Cowboys’ Murray will ‘cherish’ breaking Emmitt Smith’s record

After a season of downplaying his individual accomplishments and saying it’s all about winning, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray finally admits breaking Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith’s single-season team rushing record would be something special.

And not just for him, but the entire offense, especially the members of the offensive line who have paved the way for his success, which includes opening the season with eight consecutive 100-yard games, an NFL record.

Murray has all but clinched the NFL rushing title with 1,745 yards and is on the brink of history, needing just 29 yards in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Redskins to surpass Smith’s club record of 1,773, set in 1995.

“It’s definitely a humbling experience,” Murray said. “I think we all have a piece of that in the O-line, coaches, receivers, tight ends, fullbacks ... whenever you get have the chance to do something special like that, you want to share it and share it with the guys on this team and the people in this organization. So it definitely will mean a lot to us.”

“You’ve got to cherish the moment and move on and really know what’s important, and that’s obviously winning games.”

Smith was at last week’s game against Indianapolis at AT&T Stadium in hopes of congratulating Murray if he had broken the club record then.

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher won’t be in Washington to share the moment with Murray — owner Jerry Jones jokingly noted that the Redskins probably won’t stop the game — but Smith has already given his blessings.

“I got it from the man last weekend,” Jones said on his KRLD/105.3 FM radio show Friday morning. “He is rooting for him. I’m talking about Emmitt Smith is rooting for DeMarco Murray. I know he is at peace with it.”

Murray didn’t get it against the Colts, rushing for a season-low 58 yards on 22 carries in a 42-7 blowout victory and only six days removed from surgery to repair a fractured bone in his left hand.

He missed practice Thursday with the flu, but returned Friday.

In trying to break Smith’s record, Murray is on the verge of shattering his injury-prone reputation.

Playing against the Redskins would mark the first time in his career that he has played all 16 games in a season. In his first three seasons, Murray miss a combined 11 games due to injuries.

“I wasn’t going to let a hand take me out of the game no matter what,” Murray said.

“I knew I had to grind through it and tough it out some way, somehow to stay on the field. I feel that I give us a good chance to do some pretty good things when I’m on the field. I kind of give us a complete run game.”

Bailey’s take

Dan Bailey is the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history, but the fifth-year veteran has never made a Pro Bowl. He was left out again this year, much to the Cowboys’ chagrin.

“He certainly, in my opinion, is the best kicker in football and has been for the last few years,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.

New England’s Stephen Gostkowski and Indianapolis’ Adam Vinatieri are the Pro Bowl kickers.

Vinatieri has not missed this season, making all 28 field-goal attempts and is third in the NFL in points scored with 131. Gostkowski leads the league in points scored with 147 and is the second-most accurate (32 of 34).

Bailey is 22 of 26 on field goals with misses of 52 and 53 yards. He also has had two attempts blocked.

“Maybe one of these years it’ll work out,” Bailey said. “You can’t really argue with the guys who are going.”

For his career, Bailey has made 111 of 124 kicks for an .895 accuracy rate, the NFL’s second-best career mark. The league’s career accuracy leader, based on a minimum of 100 attempts, is Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, a former Texas standout, who has made 95 of 106 career attempts (89.6 percent).

Briefly

▪ Defensive end Jeremy Mincey was named the winner of the 2014 Good Guy Award, given by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. Mincey was lauded for his outstanding cooperation with the beat writers who cover the team on a daily basis.

▪ Defensive tackle Josh Brent is expected to play against the Redskins after missing the past two games with a strained calf. He is listed as probable on the official injury report. Right tackle Doug Free is listed as doubtful and will probably miss his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Linebacker Dekoda Watson (hamstring) has been ruled out for the third consecutive week.

This story was originally published December 26, 2014 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Cowboys’ Murray will ‘cherish’ breaking Emmitt Smith’s record."