*IS* Marion Barber an "ELITE" RB?

[AbeBeta]

he isn't elite by any stretch -- he's not a guy that can carry the entire load - that's not a knock against him -- there are very few guys like that around him -- he is a great back and I'd love to hear about a long term deal from him soon

 

[DallasDomination]

WRONG! And if you think he will maintain that hard running style indefinitely, especially after signing for a truckload of guaranteed money, then find the woman with the tallest blue hair you can find and get a job at a nuclear plant.

You know for a fact Barber will stop running hard after He gets paid?

Look Barber might not last 5-10 years but if H can give us 2-3 more seasons like this last one, with more carries ofcourse, I will be ok with that.

 

[DallasDomination]

Nobody can do it by themselves for a whole season anymore..There is a one -two punch now a days. The main back, Which in this case would be Barber and the secondary back.

 

[random Cs]

Not with around 200 carries a season.

If he's able to handle around 20 carries a game and still consistently run hard then he will be. If he's able to do that then his value grows considerably. Might be a good idea for Dallas to lock him up now.

 

[silverbear]

I'll 2nd this one.

There are a lot of smart posters in this thread... in the fullness of time, Barber may prove to be an elite back, but he hasn't proven that yet...

Sure hope he does...

 

[kristie]

There are a lot of smart posters in this thread... in the fullness of time, Barber may prove to be an elite back, but he hasn't proven that yet...

Sure hope he does...

me too. i like mb3.

 

[burmafrd]

First you have to define ELITE. To me Elite is LT, Westbrook; was LJ but now we have to see if he still is. Was ALexander, but he is done. Jackson had ONE great year; so did Gore. To me Elite is AT LEAST THREE great years. AP looks like he will be= have to see. So AT this time there are at MOST 3 elite backs in the NFL. MB is not even close.
My ranking as of this moment:
LT
Westbrook
AP
LJ
After that you have the guys that have had ONE great year and are more then rookies or second year guys (Jackson, Gore, maybe a couple of others.
Then you have MB. So right now I would consider him THIRD Tier- but still close to the top 10.
A very good back= BUT since he has not carried the load for a full season it is at this time IMPOSSIBLE to consider him elite.

I have a hard time thinking he can last a full season with a full load.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Not to change the subject but who would you rather pay Newman or Barber next year? Might come to that.. I rather pay Newman..

I keep Newman, easy decision.

Why? It is not too hard to find a servicable RB and it is probably the easiest position for rookies to be successsful at.

Cover corners are like freaking gold in the NFL, a DECENT CB in free agency will run you $10 mill per year .

It is alot easier to replace Barber than Newman.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Was just watching MB3's agent, Drew Rosenhause on SportsCenter and he was talking about the kind of contract/money that MB3 deserves.

He said that he is a Pro Bowl running and should be paid like a Pro Bowl running back. He then said MB3 is an elite running back and he should be paid like an elite running back (not verbatim 'cept for "elite").

My question, IS Marion Barber III an "elite" running back in the NFL? Has he proven enough in his 2 years to warrant that label?

I love MB3, but I'd say no. Not as a 3year, 3game starter. We do have to realize that many of his yards came later in games w/ Dallas carrying a lead. Is he the kind of RB that can break open a game and take a lead away from an opponent? I most certainly hope so, but right now... I don't think we've seen enough to say yes for sure.

I'm just weary of ending up w/ a high priced change-of-pace guy

No, Barber is not in the same league as AP or LT (top 2 backs in the NFL right now).

If Rosenhaus and Barber want $40-$60 mill and will not budge, they can go find another team to play for. That is just stupid money being asked for by these two guys.

 

[Cowboysfan22]

nope he's not there yet because he lacks speed.

 

[Romo2Dez4six]

No, Barber is not in the same league as AP or LT (top 2 backs in the NFL right now).

If Rosenhaus and Barber want $40-$60 mill and will not budge, they can go find another team to play for. That is just stupid money being asked for by these two guys.

 

[mmillman]

no but he is good. An elite rb wouldn't need a partner. Barber has everything except speed and that is given for the most part.

 

[Thick 'N Hearty]

Like most in this thread, I think Barber is damn good, but he hasn't reached elite status. How can we determine that when he's been the mop up man throughout his early career with very few starts? If he can carry the load for the next 2-3 years and be consistent, then he could reach that status. Having one breakout year won't make him elite.

When you start talking about elite, you're talking about the best of the best. LT, Westbrook, F. Taylor and Portis are considered elite. They are consistent starters every year unless an injury is involved. Barber could get there, but he's not there yet. I want to see if he can sustain a full season playing against defenses at the beginning of games when they are fresh, not at the end when they are dragging arse.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

No. Next question.

 

[AbeBeta]

I have a hard time thinking he can last a full season with a full load.

on that we agree -- I just don't think his running style lends itself to 300+ carries

 

[DallasDomination]

I hate that Elite Label...

Yea maybe BArber isnt elite but He is better then Good. He doesnt have top speed, but He can improve. He's still young, He can work on His flaws and lead the Cowboys with about 18-22 Carries a game easilly IMO.

 

[ctrous25]

I love MBIII, but he is not even the best player on the team. He is still behind Romo, TO, Newman, Ware, and Witten. When I think of an "elite" back I think of a team that centers around there running back. Long story short, hes not worth more than 30 mil.

most teams dont have the players that the cowboys do.. so I disagree with that statement if Barber played for a team like falcons,texans,bills etc he would be the best player although I dont call him elite yet he will be after this year and he still wont be a top 5 player on the cowboys

 

[Q_the_man]

Nope. Let him carry the load this year and see how he does. If he is great, we'll pay him accordingly. But dropping 40 mill on him now I think is ridiculous. We have him signed for next year, lets see how he does.

We dropped all that Money on Romo, after he played about 12 games......Barber is good and I would hate to see him leave. pay now b4 season, and we probably can save about 20 mil....

 

[skinsscalper]

Barber had two 40+ yard runs this year in 204 carries. That's two more 40+ yard runs that Clinton Portis has had in the last two years with nearly twice as many carries and the same number of 40+ yard runs as Ladanian Tomlinson had in 2007 with 50% more carries.

Barber averages a 20+ yard run every 31.8 carries. By comparison, LT has a 20+ yard run every 33.8 carries and Portis every 41.7 carries.

MBIII may not ever break a 90 yard run, but the idea that he hasn't been a big play back is just wrong.

Now, now, don't go mucking up somebody's agenda with all these facts.

 

[Dodger]

I don't think he's elite yet...and might never be. But we don't need him to be elite. We just need him to continue to be productive.

Which he likely will, but not to the tune of a $60 million contract. The way I see it, if he's still asking for that kind of money next January, then let him walk.



Yeah, I know. But the thing is, I've learned not to get too emotionally caught up in running backs. Their NFL careers are generally short; they more often than not share time with other backs; and they can often be had in the second, third, or fourth round...sometimes even later than that. Why would anyone invest that kind of money into someone other than a franchise back? And most backs these days are NOT franchise backs.

If it was me, I wouldn't be looking for a complimentary back in this year's draft. I'd be looking for a guy like Barber, someone who can take over if Barber is gone...a scenario which just might happen if Rosenhaus and his client continue to ask for that kind of money.

Bottom line: I like Barber, but I'm not so infatuated with him that I'd want to see him get a contract that might hurt the organization financially. Jerry Jones needs to just stick to his number and be patient. Meanwhile, Dallas has this draft and next year's draft to find Barber's potential replacement(s). If Barber caves and takes less, fine. If not, Dallas moves on.