Four years ago my Dad and I were watching the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins play a preseason game.
The nation was tuning in as the #1 and #2 Overall Picks (Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III) were squaring off against each other, but it was a different player that caught my Dad’s eye.
You see we had just had our annual fantasy football draft, and my Dad had a certain running back for the Washington Redskins. During the draft he had wanted to take a rookie by the name of Alfred Morris, but I’d told him that all of the “experts” were saying that Evan Royster was the guy to have.
Watching Alfred Morris carry the ball 14 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, my Dad was mesmerized. He said that he thought this kid was going to be special. That moment he went to our waiver wire and dropped Royster for Morris. The rest, as they say, is history.
That special kid is now a Dallas Cowboy!
Alfred Morris agrees to 2-year deal with the #Cowboys, per agent @seanstellato of SES.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2016
The former Florida Atlantic star has now swapped out that ugly shade of burgundy for the most beautiful color combo in all the world, blue and silver. This is a great day.
Alfred Morris has been incredibly slept on throughout the last year. Yes he only carried the ball 202 times for 751 yards and 1 touchdown in 2015, but prior to that Alfred Morris had broken 1,000 yards in each of his three NFL seasons.
The statistic that means the most regarding “The Butler” is that he has never, not even once, missed a game in the NFL. He is Mr. Consistent.
This is very valuable to the Dallas Cowboys. They are a team with players at the position by the name of Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar. Their recent history includes guys like DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones… they need a consistent ball-carrier for the waning days of December.
There's a Redskin who had a great rookie year in 2012 that I want the Cowboys to consider poaching. His name is Alfred Morris.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) December 20, 2015
If you’ve been reading Inside The Star then you know that we told you this could happen. Alfred has been an under-the-radar target of ours and we finally locked him down. Get acquainted with the new Dallas Cowboys Running Back with my fellow Staff Writer Sean Martin’s film review on The Butler.
Before you get the crazy notion that the signing of The Butler is somehow an indication that Running Back is not a need for the Cowboys in the Draft, don’t believe that for one second. The Cowboys have shown us over the last few years that Free Agency doesn’t dictate their draft board as far as necessities go, but we’ll talk more about that later this week.
Today… we celebrate! Alfred Morris is a Dallas Cowboy!
What are your thoughts on Alfred joining the Cowboys? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
Wow… I had the exact same experience watching Morris in that preseason game. My fantasy team also benefited!
This is an outstanding signing, guys. Make no mistake about that.
Consider who Alfred Morris is. He was a late-round pick who came into the NFL and flourished in the zone blocking scheme that Mike Shanahan ran. That is the same scheme the Cowboys run. Zone runners don't have to be fast or especially agile. They need to be downhill runners with great vision and patience.
Maybe Morris' best years are behind him, but team him up with Darren McFadden and I think you'll be surprised how good this running game can be with these two old veterans running around.
Cowboys reinventing the NFL running game, and I love it.
I am so stoked about this. He has NEVER missed a game! I feel like we aren't showing that enough attention, haha.
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