Damn Plasticman, I normally am with you, but I think he is a bruising back kind of like Marion.
*Had that one run not been stopped by the hold call I think it breaks his long. He was still going forward when they were blowing.
I wish he were Marion Barber.
The first time that Dowdle ever carried the ball on a 3rd down play was last month. He did it three times All three times was when the Cowboys were winning or losing by two TD's or more. He got a 1st down once. He has carreid the ball in the 4th quarter of games 15 times in his career and only three times the Cowboys weren't ahead by double digits. He wasn't there becasue they needed his power to run out the clock in a close game. He was there because they didn't want to risk Pollard.
If they considered Dowdle to be a bruising back then he would be in the red zone far more often. Rico is filler. He takes the excess carries at a point when his productivity doesn't effect the game. He doesn't really have any special role on the offense, They don't bring him in for short yardage situations. He's not their 3rd down receiving back. He's pretty much a "warm body", "trash time" replacement for Pollard.
He does have one thing in common with Barber. He has been misevaluated and an example of the disrespect that Jerry Jones has for the importance of a solid running game. Jerry has always been about the flashy spectacle, the exciting big play, the acrobatic display of the passing game. If you could fit Jerry's personality to a specific position in football it would be at WR and that is where he puts his money most of the time.
Remember, we are talking about the GM that once said Emmitt was a luxury, not a necessity.
Right now the Cowboys RB squad features a career 2nd back, a 6th round pick that is considered tiny by NFL standards and three undrafted free agents with less than a100 combined NFL carries between them. This is not a situation that is going to get better as the season progresses. This is especially true when you consider the state of the offensive line.
The Cowboys had the ability and resources to turn the RB squad into an advantage and they let it run right past them. As a result, they are a one dimensional, limited offense with a QB running for his life 75% of the time.
