After setting the NFL on fire following Felix Jones' injury last season, DeMarco Murray's rookie season came to an abrupt end when he tore ligaments in his ankle in that fateful home game against the New York Giants.
Murray was the most brightly shining rookie to come along for the Cowboys in years as he burst onto the scene and rushed for more than 250 yards in his first game of significant action, then went the next five games averaging 101 yards per game, including a four-game Cowboys win streak.
It was a big blow to the psyche of the team when Murray went down early in the Dec. 11 game against the Giants, in which the Cowboys blew that now-infamous double-digit lead with under five minutes to play and allowed the Giants to keep their season alive.
But on Friday morning, Murray told NFL Radio on Sirius/XM that he will be ready to go for the 2012 season. It was initially feared that Murray had not only torn ligaments but also broken his ankle, but that ended up not being the case. Murray told the folks at NFL Radio he's been busy working out at the Cowboys training facility and will be ready to go when the season comes. He rushed for 897 yards in his abbreviated season last year with a 5.5-yard average per carry.
That should be music to the ears of Cowboys fans, who seem to finally have a guy capable of being a franchise running back — the first in this city since Emmitt Smith. It's early to make any comparisons between the two, considering Murray has made seven NFL starts, but he showed flashes of brilliance we've never seen from Jones.
