Darren McFadden’s smile was a little brighter than normal last summer.
By mid-July, he was ready for the season to start. McFadden, the former University of Arkansas star running back, had reason to be optimistic about an NFL season for the first time since he made his debut in 2008.
He was ecstatic about not only leaving the wasteland that is the Oakland franchise, but landing with the Dallas Cowboys.
Playing for what seemed to be a playoff team at the time, with a stout line, star quarterback and playmakers all over the field, McFadden was finally in a situation he could thrive in. Throw in Dallas’ proximity to Little Rock and McFadden couldn’t have found a better place to rejuvenate his career.
The only worry was his health. He had played a full season just once in seven seasons, but he brushed that off when we met last summer.
“I don’t try to think about it at all. If it is on your mind, there is more of a possibility of it happening again,” McFadden said. ”You just have to get it out of your mind and play ball.”
Well, even the best-laid plans don’t work out.
Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant hurt his foot in the first game and missed half the season. Quarterback Tony Romo missed 12 games with a recurring shoulder injury and the Cowboys not only didn’t make the playoffs, they struggled to a 4-12 record.
However, if there was a bright spot for Dallas, it McFadden. After initially sharing carries, he seized control of the starting job in late October and with 12 carries for 92 yards against Washington in the season finale last Sunday, he totaled 1,089 rushing yards, good for fourth in the NFL.
Topping the 1,000-yard mark earned McFadden a cool $300,000 bonus. The season marked just the second time McFadden has played the full 16-game NFL slate.
Are the injury troubles behind him? He took a giant step forward this year. He showed what he can do when he gets the ball regularly for 16 games.
“That’s always been a knock on me as far as being durable and injuries and things, so I just feel like I showed a lot of people that I can go out there and stay healthy and still run the ball at a high pace in this league,” McFadden told ESPN.com last week.
McFadden became the Cowboys’ starting back on Oct. 25 against the New York Giants. He proceeded to rush for 960 yards in the remaining 10 games.
When Oakland picked McFadden No. 4 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, I cringed.
In recent years, Oakland was where NFL careers died, thanks to bad management, bad coaching, poor drafting and poor talent. McFadden seemed doom to fail, even if he didn’t get hurt, and then there was that.
It was a no-win situation. After seven years, his career seemed in limbo.
Then he got a new lease on life in Dallas. In talking to McFadden, it was apparent he understood the golden opportunity that stood before him.
As a veteran player, he saw the difference between the culture in Dallas and in Oakland, how players practiced harder even in minicamps, and how leaders like Romo commanded the entire team.
McFadden admitted he maybe didn’t appreciate some of those intangibles early in his career, but being in Dallas for the spring and summer had opened his eyes. You could tell then that he was determined to make this season a personal success.
He did that. He proved once again what all of us who watched him at Arkansas already know – he is explosive, a hard-runner and not easy to bring down. Racking up 1,000 yards in the NFL is a hallmark of success.
“It’ll definitely mean a lot to me,” McFadden told ESPN.com before the Washington game. “Just some of the down years I’ve had, man, with injuries and things and having to deal with that.”
The bad news is, the Cowboys, while they aren’t near as dysfunctional as Oakland was, are an organization at a crossroads.
The quarterback situation remains uncertain. A big part of future success is going to depend on if Romo is healthy and can finish his career in Dallas as a productive part of the offense. NFL experts are keeping an eye on which direction the Cowboys go in the coming draft.
It would seem if Romo is healthy along with Bryant, who needs another ankle surgery, Dallas would be a playoff team next year, especially in in the dreadful NFC East.
One thing is for sure: Dallas doesn’t need to worry about its backfield. McFadden proved this season that he is a franchise running back and can carry a team that has lost its way offensively.