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ORLANDO, Fla. –** DeMarco Murray is no goof off.

Anyone who knows the Titans running back realizes he's not a clown-around kind of guy, even in the land of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto.

But here at the Pro Bowl, Murray admits he lightened up a bit in 2016, his first year in Tennessee.

Part of it stems from his first day with the team after being traded last March, when the Titans opened up to his father.

Titans running back DeMarco Murray (right) pictured with his father, Kevin Murray (left).

"I think I approached things a little different,'' Murray said after wrapping up Thursday's practice here at the Pro Bowl. "I have always been a little more serious than some people, and I still am. But this year did give me a chance to lighten up a little.

"I have to still keep the leash a little tight on myself, but it is always good to have fun. And I think for me to see how they treated my dad from the beginning, it was huge for me to see. It let me know it was family. It felt like family from the start."

Murray is at the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career. The six-year pro earned this trip after rushing for 1,287 yards and nine touchdowns with the Titans. Murray finished third in the NFL in rushing, and he also contributed with 53 catches for 377 yards and three touchdowns.

Murray made a big hit on those around him in his first year in Tennessee, after playing previously in Dallas and Philadelphia.

Kevin Murray, DeMarco's father, said the Titans made a big hit on him and his son when he showed up at Saint Thomas Sports Park after being traded. It's stuck with him.

"Tennessee welcomed me like I was part of the team,'' Kevin Murray said. "They walked me through the building, took me into the offices, into the cafeteria, into the locker room.

"(Offensive coordinator) Terry Robiskie gave me his cell. I talked to Jon Robinson, and he's the nicest GM I've ever met. He's actually the first GM I've actually met and had a conversation with.

"And I spoke with coach (Dick) LeBeau for two hours. Never in my life have I spoken to a coach that long. That guy is an All-American defensive coordinator and he spoke to me for two hours. And that is something I will never forget the rest of my life. Just the way they treated me and my son, we knew it was the right place for him. And he's been very happy. He loves it."

Murray bought a house just outside of Nashville within a few weeks of joining the Titans. He didn't purchase a home in Dallas despite playing four years there, and he didn't buy a house on Philadelphia, where he played in 2015.

Nashville has been a good fit for him for a number of reasons.

"Ben Jones is a great guy, a funny guy. Brian Orakpo is a guy I've known for a while. The locker room in Tennessee, it is intertwined between defense and offense, and usually it is just offense and defense,'' Murray said. "I was able to communicate with everybody on a different level, from the coaching staff to the players, trainers, everybody. It was a lot of fun.

"And coach (Mike) Mularkey, he helped me out tremendously just watching him loosen things up. He let you know we were going to work, but we're going to have fun."

Murray said the folks in the city have treated him well.

"Nashville, the city is amazing,'' Murray said. "People have been overwhelmingly nice. They see guys like Blake Shelton, they are not worried about little old me."

Murray's old friends in Dallas and his new ones in Nashville are happy for his success.

Murray ran for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in Dallas in 2014 and was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year. Last year in Philadelphia, he ran for just 702 yards and six touchdowns. When he was traded to Tennessee, some wondered if his best days were behind him.

"Man, that's my boy, DeMarco,'' Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant said. "I am happy for him, but I am not surprised at all the way DeMarco is playing. DeMarco is a phenomenal talent, and he always has been. He is a smart football player and he knows what he is talking about."

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett predicted success for Murray when he was traded to the Titans. He's not surprised he's back at the Pro Bowl.

"He is a hell of a football player and he is a great a human being,'' Garrett said of Murray. "He had a lot of success with us and it is great to see him having success back in Tennessee. They are handing him the ball and they are making him a big part of what they do and the kind of season he's had speaks for itself. He is just a really good football player and his style speaks to what they are doing offensively. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to have that kind of success moving forward and we are happy for him."