Barber Not Looking To Cut In/ UFAs listed - Dallas Cowboys Forum

Qwickdraw · 04-25-2005

Sorry if this is a repost.

Barber not looking to cut in
Used to sharing load, fourth-round pick is happy to back up Jones

09:44 PM CDT on Monday, April 25, 2005

By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING – Admittedly, Marion Barber III wanted to be selected earlier than the fourth round, but he was glad he did not have to wait long Sunday to be chosen by the Cowboys with the eighth pick of the round.

FILE 2004/AP
Marion Barber III split carries with Laurence Maroney at Minnesota, where he ran for 3,276 yards and 35 touchdowns. "I'm truly happy where I'm going," said Barber, who ran for 3,276 yards and 35 touchdowns in three years at Minnesota.

New Cowboys running backs coach Anthony Lynn worked out Barber before the draft, and Gophers coach Glen Mason gave him a strong recommendation. The Cowboys envision Barber serving as Julius Jones' backup, and splitting the work is not new to Barber. He did so with Laurence Maroney in college.

"It definitely helped me out," said Barber, who can also return kicks. "From high school on, it's kind of been like that for me. I've had no problem with it at all. With Laurence, a lot of people were thinking we weren't friends, but he was like my little brother. I'm more of a team guy. I don't think it's necessary to argue or get greedy over something like that. I hope I can help instantly."

Briefly: The Cowboys have agreed to deals with eight more undrafted free agents: Notre Dame linebacker Mike Goolsby, Northwest Missouri State wide receiver icJamaa Rector (Celeste), Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Chris Van Hoy (Arlington), Baylor fullback Jonathan Evans (Duncanville), Fresno State kicker Brett Visintainer and defensive end James Sanders, Nevada offensive tackle Harvey Dahl and Colorado offensive tackle Sam Wilder.

Crown Royal · 04-26-2005

Greatness. Team players are always winners.

jaman4 · 04-26-2005

Barber and Jones could be one of the league's great tandems. Barber could easily have gone in the 2nd round of the draft and no one would have argued his spot. And the fact that he's shared time, ala Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, shows he's a team guy that wont whine and cry if he isnt getting 20 carries. I absolutely LOVED this pick

silverbear · 04-26-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwickdraw

Sorry if this is a repost

Briefly: The Cowboys have agreed to deals with eight more undrafted free agents: Notre Dame linebacker Mike Goolsby, Northwest Missouri State wide receiver icJamaa Rector (Celeste), Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Chris Van Hoy (Arlington), Baylor fullback Jonathan Evans (Duncanville), Fresno State kicker Brett Visintainer and defensive end James Sanders, Nevada offensive tackle Harvey Dahl and Colorado offensive tackle Sam Wilder.

That would be Claude Sanders, not James Sanders...

**trickblue** · 04-26-2005

Barber realizes it is RB by committee... both of these guys are talents... and success awaits them both...

yesfan · 04-26-2005

The more i read about this kid,the more i get excited
about this pick.Could be one hell of a backfield this year
and for years to come.

KDWilliams85 · 04-26-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by yesfan

The more i read about this kid,the more i get excited
about this pick.Could be one hell of a backfield this year
and for years to come.

I completely agree. I'm high on Marion Barber and I use him a lot in my Madden franchise.

I'm firmly convinced that he can be a contribution like Warrick Dunn & TJ Duckett and Onterrio Smith, Michael Bennett, & Moe Williams.

Hiero · 04-26-2005

gotta agree, the barber pick really made my day, hes exactly what i and i think almost all of us wanted as a helper with JJ. hes gonna have a good career, and him and JJ together next year are gonna be awesome/

kapolani · 04-26-2005

I didn't really know much about this kid, but from what I've been reading he could be a solid contributor.

I love his attitude.

Better days are ahead of us gents...

dmq · 04-26-2005

Cowboys good fit for Barber

BY BRIAN HAMILTON

Pioneer Press

There are two ways to view how the weekend's NFL draft unfolded for Marion Barber III.

On one hand, he was plucked by a team with a tissue-thin backfield, promising an immediate and substantial role as a rookie. On the other hand, he was drafted after Maurice Clarett.

So it was with "mixed emotions" that the former University of Minnesota star spoke about his new identity as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys.

"Of course everyone who is going to get drafted wants to be called early as possible," Barber said on a conference call Monday, his first comments since getting picked shortly after the second day of the draft began on Sunday. "When it didn't happen, I wasn't disappointed — I don't know how to describe it. Then when I got the call (Sunday) from Dallas, everything was great."

The fact that it took Barber more than 24 hours to make a statement about the experience — most draftees are on the horn shortly after they're selected — suggested some serious disappointment with falling to the fourth round and 109th pick overall. Ranked by ESPN, for one, as the seventh-best running back prospect, he was the 10th back taken in the draft.

Barber didn't exactly debunk the frustration Monday, but one look at the Dallas roster should have soothed him. Besides returning starter Julius Jones, the Cowboys have a pretty much anonymous backfield corps, and the team envisions him as Jones' backup.

"When (Barber) comes in the game, we can do the same things with him that we do with Julius Jones," Dallas owner Jerry Jones said at a Sunday news conference. "We'll be able to certainly involve him in anything we're doing in the passing game, but the thing that appealed most to us about him was that we really didn't have to change anything that we were doing with Julius."

Said Barber's agent, Craig Domann: "Marion's going to find out soon he's going into a good situation."

It just took a while. The most glaring snub was sliding past Clarett — a former Ohio State back who tested poorly at draft camp and hasn't played for two seasons when his early entry attempt was denied before last year's draft. Denver drafted Clarett in the third round with the 101st overall pick.

"That's not for me to decide — teams, who they like," Barber said. "For me to be mad or whatnot at something like that isn't me. I just continued to watch the next day and kept my fingers crossed. Before I knew it, I was on the screen. I was called."

When he was called, it was Cowboys coach Bill Parcells on the line. In what will likely be a rarity, given Parcells' notoriously caustic, demanding style, the coach produced a smile on Barber's face.

Roy Williams · 04-26-2005

This draft is looking better and better everyday. Barber looks like he ready to step in and contribute this year.

alancdc · 04-26-2005

I SAW HIM PLAY A TON LAST YEAR BECAUSE I USUALLY TOOK THE OVER IN THEIR GAMES. He is a great pick for us, and I thought if he went to someone in round 2 it would not have surprised me at all. Very happy we got him!