NFL teams
Paul Kuharsky, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

DeMarco Murray ready for 'hard work' with Titans

NFL, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When DeMarco Murray arrived in Nashville and said he was fresh, he didn't mean he was coming off a year of putting up his feet.

Introduced by the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, the running back didn't have anything bad to say about his experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he didn't come close in 2015 to matching his monster 2014 season in Dallas.

"I wasn't saying that because I literally took the year off," Murray said to laughs. "I didn't get as much work as I would have hoped to. I feel fresh and I feel good, but not because of my choice."

Murray said he doesn't want to dwell on the past and that he'll do whatever the Titans ask of him.

"I know there is a lot of hard work to do, and I look forward to competing every day alongside my teammates," Murray said, adding, "I'm ecstatic."

Titans coach Mike Mularkey pledged that Tennessee's scheme will resemble the one used by the Dallas Cowboys -- where Murray flourished -- than the one used last year with the Eagles when Murray fell out of favor.

Mularkey said he ran the same offense the Cowboys use when he was offensive coordinator in Miami in 2006-07.

"There are some things, actually, from that offense that I took that I thought were actually better than what I was already doing," Mularkey said. "I thought it made our offense more efficient, more user-friendly. So he's going to have a little bit of a head start in some of it, because I carried over some of the same terminology.

"I know the run scheme he's been involved with, we're very similar, more to Dallas than to Philly. He will fit exactly what we're doing."

Murray spoke highly of quarterback Marcus Mariota, and said no matter the size of his role, he's a supplemental piece.

"This is Marcus' team," Murray said. "I am just here to help out."

The Titans acquired Murray on Wednesday from the Eagles in exchange for a swap of fourth-round picks. That is a 13-pick move down.

In a new contract, Murray gets no initial bonus outside of the $12.25 million guaranteed over four years that have a total base value of $25.5 million.

General manager Jon Robinson said he likes the mentality and approach Murray will bring as a workhorse back.

"Patience, yet ability to press the hole and be instinctive in traffic and make a linebacker miss, make a safety miss," Robinson said. "When it comes down to brass tacks, he's going to lower his shoulder and try to run over a guy."

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