DMN Blog: Marion Barber wants to play Monday

[YosemiteSam]

LINK

For the first time in a long time Wednesday, Marion Barber spoke to the media and sounded like he expected to play Monday against Carolina.

Barber strained his left quadriceps in Sunday's loss to New York. It's still not clear whether he will be able to practice today. We'll know here in about an hour or so.

Here's Barber's response when he was asked about his status for the Carolina game: "If I'm good today, I'm going to be good tomorrow and then I'm going to be good up until Monday."

While not a direct, "yes," Barber will at least attempt to play, which goes along with everything that's come out recently. Barber said he has not run since the injury, but he had a light workout on Tuesday.

 

[DCBoysfan]

Hope you can do it MB

 

[Coakleys Dad]

encouraging.

 

[Rampage]

I hope Choice gets some of his carries whether he plays or not.

 

[Doomsday101]

If by chance Barber can play I would hope he would be limited. Injuries like this can become a nagging injury all year long. I would just as soon see him sit out of the game this week

 

[Temo]

This kinda reminds me of how dumb Jerry Jones was last year for questioning Barber not coming back in the next game after dislocating his toe. This, despite no player having ever come back in 1 week from a toe injury in the last 10+ years.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I hope Choice gets some of his carries whether he plays or not.

I prefer him to skip this week and rest. Let Choice and Felix handle the load.

You want to keep him active, just in case. Ok, but let Choice handle the work against the Panthers. Their defense is having issues anyhow.

 

[twentytwo]

I only want him out there if he is 100%. No sense in risking further injury when we have players like Felix and Choice.

 

[Smith22]

I prefer him to skip this week and rest. Let Choice and Felix handle the load.

You want to keep him active, just in case. Ok, but let Choice handle the work against the Panthers. Their defense is having issues anyhow.

Put me in this crowd. IF he is not 100% over the injury, sit him out for a game.

 

[Da Hammer]

I would rather sit him if the injury is going to linger. last year he cameback too early and he was basically ineffective completete non-factor. Jones and choice can handle the load till Barber is 100% again and he can contribute as a complete beast again!

 

[Bob Sacamano]

he's not playing

 

[superpunk]

Barber's a soulja.

 

[thor_01]

Actually I'm betting they hold him out of mondays game, with them signing Washinton to the practice squad, and they stressed he had legitimate 4.3 speed and how he played on special teams especially as a return man, I think they bring him up to the 53 to do kick off returns because it is too dangerous to keep letting Felix do it, and hold MB out till he is completely well IMHO

 

[AsthmaField]

This is exactly what I was afraid of. If he isn't fully healthy, sit the guy and don't put him out there. Every carry he has where he isn't 100%, is a wasted down. I've seen them throw plays away because they let a less than healthy Barber play.

They need to let Felix and Choice go out there, run at full speed, and earn their paycheck. Barber will do nothing but hurt the team if he isn't playing at full speed.

I love MB3 and how hard he plays. He's a tough guy. We all know that. The team doesn't need to show loyalty to him, and he doesn't need to show heart to the team. Just let a healthy Felix and Choice tear up the Panthers.

I've seen it where Emmitt at 75% was better than his backup at 100%. In that case, I agree with playing hurt. With our current group of RB's though, a hurt Barber won't help the team like a healthy Felix and Choice can.

Be smart coaches.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

Nursing a strained quadriceps muscle in his left leg, Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber received treatment Tuesday morning and hopes to play against the Panthers on Monday, a league source told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

When asked Wednesday about his condition by reporters, Barber, who rarely talks to the media, didn't seem to rule himself out.

"I'm good today, I'll be good tomorrow and then up until Monday."

An MRI taken Monday morning confirmed the strain. Coach Wade Phillips said the Cowboys would have to "wait and see on that" when asked about Barber's status during Monday's news conference. The Cowboys will see how Barber's quad responds to treatment over the next few days and then make a decision.

Barber pulled up lame at the end of a 35-yard run in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 33-31 loss to the Giants on Sunday night.

Television station KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth cited anonymous sources in reporting on Tuesday that Barber will miss one to two weeks, but the Cowboys initially said the running back was "50-50." Now, it appears to be a waiting game.


Having one extra day certainly helps the running back's situation. But if Barber, who ran for 124 yards on 18 carries Sunday against the Giants, isn't ready to go, second-year player Tashard Choice will take on a larger role on the offense. When Barber and Felix Jones were out with injuries last December, Choice stepped in and made a very favorable impression.

Jones tied a career high with 96 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on seven carries Sunday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones questioned Barber's toughness when he was injured last December, which seemed completely out of place for one of the most punishing runners in the league. Jones attempted to retract his comments later, but it still made for a bizarre situation.

To add depth, the Cowboys signed running back Chauncey Washington to their practice squad on Tuesday.

Washington played in six games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008 as a rookie seventh-round draft pick out of USC. He had only four carries for 9 yards and one catch for 9 yards.

To make room on the practice squad for Washington, the Cowboys released fullback Julius Crosslin.



Matt Mosley covers the NFC East for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

This kinda reminds me of how dumb Jerry Jones was last year for questioning Barber not coming back in the next game after dislocating his toe. This, despite no player having ever come back in 1 week from a toe injury in the last 10+ years.

I hope he doesn't try to prove anything to Jerry by playing before he's ready.

 

[CATCH17]

I'd use him strictly as a short yardage back if he believes he can go.

 

[reddyuta]

we need a healthy barber for the games after the bye week.both felix and choice have shown more than enough to carry the load.It would be a foolish risk imo.

 

[TD-33]

This kinda reminds me of how dumb Jerry Jones was last year for questioning Barber not coming back in the next game after dislocating his toe. This, despite no player having ever come back in 1 week from a toe injury in the last 10+ years.

That was pretty bad. When I read that at DMN last year I was just facepalm.jpg.

As for MBIII I don't know if you hold him out as tyhe #1 RB if he clears by the trainers and wants to start, but at the most limited time only and preferably none. I would get the beast 100% before the nasty stretch of this schedule starts.

 

[juck]

Barber: "I'm good"

Cowboys running back Marion Barber avoided a league fine of $25,000 for avoiding the media since the start of the season by talking to the media Wednesday morning. A man of action and not words, Barber didn't say much, but what he did say seems to suggest that he'll be ready to play Monday night against Carolina.
"I'm good already," said Barber, who suffered a quadriceps strain late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Giants.
Barber never definitively said that he will be in uniform and will be able to play, leaving his status at: "I'm good today. I'll be good tomorrow, and then up until Monday."
So this would seem to be good news for Barber, the team's leading rusher. We'll see in about a half-hour (1:15 p.m.) if he is on the practice field.
"I can't complain, great news," Barber said during an interview session that lasted less than two minutes.
Two minutes that avoided a $25,000 fine by the league.
Jeff Caplan


You get fined if u dont talk to the media within a certain period of time? thats absurd.