Why bust on Barber?

[Eskimo]

because he can't do any of this any more

[youtube]ftCEMlruseM[/youtube]

It has been a very long time since we have seen him run with any kind of authority or burst. Heck, it seems like it has been a long time since he broke a tackle.

I'd honestly be very surprised if there is any gas left in his tank. He really doesn't look like the same player at all.

 

[CF74]

because he can't do any of this any more

[youtube]Eggbw29CpuY[/youtube]

prove me MBIII

He looked a lot leaner/meaner in those shots...:cry:

 

[T-RO]

Because Felix is better.

Because Choice is better.

Because Barber fumbles a lot.

Because Barber can't pick up the short yards when needed.

Because I'm sick of him celebrating after a 6 yd run.

Because I'm tired of patting other teams' players on the helmet at all times.

I'm tired of him not hitting the hole and trying to bust everything outside.

I'm tired of watching him lose yardage.

But, hey, other than that...

Good lawd, Ninja. You need to get out and catch some fresh air. People who makes lists that long about dislikes...cataloging their unhappiness...hmmmm.

We are talking about an emotional player who plays with fire and, when healthy, has been very productive. I might want to see more carries from Choice but I'm not going to push every end-of-the-world button in my reach to make it happen. Nor do I eat my own.

Geesh.

 

[T-RO]

I'd honestly be very surprised if there is any gas left in his tank. He really doesn't look like the same player at all.

Nah. I completely and categorically disagree.

I saw the same Barber during the first two games of the season. Then his leg injury messed him up.

 

[T-RO]

This is more on the coaches than anybody else and I'm not so sure some of this pressure to get every penny out of this kid isn't coming from Jerry also...

I can ride with that...but Marion I'm sure was also pressing to play. I do think you've got to keep your horses fresh...even when they don't like it.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

He's just not 100% right now. Hopefully, next year he will be.

 

[gimmesix]

because he can't do any of this any more

Other than the stiff-arm, you could put together a similar highlight film from this season. That's what a lot of people seem to forget.

Their mind's eye is stuck on the third-and-1s or fourth-and-1s or other bad plays, not the ones he made, and he did make a lot more than he's given credit for around here.

 

[UnoDallas]

He looked a lot leaner/meaner in those shots...

yes he sure does IMO also - maybe he has added to much muscle

 

[Eskimo]

Other than the stiff-arm, you could put together a similar highlight film from this season. That's what a lot of people seem to forget.

Their mind's eye is stuck on the third-and-1s or fourth-and-1s or other bad plays, not the ones he made, and he did make a lot more than he's given credit for around here.

Then prove us wrong and make one.

Better yet, name even one great run after the second week of the season.

 

[mmillman]

overpaid and in todays game you have to be wise about the salary cap.

 

[Kangaroo]

I'll never understand what fans are thinking when they make these types of statements.
If you, (the average fan) thinks he needs a reduced role because he can't do any thing else, what would we get for him from GMs or coaches who know better?

Barber was injured most of the season. If Roy Williams deserves more time to jell, Barber certainly deserves time to heal.

RW11 contract is what giving him more time if he was not guaranteed all that money even if we cut him then I think he be gone 9 million guaranteed bonus next year ouch

 

[UnoDallas]

Other than the stiff-arm, you could put together a similar highlight film from this season. That's what a lot of people seem to forget.

Their mind's eye is stuck on the third-and-1s or fourth-and-1s or other bad plays, not the ones he made, and he did make a lot more than he's given credit for around here.

I don' think there are any - just kidding

third-and-1s or fourth-and-1s or other bad plays, not the ones he made, and he did make a lot more than he's given credit for around here

well did he make alot of third an ones ?

were do you find that ? info

 

[UnoDallas]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...source=usatoday.com&utm_medium=dallas-cowboys

Most of Barber's successful runs are up the middle, and if a running hole is there, Barber can get good yardage. But he rarely turns the corner any more, evidenced by the no gain he had in the first drive when he turned a stalled run outside but was upended near the sidelines by the safety. A season or two ago, Barber used to be able to turn that corner and bull his way for a few more yards.

That is not the case anymore.

When Barber was his most effective two seasons ago, Julius Jones was the starter with Barber getting an occasional play or two, many times a screen pass which he gained chunks of yardage. Barber would then come in middle of the third to fourth quarter and with his punishing style of running (and fresh legs) would chew up the tired defenses for big gains. Whether the Cowboys were winning or losing this was the M.O., but Barber was even more effective with a Cowboy lead.

But Barber is not a lead back, especially with two seasons on those used to be fresh legs. All those instances of running over defenders getting the extra couple of yards have taken their toll.

Second year tailback Felix Jones was superb on that drive (five rushes for 37 yards), but curiously did not get the ball on any of the plays inside the four yard line when the Cowboys had a first and goal. Marion Barber got the call four straight times and was unable to penetrate the Charger defense for the score

 

[gimmesix]

Then prove us wrong and make one.

Better yet, name even one great run after the second week of the season.

Not my thing. Go back and watch the regular-season finale and tell me that Barber isn't the same player he was a couple of years ago. The only thing he lacks is that great stiff-arm the league took away from him.

 

[Eskimo]

Not my thing. Go back and watch the regular-season finale and tell me that Barber isn't the same player he was a couple of years ago. The only thing he lacks is that great stiff-arm the league took away from him.

All I saw was a guy who could run through gigantic holes and who didn't have much speed anymore. I also saw a guy run through a giant hole only to fall flat on his face after a 10-yard gain basically untouched.

He gained yards that day - those yards came from the OL almost entirely.

Barber isn't the same guy he was at the start of the 2008 season. You can blame Garrett and JJ for that.

 

[Idgit]

Not my thing. Go back and watch the regular-season finale and tell me that Barber isn't the same player he was a couple of years ago. The only thing he lacks is that great stiff-arm the league took away from him.

What, you don't have the patience to prove to a bunch of kids who can't remember what happened in the season they just watched that it's not appropriate to dump on someone who plays well and hard just because he didn't meet their ridiculous expectations in the first place? Really, you should spend some time making them a video that they'll just ignore anyway.

I don't know about a whole season of highlights, but here's some stuff from one of the 16 regular season games.

 

[Eskimo]

What, you don't have the patience to prove to a bunch of kids who can't remember what happened in the season they just watched that it's not appropriate to dump on someone who plays well and hard just because he didn't meet their ridiculous expectations in the first place? Really, you should spend some time making them a video that they'll just ignore anyway.

I don't know about a whole season of highlights, but here's some stuff from one of the 16 regular season games.

Most of those runs were nothing great.

On that last run he at least ran through the tackle of the safety to gain several more yards.

No one is arguing he is the worst RB in the league. I think what is being argued is that he is clearly worse than Felix and not clearly better than Choice. He is also much worse than he was 2 years ago. Nothing on that highlight reel would contradict that. Go back and look at the highlight reel from his earlier years and tell me if he has the same burst or physicality. I certainly don't think so.

 

[gimmesix]

He gained yards that day - those yards came from the OL almost entirely.

Barber isn't the same guy he was at the start of the 2008 season. You can blame Garrett and JJ for that.

So when Barber gets yards they come from the OL almost entirely, but Felix and Choice just make their own. Come on now.

The only big difference between Barber then and Barber now is the absence of his wicked stiff-arm. When he is injured, he's obviously not the same player, nor is Felix or any other back. But when he's healthy, he still runs over people, still makes his hard cuts to get into the open (although, yes, he fell down on one), and still makes plays.

What are we living in a time when people can only remember last week? I guess somehow they magically gave him 4.4 yards a carry this season since he's not capable of averaging just .4 yards less than he did when he was a different guy.

 

[Idgit]

Most of those runs were nothing great.

On that last run he at least ran through the tackle of the safety to gain several more yards.

No one is arguing he is the worst RB in the league. I think what is being argued is that he is clearly worse than Felix and not clearly better than Choice. He is also much worse than he was 2 years ago. Nothing on that highlight reel would contradict that. Go back and look at the highlight reel from his earlier years and tell me if he has the same burst or physicality. I certainly don't think so.

Ok. Now you're just being silly. He played great in that game, and every run on that clip was a good play. Take the best plays out of his other 17 games this year and you're going to have an impressive reel.

He's not as good as Felix, but that's not saying all that much. Marion Barber is a good player and a good teammate and there's absolutely no reason to get rid of him or to create unnecessary contention between him and Choice. He's not going anywhere, and we shouldn't be in such a hurry to dump on him for the next flavor of the week. Especially because we'd just be dumping on his replacement the next season, anyway.

 

[Eskimo]

So when Barber gets yards they come from the OL almost entirely, but Felix and Choice just make their own. Come on now.

The only big difference between Barber then and Barber now is the absence of his wicked stiff-arm. When he is injured, he's obviously not the same player, nor is Felix or any other back. But when he's healthy, he still runs over people, still makes his hard cuts to get into the open (although, yes, he fell down on one), and still makes plays.

What are we living in a time when people can only remember last week? I guess somehow they magically gave him 4.4 yards a carry this season since he's not capable of averaging just .4 yards less than he did when he was a different guy.

Again, you're missing the main point - it is not at all obvious to most that he is any better than Choice. It is the concensus of nearly the entire football world that he is inferior to Felix. He was also not as good a player in 2009 as he was back in 2007.

Yes, he probably is injured. I wouldn't doubt if he is always nicked up from here on out. That is what happens to an overabused body.

If they cut down a lot (~ 30-40%) on his carries, he might be much more effective overall and not always be banged up.

I do hope Barber regains his old form next year with Felix as the starter. We are a better team with a "2007 Barber" back again. His salary doesn't escalate into the unaffordable range for two more years. Choice and Felix will still be fairly cheap until then so we can probably afford the status quo.

All that I want is Felix to get 15-25 touches per game with most of those touches runs but with more involvement in the passing game, especially a whole bunch of screens. We must be careful not to overuse Felix the same way we did Barber. I still think the fear about Felix being unable to carry 20 times a game is more myth than reality but when you have 3 backs to split the carries, there is no point in overusing one of them.