Dilemma: Marion Barber or DMAC?

[khiladi]

He is a finesse runner, he bounces everything to the outside...

With this upcoming draft being deep in RBs, another top flight RB will leapfrog him to lay claim to the first RB taken. Or maybe even more than one.

Book it.

If you mean finesse runner, that he is incredibly quick, your right. You will find plenty of plays where he explodes to the hole, and bounces to the outside in the second-line of defense. He also has an uncanny ability to simply run in-between defenders because of his speed. But he also runs north-south without a problem, and has a pretty good stiff-arm from what I have seen. McFadden was putting up awesome numbers with an average QB, and defenses stacking the line.

He is the perfect fit for the Dallas offense or for the Patriots, where the offense likes to spread defenses out to create spacing issues. Defensively, teams are dropping men back to double cover TO, and take away Witten. McFadden in the open field is a home-run threat that we don't currently have. It would be a perfect complement to the brusing style of Barber. Plus, the way Barber plays, there is probably no way he can have continued long-term success.

McFadden's presence would open up the passing game as well, first by forcingthe DBs up. Second, McFadden also adds the option of a downfield receiver threat. You can work some pretty serious isolations on him coming out of the backfield. He can pass the ball as well, which is perfect for a little trickery here and there. I'm sure Garrett can work some plays in where both Marion and McFadden are lined up out of the back-field.

It simply isn't about McFadden getting 12 or 13 carries again. He can dramatically change the way a defense approaches stopping Dallas. He may get 12 or 13 carries one game, but end up catching 4 or 5 passes, with plenty of yardage to come by, simply because the Dallas receivers have run vertical routes which have created space for McFadden to run in.

 

[BehindEnemyLinez]

Run DMC has the look of a good NFL back but DALLAS DOESN'T NEED A RB! they have one (and a half) RBs now-why spend $20-30 mil on an unproven college back? I know some will point to AD Peterson's success this year but it's not written in stone that McFadden will have the same impact. Re-sign MBIII, draft a "speed" back in the 2nd-4th round, and call it a day! We have so many areas where we can divest that first round money into and I think it's foolish to mortgage the team's balance for one "superstar". Use our two firsts on future starters @ the WR & CB positions if they're available and focus on the "best available players" afterwards. Just my two pennies on this subject!!

 

[Dhragon]

If you mean finesse runner, that he is incredibly quick, your right. You will find plenty of plays where he explodes to the hole, and bounces to the outside in the second-line of defense. He also has an uncanny ability to simply run in-between defenders because of his speed. But he also runs north-south without a problem, and has a pretty good stiff-arm from what I have seen. McFadden was putting up awesome numbers with an average QB, and defenses stacking the line.

He is the perfect fit for the Dallas offense. Defensively, teams are dropping men back to double cover TO, and take away Witten. McFadden in the open field is a home-run threat that we don't currently have. It would be a perfect complement to the brusing style of Barber. Plus, the way Barber plays, there is probably no way he can have continued long-term success.

McFadden's presence would open up the passing game as well, first by forcingthe DBs up. Second, McFadden also adds the option of a downfield receiver threat. You can work some pretty serious isolations on him coming out of the backfield. He can pass the ball as well, which is perfect for a little trickery here and there. I'm sure Garrett can work some plays in where both Marion and McFadden are lined up out of the back-field.

He's right - Barber can't keep doing his style of running for long. His body won't let him keep taking those beatings and still be an agressive and effective runner.

Yet - I'm sure he'll want to be paid a long-term contract as a Probowl RB. Major mistake IMO if the Boys do this. Give him one or two seasons of carrying the load ( which he'd need to do if you're going to pay him top 5-8 RB money ) and his production will have everyone wondering "What happened to the Barbarian?"

The best bet would be to draft McFadden or another top RB, tender MBIII with a 1st and 3rd qualifier. Then let them share carries next year. If McFadden works out, let Barber go, if not you could still resign Barber at the end of the year.

 

[khiladi]

Run DMC has the look of a good NFL back but DALLAS DOESN'T NEED A RB! they have one (and a half) RBs now-why spend $20-30 mil on an unproven college back? I know some will point to AD Peterson's success this year but it's not written in stone that McFadden will have the same impact. Re-sign MBIII, draft a "speed" back in the 2nd-4th round, and call it a day! We have so many areas where we can divest that first round money into and I think it's foolish to mortgage the team's balance for one "superstar". Use our two firsts on future starters @ the WR & CB positions if they're available and focus on the "best available players" afterwards. Just my two pennies on this subject!!

Everybody is unproven coming into college. You draft based upon potential, and the potential on McFadden is huge. McFadden isn't just a running back either. He catches the ball, and creates major mis-matches for a defense trying to defend an offense like ours. We like to spread teams out. McFadden is damn good in space, and he would force defenders up.

It is like saying you don't spend a high draft pick for a receiver like TO. We have seen how much TO impacts the team, even when he isn't catching 7 passes a game. He changes the very nature of how defenses approach our offense.

Do you think McFadden won't make it easier on the receiving corps? Imagine the effectiveness of a play-action with a QB that is damn-good in play-action. Hell, McFadden catches balls downfield, making him an additional receiving threat. You can isolate him out on the edges as a receiver as well, lined up against a LB. Can you say match-up problems. Garrett would be salivating with a guy like McFadden.

Who said we are mortgaging the team's future? Barber plays aggresively, and just like Earl Campbell, who was probably the msot punishing runner to play the game, along with Jim Brown, will eventually wear down. These guys were barbarians just as well, so to assume Marion can last longer them these guys is foolish.

It is also not a guarantee your going to get an all-world CB at the 19th or late 20 pick in the draft. You can probably strike a more productive route by going free-agency and get a decent CB. To first rounders isn't mortgaging any future away.

 

[silverblue]

I get awful nervous about rookie RBs...they have all sorts of trouble in pass protecton. That is the exact reason I do not like JJ...he is AWFUL in third down pass protection (he almost always looks outside in instead of vice-versa). If you take a rookie really high, you have to pay them a whole bunch of money not knowing exactly how complete of a back they will end up being. Make Barber the work horse and replace JJ in the 3rd or 4th round...the draft will be filled with capable change of pace backs.

Uh, of our running backs, Julius is obviously the better of the two for pass blocking.

 

[BehindEnemyLinez]

Everybody is unproven coming into college. You draft based upon potential, and the potential on McFadden is huge. McFadden isn't just a running back either. He catches the ball, and creates major mis-matches for a defense trying to defend an offense like ours. We like to spread teams out. McFadden is damn good in space, and he would force defenders up.

It is like saying you don't spend a high draft pick for a receiver like TO. We have seen how much TO impacts the team, even when he isn't catching 7 passes a game. He changes the very nature of how defenses approach our offense.

Do you think McFadden won't make it easier on the receiving corps? Imagine the effectiveness of a play-action with a QB that is damn-good in play-action. Hell, McFadden catches balls downfield, making him an additional receiving threat. You can isolate him out on the edges as a receiver as well, lined up against a LB. Can you say match-up problems. Garrett would be salivating with a guy like McFadden.

Who said we are mortgaging the team's future? Barber plays aggresively, and just like Earl Campbell, who was probably the msot punishing runner to play the game, along with Jim Brown, will eventually wear down. These guys were barbarians just as well, so to assume Marion can last longer them these guys is foolish.

It is also not a guarantee your going to get an all-world CB at the 19th or late 20 pick in the draft. You can probably strike a more productive route by going free-agency and get a decent CB. To first rounders isn't mortgaging any future away.

So we should pay MBIII $5-6mil next season along with another $25-30mil for D-Mac? That's ALOT of money to tie up in one position, isn't it? And do you really think teams are going to go 8-in-the-box just because McFadden is in the backfield? Methinks most teams will take their chances with our running game and focus of stopping TO, Witten, etc.

And there's no guarantee that Barber will break down after two-three seasons, especially if they can find a speed back to get about 10 carries a game. And paying D-Mac for that amount of work is ludicrous!

I know paying two first rounders isn't mortgaging our future (which is why I say stand pat and pick players of need), but paying a RB as a TOP-5 pick along with a Pro Bowl RB damn sure is!

 

[ZeroClub]

So we should pay MBIII $5-6mil next season along with another $25-30mil for D-Mac? That's ALOT of money to tie up in one position, isn't it? And do you really think teams are going to go 8-in-the-box just because McFadden is in the backfield? Methinks most teams will take their chances with our running game and focus of stopping TO, Witten, etc.

And there's no guarantee that Barber will break down after two-three seasons, especially if they can find a speed back to get about 10 carries a game. And paying D-Mac for that amount of work is ludicrous!

I know paying two first rounders isn't mortgaging our future (which is why I say stand pat and pick players of need), but paying a RB as a TOP-5 pick along with a Pro Bowl RB damn sure is!

Is there anybody in the 2008 NFL Draft, playing any position, that you'd think would be worth the Cowboys spending 25-30 million on?

 

[BehindEnemyLinez]

Is there anybody in the 2008 NFL Draft, playing any position, that you'd think would be worth the Cowboys spending 25-30 million on?

Nope. Not in the Cowboys' current situation! If RB, QB, OT, or CB was a GLARING need, then yeah, take a chance, but with our roster the way it is, I'm against paying an unproven SECOND STRINGER (which is what most draftees would be coming in) that type of $$$!

 

[BigDave95]

He is a finesse runner, he bounces everything to the outside...

With this upcoming draft being deep in RBs, another top flight RB will leapfrog him to lay claim to the first RB taken. Or maybe even more than one.

Book it.

Are we still taking nominees for stupidest post of the year??

 

[khiladi]

And there's no guarantee that Barber will break down after two-three seasons, especially if they can find a speed back to get about 10 carries a game. And paying D-Mac for that amount of work is ludicrous!

1.

When you speak about the style of play of Campbell, your pretty much talking about a 19 carries per game average. And the numbers don't decline gradually, they drop-off dramatically from one-year to the next. By year 4, his yards per carry dropped below 4, and they stayed on average below four for the rest os his career. Yes, Barber will wear down, even if he is spelled 10 carries or so by any speed-back.

2.

And if you mean by speed-back, that Mcfadden is fast, your correct. But he definitely isn't one-dimensional. He is multi-dimensional, catching the ball downfield and even throwing it. You can line him up on the outside against LBs. Your not using him simply spelling Barber, if we presume that he is actually spelling Barber, but we are using him in more ways. He may run the ball 12 or 13 times, and catch the ball 4 or 5 times. And who is to say Barber will be starting anyways, if we sign McFadden? He may be running the same way he is now, except the Julius Jones statistics of 14 carries per game will be McFaddens, but McFadden won't be ankle tackled, preventing what should be at least a 30 yard plus run.

McFadden uses the stiff-arm well, and he can make all the cuts he needs. He is a very efficient runner that doesn't waste his time.

3.

Your right, teams won't stack 8 men in the box to stop McFadden, which is the point. Teams will have to pick their poison in what to stop. Further, defensive coordinators will surely pay attention to the fact that there is an RB that is a threat to take it all the way if he catches it in open space. Safeties will have to pay special attention to McFadden, and not just a receiver like TO or Witten, even if they aren't stacking the box. Your LBs will be forced up closer to the line, even if your not stacking the box, allowing for better spacing for Witten. LBs bite on play-action because they are scared of the run.

As much as I love Marion Barber, he hasn't taken anything more than 50 yards.

3.

The fact is, the salary cap is increasing every year, to the point that Dallas can afford to play a home-run threat. There are ways to work around this incerase anyways. Jerry has already learned his lesson in not mortgaging the future away. He has already said he is going to look for a home-run hitter. He is definitely not going to be paying 25-30 million dollars for one year for any player. Nobody is going to pay that much for any player coming out of the draft.

 

[tyke1doe]

So we should pay MBIII $5-6mil next season along with another $25-30mil for D-Mac? That's ALOT of money to tie up in one position, isn't it? And do you really think teams are going to go 8-in-the-box just because McFadden is in the backfield? Methinks most teams will take their chances with our running game and focus of stopping TO, Witten, etc.

They would until McFadden broke a few runs for 50, 60 and 80 yards.

Teams gear to stop the run first because there are more opportunities for miscues and turn-overs with the passing game.

 

[khiladi]

If Julius Jones is starting as the allas Cowboys RB, then McFadden, if he is drafted, is definitely going to be starting next year, and if not starting, getting as many, if not more, reps.

 

[tyke1doe]

Nope. Not in the Cowboys' current situation! If RB, QB, OT, or CB was a GLARING need, then yeah, take a chance, but with our roster the way it is, I'm against paying an unproven SECOND STRINGER (which is what most draftees would be coming in) that type of $$$!

You do understand that your approach let the Cowboys to age quickly and drop from contention when Aikman, Irvin and Emmitt either retired or slowed down?

The Cowboys go bad quickly because instead of picking talent, we picked backups like Kavika Pittman and Sherman Williams and other scrubs we tried to pay on the cheap.

You go best available player/athlete regardless. If he's good, he'll get into the lineup somehow.

 

[BehindEnemyLinez]

Well, we'll see how this plays out! As long as Dallas is successful with WHATEVER they do on draft day is really all that concerns me. If that means D-Mac coming in...fine, just don't take a step back next season because of questionable personnel decisions! Let's keep this ball rolling! You know us 'Boys fans are used to winning at a dynasty-type level so one year of success will not do !!

 

[khiladi]

They would until McFadden broke a few runs for 50, 60 and 80 yards.

Teams gear to stop the run first because there are more opportunities for miscues and turn-overs with the passing game.

Exactly, and even if they don't want to stack the box, it is obviously going to force the LBs to cheat to the LOS, causing a bunch of problems defending a guy like Witten. The middle will be open all day.

 

[khiladi]

Well, we'll see how this plays out! As long as Dallas is successful with WHATEVER they do on draft day is really all that concerns me. If that means D-Mac coming in...fine, just don't take a step back next season because of questionable personnel decisions! Let's keep this ball rolling! You know us 'Boys fans are used to winning at a dynasty-type level so one year of success will not do !!

I don't think it is really that questionable. It is extremely difficult to get a home-run hitter at any position in the bottom third of the draft, even with two picks. You can get solid players, but an all-world CB, not really. And if Dallas doesn't go with corners in the first few rounds of this years draft, I'm pretty positive that Wade likes what he has in his young corners Alan Ball and Courtney Brown. Ball is said to give TO a little trouble in practice, and Brown, while a little on the light side, is said to be a solid cover corner.

McFadden has a potential that you can take a risk on. As I said in the past, if he is 80 percent of what he is projected to be, he will be well worth the pick.

 

[BehindEnemyLinez]

You do understand that your approach let the Cowboys to age quickly and drop from contention when Aikman, Irvin and Emmitt either retired or slowed down?

The Cowboys go bad quickly because instead of picking talent, we picked backups like Kavika Pittman and Sherman Williams and other scrubs we tried to pay on the cheap.

You go best available player/athlete regardless. If he's good, he'll get into the lineup somehow.

Really? I thought Dallas screwed up back then by a) getting rid of Jimmy J b) drafting players they THOUGHT could step in and become stars right away (obviously exaggerating their talent levels because of need) c) passing over more talented players for players w/ higher moral value-ie Ellis over Moss. Look, if they can pull off getting D-Mac, keeping Barber AND getting some quality youth @ the WR and CB position, then I'm all for it. I just don't think doing all of that is feasible.

 

[ZeroClub]

Nope. Not in the Cowboys' current situation! If RB, QB, OT, or CB was a GLARING need, then yeah, take a chance, but with our roster the way it is, I'm against paying an unproven SECOND STRINGER (which is what most draftees would be coming in) that type of $$$!

So your objection isn't McFadden or RB specific.

It sounds like you object to the Cowboys moving up for a top 2 or 3 draft choice, no matter who they might select.

I'm thinking of this in a different way. IMO, the Cowboys' roster is in good shape - good enough that they could absorb a marginal 2008 draft class without horrific ill effects. The truth is that there won't be all that many open roster spots anyway.

So if you know that your roster is in good shape and that you don't have a lot of open roster spots anyway, why not go for a true difference making impact player? IMO, this is about as good a time as ever to swing for the fences.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Forget DMac, get Ray Rice and I'd be happy.

Chris Johnson

everyone, jump on the bandwagon