gained a whopping 11 yards in his previous 21 carries to begin the season, maybe he viewed 8 for 36 as a breakout or something.

In any case, Murray didn't do the prudent thing, which would have been to say, "We'd all like more touches. It's not about me. This is frustrating for everybody."

Instead, he basically said, "Yeah."

This led to questions for Kelly about how he should be using his high-priced running back, and whether Murray is a "volume runner" who needs a lot of carries to get going. There was a lot of talk about "lather," as if Murray should be saddled and jogged for a mile before being put in the starting gate.

"I would love to get everybody in a right lather and going, but when we're not having success running the ball at all, then it's tough to say, 'Hey, we're just going to make sure we get him 22 carries and he's lathered up,' " Kelly said.

And then the Saints game happened and - what do you know? - Murray touched the ball 27 times. He carried it 20 times, caught it seven times and was targeted on another pass attempt. That means that during the 43 snaps Murray was on the field, his number was called 28 times, or an amazing 65 percent.

If you want to label this a coincidence - Murray getting the ball so much one week after complaining - go right ahead, but very little Kelly does is by happenstance. It would also be wrong to read this as the coach placating the player. That's not what Kelly does, either. This looks more like a case of "Oh, you want the ball? OK, I'll give you the ball. Let's see what you do with it."

The answer that emerged from Sunday was that Murray didn't do very much with it at all. He gained 83 yards on his 20 carries and, studying the lather factor, didn't do as well in the second half (11 for 39) as he did in the first (9 for 44). So much for lather.

There's no question the offensive line is still a factor in the running game issues. The Eagles devised a moving pocket for Sam Bradford against the Saints, because there was no way to know if a pocket would exist otherwise. They threw a lot on first and second down, scheming backward so the pass could set up the run. Looking at the film, they also went back to some basic man-on-man blocking and brought in two-tight-end sets to help that process as well.

Enough worked that the Eagles were able to scoot to their season-saving win with plenty of help from the Saints, who committed three turnovers in their own end of the field that led directly to 17 points. Without those, the game would have felt a lot different, but instead the Eagles emerged with most of the smoldering fires tamped out for the moment.

The quarterback didn't get the ball deep again, but he had his most complete game of the season as he executed the short passes Kelly dialed up to take pressure off the line. Bradford's yards per completion actually declined with this game. Elsewhere, the line held up well enough and, on the other side of the ball, the defense bent a lot but got big plays on the turnovers and hectored Drew Brees all afternoon.

On balance, it was almost all Kelly could have asked for . . . except for Murray.

Twenty carries for 83 yards isn't going to get it done, particularly against a New York Giants defense that is ranked number one in the league against the run. Having gotten the ball to his liking, what is Murray's excuse now? Whatever it is, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles don't seem to be suffering the same issues. Sproles averaged 5.4 yards on his five carries. Mathews averaged 9.1 yards on his eight carries, falling just 10 yards shy of matching Murray's rushing total. (Mathews was on the field for 20 snaps and ran the ball or caught it 11 times.)

If Murray and Mathews were named Smith and Jones, the answer to all this would seem obvious. Give Jones the majority of the carries and move on. It's not quite that easy when Smith is getting paid $9 million, however, seems prone to sulking, and his contract probably ties the team to him for two more seasons and another $15 million.

Kelly has no choice but to walk this fine line. He'll give Murray more chances because that's what he has to do. For now, it is a small fire, because all fires are small after a win. It could grow again, though, and then the coach will need more than the New Orleans Saints to put it out.

bford@phillynews.com

@bobfordsports