DeMarco Murray Finds His New Home With the Philadelphia Eagles

Now that the Eagles have landed DeMarco Murray, they'll be replacing the NFL's leading rusher in 2013 (LeSean McCoy) with 2014's leading rusher.

Image Credit: phi.247sports.com

"I felt that this was a great opportunity for me to win a Super Bowl, at the end of the day," Murray said Thursday after signing a five-year, $42 million contract with the Eagles. "It wasn't about financial security or anything like that. Obviously, you want something that you deserve, something that is respectful. Those two things are important to me, and I was able to accomplish that. I think the Eagles have a great chance to win a Super Bowl."

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said the team originally thought that Murray, the NFL's leading rusher in 2014, would be out of the team's price range. The Eagles tried to sign former San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore. After initially agreeing to terms with the Eagles, though, Gore decided to sign with the Indianapolis Colts.

After Gore told the Eagles he was joining the Colts, Kelly placed a call to Murray.

It's strange to say that Lesean McCoy, someone who racked up 2,926 rushing yards over the past two seasons with the Eagles -- collecting a rushing title in 2013-- is a poor fit for Chip Kelly's system. However, DeMarco Murray seems to be a better fit for the offense that Kelly runs. In an Eagles offense designed to give runners multiple tracks at the line of scrimmage, Murray's combination of body control, vision and power will make him a first-down machine as the designated workhorse of a zone-based running scheme.

Although Eagles fans were baffled and upset by some of the moves the team made, the Eagles saw their Super Bowl odds improve with this latest move in their offseason overhaul. After initially holding steady on the Eagles, the Westgate SuperBook moved the Eagles from 20-1 to 16-1 to win the Super Bowl following the Murray news.

Do you think DeMarco has improved his chances of winning a championship? Did Chip Kelly upgrade the situation in the Eagles' backfield by trading away McCoy and getting Murray?  

Let me know what you think:

@christineeeeO

Christine O'Connor

A Look At The NFL Pro Bowl

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

​Image Credit: nflcommunications.com

The NFL held its coin toss leading up to the 2015 Pro Bowl on Tuesday, and NFL Media's Michael Irvin won.

Following Tuesday’s press conference and initial captain selections, 26 players (13 per team) were subject to pre-draft selection from the position groups: guards, centers, fullbacks, interior defensive linemen, placekickers, punters, return specialists, and special team players. 

The second-ever Pro Bowl Draft will continue with 56 players yet to be selected during a nationally televised primetime broadcast on NFL Network at 8:00 PM ET on Wednesday, January 21. The 2015 Pro Bowl Draft is being held at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. All 88 Pro Bowl players are expected to be in attendance for Wednesday’s live show. won the coin toss and chose the pair of Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden as his captains. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter in turn has Texans star defensive end J.J.Watt and Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.

The captains are determined by being the players receiving the most votes among those no longer playing after the Divisional Round who are also healthy and participating. In this instance, J.J Watt, the defensive player receiving the most votes, was paired with the offensive player receiving the second most votes and meeting the above criteria, which was Antonio Brown. The offensive player receiving the most votes and meeting the requirements (DeMarco Murray) was paired with Joe Haden.

​Image Credit: timesunion.com 

TEAM CARTER (THROUGH DAY 1 PRE-SELECTION)

WIDE RECEIVERS 

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh (Captain)

GUARDS  

Evan Mathis, Philadelphia

Mike Pouncey, Miami

Josh Sitton, Green Bay

CENTERS

Jason Kelce, Philadelphia

Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh

FULLBACK 

John Kuhn, Green Bay

DEFENSIVE ENDS

J.J. Watt, Houston (Captain)

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Marcell Dareus, Buffalo

Dontari Poe, Kansas City

Kyle Williams, Buffalo

SPECIALISTS

Justin Bethel, Arizona

Devin Hester, Atlanta

Pat McAfee, Indianapolis

Cody Parkey, Philadelphia

TEAM IRVIN (THROUGH DAY 1 PRE-SELECTION)

RUNNING BACKS

DeMarco Murray, Dallas (Captain)

GUARDS

Kyle Long, Chicago 

Zack Martin, Dallas 

Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

CENTERS

Travis Frederick, Dallas 

Nick Mangold, New York Jets

FULLBACK

Marcel Reece, Oakland

CORNERBACKS

Joe Haden, Cleveland (Captain)

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Geno Atkins, Cincinnati

Aaron Donald, St. Louis

Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets

SPECIALISTS

Kevin Huber, Cincinnati

Darren Sproles, Philadelphia

Darrell Stuckey, San Diego

Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis

Nike unveiled the jerseys for Sunday:

​Image Credit: bleacherreport.com