Dallas Cowboys: Why DeMarco Murray Dictates How Far the 'Boys Can Go in 2011

For years the Dallas Cowboys have been looking for a dynamic running back to complement their passing attack, with DeMarco Murray showing promise of being the answer to the team's struggles in the ground game in the past several seasons.

Since breaking Emmitt Smith's Cowboy record for rushing yards in a single game against the St. Louis Rams back in Week 7, the rookie has jolted the Dallas offense and created a balance in play-calling.

From Week 7 up until just last Sunday, the Oklahoma alum has totaled 761 rushing yards, averaging seven yards per carry for his first NFL season.

For the past few seasons, many analysts have complimented the passing attack with its many weapons at receiver and Jason Witten at tight end, only to point out the flaws in the unbalanced play-calling and the team's ability to give up on a lackluster run game.

Now it seems that head coach Jason Garrett is able to run a more balanced offense, able to mix in a fair amount of pass plays as well as make sure Murray gets plenty of touches. This has especially helped Dallas run their much loved draw plays along with mixing in a bit of play action more often.

Quarterback Tony Romo has been able to keep the offense firing on all cylinders, with new wide receiver Laurent Robinson doing his best Miles Austin impression while the No. 1 wideout has been recovering from an injured hamstring.

If Murray is able to continue at his current pace and continue to allow the Cowboys to make their opposition respect both elements of their offense, this team has the ability to make some noise if it's able to take care of business through the last month of the regular season and qualify for the playoffs.