Is Barber the new RW31?

[WV Cowboy]

What drives me crazy w/ Barber is Red getting cute calling perimeter running plays w/ him. When was the last time Barber got outside and hurt a defense?

I just don't understand the thinking w/ using Barber that way.

On that last play yesterday where they stuffed Barber over and over again, had Davis PULLING out on that play. What flippin OC calls a play where you have OL pulling out when all you need is half a yard?

I questioned both of these plays yesterday myself.

I think a coaches job is to find each players strengths and weaknesses, ... exploit the strength and hide the weakness.

Barber does not have the speed to get outside. Hide that weakness. It is hard to get outside in the NFL, even Felix can't do it at will.

Our short yardage package should include one where Spears or Igor line up at FB with Choice behind them. Run Spears or Igor behind Bigg with Choice coming behind them looking for that little crease to shoot through. No pulling, just fire off the ball and crash everyone into the EZ.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

sorry, but WINNERS (and those accountable) DO NOT DUCK THE MEDIA.

EVER

that is the problem with brooking's lame comments ripping into the media.

If you feel that is too high a standards then i feel sad for you.

That's dumb though. You owe it to your teammates to be accountable. Not the media. What the hell does the media do? You know how you become accountable? You tell it to your coaches. To your teammates and you go out there and dominate. That's being accountable. Telling Steve Dennis you suck and need to get better? I've heard it all before.

 

[Gadfly22]

MBIII is a good back but with minimally acceptable speed and zero elusiveness. (Plus he doesn't set up his blocks like Choice does -- a guy who knows he's not the fastest but can make use of the guys in front of him.) That means MBIII needs good blocking AND a game plan that doesn't let the defense tee up when Romo goes under center.

But Garrett doesn't do that. Play action is a thing of the past, screen passes are few and far between, even quick slants that would force LBs to hesitate or take a step back are rare. So the RBs are sent between the tackles (despite Felix's speed to the outside), Romo sets up in the shotgun for 5-step drop-type passes and the best runs are pass-fake draws.

It's nice that this offense has more yardage than past teams at this point in the season. But it sure seems like it doesn't scare anyone, and it's been having trouble finding the end zone. I think the reason is the OG and his game plans more than MBIII's legs.

 

[casmith07]

I think he has a bad wheel and we will find out more about it at the end of the year.

He looked like a completely different back before his leg injury.

I bet he has a hole in his leg from that injury.

This could also be the case and I overlooked that completely earlier in the thread.

Until he pulled that hammy/quad in Week 2, he looked like an absolute monster. He looked much faster too.

 

[casmith07]

Felix and Choice wouldn't have gotten as close as Barber did.

You're right. They would've been standing next to the goal post after scoring.

 

[RS12]

He has lost a step and the O Line leaks like sieve. Bad combination.

 

[TheGoat73]

I have really been all for benching him this year.

 

[chinch]

That's dumb though. You owe it to your teammates to be accountable. Not the media. What the hell does the media do? You know how you become accountable? You tell it to your coaches. To your teammates and you go out there and dominate. That's being accountable. Telling Steve Dennis you suck and need to get better? I've heard it all before.

The boys haven't dominated in Dec/Jan since '95.

what you say is laughable. anyone can be ACCOUNTABLE WHEN THEY WIN. ROTFLMAO. It's when you hit hard times when it REALLY MATTERS.

the media communicates directly to the fans who pay (in this case) Barber's salary. No fans, no MBIII playing football, no Jerry Jones owning Dallas Cowboys, etc.

Ducking from the press shows immaturity and lack of leadership among other character flaws. Right on cue for Decembers losers.

 

[odog422]

Hopefully you guys are right about this. I just thought that by now, especially after the 10-day Thanksgiving break, he'd be pretty much okay by now.

Whatever it is, I think he may be our third best back right now. I think one of the other two, especially Felix, would've scored on the goal line play where Barber got so close. Because it's not all about running over people; it's just as much about finding the soft spot in the line and getting to and through it.

Something Choice excels at by the way....

 

[odog422]

Felix and Choice wouldn't have gotten as close as Barber did.

Choice would've scored.

 

[masomenos]

Choice would've scored.

Barber has the 8th highest Success Rate in the league. It's doubtful that Choice or Felix would have done any better.

 

[Kangaroo]

I've rarely seen a relatively young layer decline so rapidly. He almost reminds me of Roy Williams in that he was never quick to begin with, but then he seemed to lose a step and was done.

Really, what good is Barber right now? He can't seem to bulldoze people anymore, and the big runs he does get are through huge holes where Felix or Choice would get more yards than he does.

I'm not really bashing the guy, because we all love his heart and effort, but he's a total spare right now. I just can't believe how fast it seemed to happen.

I find it funny I was bashed for saying I liked Barber but did not think he was an every down back but a good back that runs hard and should not get a large contract.

I am not surprised at all I did not see how he could hold up year in year out running like he did and getting more carries than he ever had.

Barber should be getting 10-15 touches and he is a second half back and is great when the defense is tired and he can go ram into them it is much easier to break the tackle then than early in the game when they are fresh

 

[AmericasTeam31]

He is being ruined just like the Yankees are ruining Joba Chamberlain by making him a starter.


Barber was a knockout artist as a late game player. A closer.

Joba was lights out out of the pen for 1-2 innings.


NOW, Barber fumbles and gets tackled.
NOW, Joba's fastball is 4-5 mph slower.

This is ludacris as far as Barber's concerned... He is the "starter" but who in their right mind believes that the 13.83 carries a game he avgs. is too many? He used to get that in the fourth quarter alone! How does that ruin him?

The difference as I see it, is that we haven't been winning the close games in the fourth quarter... we've been playing catch up instead. Who closed out the Philly game running the ball...? that was really the only game in which we had the chance to run out the clock... He never did get a ton of yardage early in the game, but we were winning alot of close games in the fourth quarter and he'd get 10 straight carries and destroy the defense, but when has he had that chance this season?

 

[TD-33]

I've rarely seen a relatively young layer decline so rapidly. He almost reminds me of Roy Williams in that he was never quick to begin with, but then he seemed to lose a step and was done.

Really, what good is Barber right now? He can't seem to bulldoze people anymore, and the big runs he does get are through huge holes where Felix or Choice would get more yards than he does.

I'm not really bashing the guy, because we all love his heart and effort, but he's a total spare right now. I just can't believe how fast it seemed to happen.

I don't think it is for lack of effort, and we all knew he wasn't a speedster as you mentioned. MBIII is a bruiser type of back, but at 220 he isn't really "big" enough to be a consistent move the pile kind of back. I believe what made him a star is still there and that is; he lowers his head and will lay into anyone, he has nice lateral movement and nasty stiff-arm too, overall a very violent runner unlike Felix for example. If I were Garrett I would have a special goal-line formation with Ratliff as the RB. The Fridge II.
But anyway, MBIII is still the Barbarian.

 

[WV Cowboy]

This is ludacris as far as Barber's concerned... He is the "starter" but who in their right mind believes that the 13.83 carries a game he avgs. is too many? He used to get that in the fourth quarter alone! How does that ruin him?

The difference as I see it, is that we haven't been winning the close games in the fourth quarter... we've been playing catch up instead. Who closed out the Philly game running the ball...? that was really the only game in which we had the chance to run out the clock... He never did get a ton of yardage early in the game, but we were winning alot of close games in the fourth quarter and he'd get 10 straight carries and destroy the defense, but when has he had that chance this season?

I think it was the Commanders game, we had to punt it back to them at the end instead of running out the clock.

"Getting the ball at the Washington 37, Romo handed off to Barber for no gain, the Commanders then calling timeout. Barber then got the call again, this time managing two. On third and eight, Barber took a pitch around the right side, gaining only two, Dallas then calling their first timeout with just 14 seconds left. McBriar came on for the punt, Hall calling for the fair catch at his own 14."

 

[Christiann]

Newman and Barber to Oakland for Asomuhga! :

 

[EPL0c0]

I've rarely seen a relatively young layer decline so rapidly. He almost reminds me of Roy Williams in that he was never quick to begin with, but then he seemed to lose a step and was done.

Really, what good is Barber right now? He can't seem to bulldoze people anymore, and the big runs he does get are through huge holes where Felix or Choice would get more yards than he does.

I'm not really bashing the guy, because we all love his heart and effort, but he's a total spare right now. I just can't believe how fast it seemed to happen.

No, watch the video of the goalline failure. Watch as the OLinemen get stuffed and the LB's hit the gaps and stop Barber. He had no chance on either of those plays.

 

[TwoDeep3]

I'm not sure there is any fan that can make an intelligent comment on what or what not Barber is. Since not one of us truly knows his health issues or if he lost a step or not.

Roy Williams decline was in direct relationship to Darren Woodson's leaving. Suddenly he didn't have someone to tell hi9m what to do and where to play.

 

[odog422]

Barber has the 8th highest Success Rate in the league. It's doubtful that Choice or Felix would have done any better.

I disagree with your assumption. Neither Choice or Felix gets the chances Barber does so stats are kind of meaningless for this argument. Choice has demonstrated to be the best of the three negotiating tight spaces.

He's the most natural and instinctive and the best between the tackles runner of the three.

 

[AmericasTeam31]

I think it was the Commanders game, we had to punt it back to them at the end instead of running out the clock.

"Getting the ball at the Washington 37, Romo handed off to Barber for no gain, the Commanders then calling timeout. Barber then got the call again, this time managing two. On third and eight, Barber took a pitch around the right side, gaining only two, Dallas then calling their first timeout with just 14 seconds left. McBriar came on for the punt, Hall calling for the fair catch at his own 14."

With 14 seconds left? Wow, just wow...