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Posted on Sat, Dec. 17, 2005
Barber has given Cowboys booster shot of confidence
By RICK HERRIN
Star-Telegram Staff WriterIRVING
--
The final drive against Kansas City showed how the Cowboys feel about running back Marion Barber.
Coach Bill Parcells and the Cowboys' offense leaned on Barber, not Julius Jones, to make something happen. Barber touched the ball seven times and helped carry the biggest drive of the season.
In the pressure of the moment, Barber excelled as the lead back. The Cowboys completed the drive with a game-winning touchdown last Sunday, topping the Chiefs 31-28, and further exemplified that Barber might currently be the best option in the backfield.
Parcells will stick with Jones as his starter, but Barber seemingly has etched a place in the Cowboys' future offensive plans. Barber outrushed Jones against the Chiefs and provided a more effective spark.
"He did his job and when we needed him, he came through for us," said Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell, who caught the game-winning 1-yard scoring pass. "His confidence has grown, and everybody's confidence in him has grown."
Barber finished with a team-leading 15 carries for 82 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and also had two catches for 32 yards on the winning drive. He produced three first downs, one on a nifty third-down catch, and got the Cowboys to the Chiefs' 6-yard line with a 21-yard catch-and-run.
"We asked him to do a lot and recognize a lot," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "It's surprising he's able to handle as much as we have given him and do a good job with it."
The crunch-time production came a week after Barber unexpectedly disappeared in the Cowboys' plans against the New York Giants. That is not likely to happen again. Especially with Jones still not appearing to be the runner he was a year ago.
"After that [Giants] game was over," Parcells said, "I felt like we needed to make sure we used him [Barber] a little bit more."
Barber, who owns the Cowboys' only 100-yard game this season (against Arizona), had two carries for 8 yards and no receptions against the Giants two games ago.
As the Cowboys approach a make-or-break three-game stretch beginning with Washington on Sunday, Barber expects a similar role to the one he had against the Chiefs.
"In tough situations, they [the Cowboys' coaches] are wanting to get the ball in his hands," tight end Jason Witten said. "He runs with power and has done a great job when we needed him to."
Barber sparked a running game that showed some life with 129 yards rushing against the Chiefs. Jones chipped in with 41 yards on 12 carries (3.4 yards per carry).
Jones, who had 819 yards last season in eight games, missed three games with an ankle sprain. He has a 3.5 yard-per-carry average and only one run of more than 20 yards.
Witten said the team hasn't lost confidence in Jones.
"So much of that is just getting the confidence back," Witten said. "He might be thinking about it too much. I'm sure it's hard; he hears it every day from the media, coaches. Obviously, it's probably not the year he expected to have. He's still a good running back for us, and he's our guy."
Barber also has been their guy. He has had most of his success running from spread formations on draw plays when the defense has fewer players near the line of scrimmage.
Jones has struggled to make big plays or gain big chunks from more run-based formations.
"It's a little harder to run the ball in some of the sets we have with Julius in there," Campbell said. "Do I think he's running like he did last year? No. But I don't think he's running bad."
Barber has three runs of 20-plus yards and five touchdowns. His 28-yard run against Kansas City tied his own mark as the Cowboys' longest run of the season.
"I was just trying to make plays and didn't want to make any mistakes," Barber said. "I just know I have to be ready. I felt really good. If you make fewer mistakes, that is definitely what's going to get the coaches' attention."
Briefly
Rookie defensive end Chris Canty returned to practice Friday after missing two practices this week with a sprained left ankle. He is expected to play Sunday and might make his third consecutive start at right end in place of veteran Greg Ellis.
The Cowboys worked out three players Friday: former Sam Houston State and Texas A&M quarterback Dustin Long, East Carolina receiver Richard Alston and Maine receiver Christian Pereira.
dallascowboys.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Herrin, (817) 390-7760 rickherrin@star-telegram.com
Barber has given Cowboys booster shot of confidence
By RICK HERRIN
Star-Telegram Staff WriterIRVING
--
The final drive against Kansas City showed how the Cowboys feel about running back Marion Barber.
Coach Bill Parcells and the Cowboys' offense leaned on Barber, not Julius Jones, to make something happen. Barber touched the ball seven times and helped carry the biggest drive of the season.
In the pressure of the moment, Barber excelled as the lead back. The Cowboys completed the drive with a game-winning touchdown last Sunday, topping the Chiefs 31-28, and further exemplified that Barber might currently be the best option in the backfield.
Parcells will stick with Jones as his starter, but Barber seemingly has etched a place in the Cowboys' future offensive plans. Barber outrushed Jones against the Chiefs and provided a more effective spark.
"He did his job and when we needed him, he came through for us," said Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell, who caught the game-winning 1-yard scoring pass. "His confidence has grown, and everybody's confidence in him has grown."
Barber finished with a team-leading 15 carries for 82 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and also had two catches for 32 yards on the winning drive. He produced three first downs, one on a nifty third-down catch, and got the Cowboys to the Chiefs' 6-yard line with a 21-yard catch-and-run.
"We asked him to do a lot and recognize a lot," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "It's surprising he's able to handle as much as we have given him and do a good job with it."
The crunch-time production came a week after Barber unexpectedly disappeared in the Cowboys' plans against the New York Giants. That is not likely to happen again. Especially with Jones still not appearing to be the runner he was a year ago.
"After that [Giants] game was over," Parcells said, "I felt like we needed to make sure we used him [Barber] a little bit more."
Barber, who owns the Cowboys' only 100-yard game this season (against Arizona), had two carries for 8 yards and no receptions against the Giants two games ago.
As the Cowboys approach a make-or-break three-game stretch beginning with Washington on Sunday, Barber expects a similar role to the one he had against the Chiefs.
"In tough situations, they [the Cowboys' coaches] are wanting to get the ball in his hands," tight end Jason Witten said. "He runs with power and has done a great job when we needed him to."
Barber sparked a running game that showed some life with 129 yards rushing against the Chiefs. Jones chipped in with 41 yards on 12 carries (3.4 yards per carry).
Jones, who had 819 yards last season in eight games, missed three games with an ankle sprain. He has a 3.5 yard-per-carry average and only one run of more than 20 yards.
Witten said the team hasn't lost confidence in Jones.
"So much of that is just getting the confidence back," Witten said. "He might be thinking about it too much. I'm sure it's hard; he hears it every day from the media, coaches. Obviously, it's probably not the year he expected to have. He's still a good running back for us, and he's our guy."
Barber also has been their guy. He has had most of his success running from spread formations on draw plays when the defense has fewer players near the line of scrimmage.
Jones has struggled to make big plays or gain big chunks from more run-based formations.
"It's a little harder to run the ball in some of the sets we have with Julius in there," Campbell said. "Do I think he's running like he did last year? No. But I don't think he's running bad."
Barber has three runs of 20-plus yards and five touchdowns. His 28-yard run against Kansas City tied his own mark as the Cowboys' longest run of the season.
"I was just trying to make plays and didn't want to make any mistakes," Barber said. "I just know I have to be ready. I felt really good. If you make fewer mistakes, that is definitely what's going to get the coaches' attention."
Briefly
Rookie defensive end Chris Canty returned to practice Friday after missing two practices this week with a sprained left ankle. He is expected to play Sunday and might make his third consecutive start at right end in place of veteran Greg Ellis.
The Cowboys worked out three players Friday: former Sam Houston State and Texas A&M quarterback Dustin Long, East Carolina receiver Richard Alston and Maine receiver Christian Pereira.
dallascowboys.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick Herrin, (817) 390-7760 rickherrin@star-telegram.com
