Mike Mayock Is Latest Analyst To Say Mathews Over Murray
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- DeMarco Murray is coming off his best game as a Philadelphia Eagle.
Against his former team in a 33-27 overtime win, Murray tallied 83 rushing yards on 16 carries plus another 78 receiving yards on six catches. However, the Eagles' other running back, Ryan Mathews, continued his dominance needing just 11 carries to get 67 yards.
Mathews is now averaging 6.1 yards per carry, second best in the NFL.
"Point blank, I think Ryan Mathews is better suited for this offense and that takes nothing away from DeMarco Murray," NFL analyst Mike Mayock said Wednesday on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show with Michael Barkann and Ike Reese. "There are horses for courses, right? Some horses run better in certain courses. And DeMarco Murray is a downhill---and it doesn't always have to be the I-formation---but he's a downhill guy and the Eagles are a very simple run game. They're kind of an inside zone game with, sweep. And I think that Mathews understands both of those and I think Murray struggles with the wide plays. Anything where he's going lateral I think he struggles."
Listen: Mike Mayock on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show
In his first offseason with personnel control, Chip Kelly traded LeSean McCoy and his massive cap hit for linebacker Kiko Alonso. With the extra cap space, Kelly signed Murray to a five-year, $40 million contract and Mathews to a three-year, $11 million deal.
"Give Chip Kelly some credit," Mayock said. "I mean, as good as LeSean McCoy was, they effectively got three running backs [Murray, Mathews, and Darren Sproles] for the price of one and two of them have been nicked up at different times. So, I kind of look at it like it's good that they have both of them and I think they're managing it fairly well. But point blank, I do think Mathews is a better match."
When it comes to signing big-time free-agents like Murray and Ndamukong Suh (six year, $114 million) of the Miami Dolphins, Mayock doesn't necessarily agree.
"I'm not an advocate of the A-plus free-agent signings," Mayock said. "I think that kind of second tier guy where I think he's 26-years-old, he's got four years left, you're paying him modest money, but he's a good football player. You know what you're getting."
