DeMarco Murray Named 2014 AP Offensive Player of the Year

Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray's career season has been punctuated in fitting fashion, as he was named the 2014 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, per the NFL.

Here's footage of Murray accepting the award:

Murray had some stiff competition in the form of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and teammate Tony Romo, but the voters ultimately decided that his eye-popping statistical output was too much to ignore.

Dallas had a renewed focus on running the ball in 2014, and that certainly worked to Murray's benefit. During the regular season, he set career highs with 392 carries for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also added 57 catches for another 416 yards as well.

According to Paul Imig of Fox Sports, Murray had one of the best seasons by a running back over the past 10 years:

Those numbers are made even more impressive when taking into account his playoff production as well, per ESPN's Jason Romano:

While postseason stats don't have any impact on this particular award, they speak to the fact that Murray didn't wear down as the season progressed. He maintained a high level of play throughout, which is hugely impressive considering that he doubled his previous career high in carries.

Even before winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award, Murray was picking up some big-time accolades, including the Pro Football Writers Association Offensive Player of the Year Award, according to NFL on ESPN:

There is a lot to like about Murray's 2014 season, but his durability is what truly stands out. He played in all 16 regular-season games for the first time in his career despite suffering a broken hand in December. The former University of Oklahoma standout fought through the pain and discomfort, though, which said a lot about his determination to be an elite player.

Murray seemed nearly impossible to stop at times, although he did have one Achilles' heel. Per ESPN Stats & Info, he lost six fumbles between the regular season and playoffs:

That seems like a ton on the surface, but the fact that he handled the ball so many times means that he was bound to put a few on the ground. When push came to shove, one can only assume that the Cowboys were more than willing to accept the few negative plays Murray made in exchange for the multitude of great ones.

The NFL has developed into a pass-first league in recent years, but Murray proved that a running back can still be the biggest part of an offense. He made everyone around him better, and he made a questionable Cowboys defense passable by keeping opposing offenses off the field.

Murray was the key to Dallas' resurgence in 2014, and he is more than deserving of the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award.

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