Cowboys playmakers DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant tough to stop

DeMarco Murray had just done something accomplished by no other running back in NFL history, breaking a record set by none other than Jim Brown with his seventh straight 100-yard game to open a season.

So you'd think the offensive linemen who helped pave Murray's way might want to bask in a little of the glory. But Cowboys center Travis Frederick was having nothing to do with that. That record, he said, almost with reverence, was all about the runner.

"It truly is a tribute to him," Frederick said. "It has nothing to do with any of the rest of us. He earned that. The way he worked in the offseason, the way he continues to work in practice. He's working hard for everything he gets."

And he's getting a lot these days. Murray has rushed for a league-high 913 yards -- which projects to 2,087 for 16 games -- after gaining 128 yards on 28 carries Sunday in the Cowboys' 31-21 win over the Giants.

"DeMarco is a beast," Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant said. "He's a beast, the best in the game right now."

But he's not the only one making a difference for the Cowboys. Bryant displayed his own ability in storming past the Giants' secondary for 151 yards on nine catches -- 136 in the second half -- and showing up again and again on third down to keep drives going.

That pair has given Tony Romo the ultimate luxury items during the Cowboys' unexpected 6-1 start -- playmakers the quarterback can count on.

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"It's great," Romo said. "I'm lucky to have those guys. I enjoy coming to work and seeing their attitude and approach to the game. That's what makes them special."

That they are special is something the Giants can attest to.

Murray trampled them with a quick-hitting north-south style that has been impossible for defenses to stop. His fourth-quarter runs of 8 and 17 yards -- the latter on a brilliant cutback -- helped put the Cowboys in range for the clinching field goal.

"I like running downhill, so when we do run east and west, I have to find a way to get upfield fast," Murray said. "There are times when it's open outside, but you've got to get upfield in this league."

Bryant got off to a slow start, with only two catches for 15 yards in the first half and a stumble that allowed Prince Amukamara to make an interception.

"That stumble was bothering me so much, I just said, 'I've got to let it go,' " Bryant said. "I let it go, finally, and came out and played some of my best. What I want to do is not make things personal. Once you make things personal, you tend to fall off a little bit."

Bryant was able to put the play behind him and erupt after halftime, he said, thanks to a wardrobe change -- putting a plastic visor back into his facemask and changing from blue shoes to his predominantly white ones. "I went back to being Dez," he said.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones compared Murray, Bryant and Romo to the Cowboys' Hall of Fame "Triplets" of the 1990s: Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman.

You have a problem with that, Dez? "Got to let Mr. Jones have his fun," Bryant said with a grin. "We try to stay grounded, and that's exactly what we're going to do."