Why bust on Barber?

[Beast_from_East]

I will never understand the need on message boards to badmouth one player at a position in order to promote another player at that position.

A good example of this was when fans were talking bad about Jenkins at the beginning of the season in order to build up Scandrick. Then, late in the season, fans were talking bad about Newman in order to build up Jenkins.

We seem to play favorites with our Cowboys instead of appreciating all our players. There is nothing wrong with legitimate criticism, but why do we have to bring down one guy in order to build up another?

That brings me to Barber. Fans want to bench him or trade him because of their favoritism toward Felix Jones and/or Tashard Choice.

What did Barber do to deserve this treatment? He only averaged 4.4 yards per carry during the regular season while being the back the Cowboys called upon primarily in short-yardage situations. He only rushed for almost 1,000 yards (923) on 214 carries. He only rushed for 7 touchdowns in the regular season. He only played with his usual frenetic style that is exciting for us and the team but often leads to injury.

It's amazing that only a couple of seasons ago, fans were singing his praises and looking forward to him being the starter when he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and rushed for 10 touchdowns while subbing with Julius Jones. But now, partly because of his playoff performance while hurt, fans want to get rid of him.

Now, I'm all for the right division of labor at a loaded position, but can we hold off on undermining the play of a player who has been part of the reason for this team's success? It's OK to want more playing time for Felix and even Choice, but can we do so on their own merits not by tearing down Barber?

Thanks

The problem is that Barber has not looked like himself this year. The Barber of 2 years ago would never be stuffed 3 straight times at the 1 yard line against San Diego or get stuffed on 4th and short like he did several other times this year. That is not the fans making stuff up, that is Barber not playing up to the standard he set for himself.

Now it could be injuries, it could be he is breaking down from the wear and tear, or it could be that now that he got paid he doesnt give a **** anymore. I dont really know what the problem is myself and it really doesnt matter anymore at this point.

Right now Felix Jones is far superior a RB than Barber, I have yet to hear any logical argument to the contrary. Unless Felix is injured, he should have the majority of the carries this next season.

 

[Eskimo]

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.

I said none of those runs were great. A few of them were quite good. The one where he fell down on his own wasn't good although he got 8 yards because the blocking was great. The first one where he gained 32 yards goes another 20 if Felix was carrying the ball. On one run he kind of got jacked up by Trotter. Now compare that to the old Barber.

I'm not supporting getting rid of Barber. The only reason to do that would be for future cap relief but Adam said that players released this year would not give their team cap relief in the end if the cap is brought back for 2011. Under those conditions, my guess is Barber sticks around 2 more years and then will need a renegotiation or be released outright.

If this team was smart, they would try and trade Barber to the highest bidder (prefer a 2nd round pick) and find a #3 RB either late in the draft or FA. I think that would be fair because Barber could be the starter somewhere else and Felix could start here with Choice as his backup.

 

[Beast_from_East]

So what could the Cowboys realistically get in a trade for a situational RB who doesn't have blazing speed, can't stay healthy, and has a big contract?

Barber could probably get us a 5th, maybe a 4th if we find some sucker.


The problem is that RB is the easiest position for a rookie to play, that is why so many rookie RBs come into the league and rip it up from day 1 when rookies at other positions take a season or longer to start contributing.

So why would a team trade for a vet with a hugh contract when they can just draft a guy themselves and get good production immediately out of him???

 

[Beast_from_East]

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

Dont worry about the cap, it is going bye bye and will never return (according to the NFLPA).

 

[Idgit]

If this team was smart, they would try and trade Barber to the highest bidder (prefer a 2nd round pick) and find a #3 RB either late in the draft or FA. I think that would be fair because Barber could be the starter somewhere else and Felix could start here with Choice as his backup.

I wouldn't have a problem with that except that there's no way we'd ever get a 2nd for Barber at this point. He's ours for a couple more years, at least, so we might as well enjoy him.

 

[George]

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...

See, this is the stuff that's ridiculous.

Choice and Jones play different roles than Barber, it doesn't mean they are better just like it didn't mean that Troy Hambrick was better when he averaged around a yard more per carry as a backup than Emmitt Smith.

Jones brings a different dynamic that Dallas needs on the field, but Barber does the grunt work. He does not fumble any more than any of the others (3 in 116 carries for Jones; 2 in 214 for Barber this year). He's a better short-yardage back than given credit for and the failings he has had aren't all on him. His celebrations are all about him being pumped and excited.

There is just a complete lack of credit and understanding here.

These two quotes pretty well sum up the discussion for me. I favor keeping Barber. I hope we can move on with this discussion. This stuff is getting tedious to read.

 

[DallasEast]

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.

:shush: Stop being totally rational.

 

[Eskimo]

I wouldn't have a problem with that except that there's no way we'd ever get a 2nd for Barber at this point. He's ours for a couple more years, at least, so we might as well enjoy him.

Yes, I think he's back because no one will cough up a decent pick.

 

[JBond]

He has become the RW of running backs. He was only able to break 100 yards once this season. His combined 18 yards in two playoff games is pathetic. He is done. His burst, vision and ability to break tackles is gone. It's his 5th year in the league and he has has broken down. Why would we want to keep handing the ball to a guy that is no longer effective? It's like saying we should throw more passes towards RW even though he sucks. It just does not make any sense at all.

 

[jobberone]

Barber was never the same back after the injury in the Giants game. He didn't suddenly break down.

It will be interesting to see if he plays at the same level next year or never gets it all back.

 

[JBond]

Barber was never the same back after the injury in the Giants game. He didn't suddenly break down.

It will be interesting to see if he plays at the same level next year or never gets it all back.

I hope he gets it back, but his particular style of running leads to injuries. You can only take so many big time shots and keep playing at the level he did a couple of years ago. He may become a 9 million dollar FB. I read that Jerry has close to 100 million tied up in Barber and RW.

 

[garyv]

I want to keep all three Cowboys Runningbacks because they can all serve a purpose in different situations. Unless someone walked up and offered a #1 Draft Pick thye should remain Cowboys.

 

[dhaber]

Nothing against Barber, he is a good running back but is nothing special when you look around the league in general. Felix Jones brings that something special with his speed and quickness that Barber just doesn't have. Choice is the back that intrigues me the most mainly because he seems to have a little of everything and may be the most complete back out of all of them. I feel that Barber is taking opportunities from Choice more than Jones. Just going by what I see and that's the way I see it. Wish I had seen more of Choice but he is quick, fast enough and can block. Barber can close out quarters, halves and games by pounding the defense. I would still rather have Jones and Choice. They give us our best chance to win. Just my opinion....

 

[GoBoys41]

He doesn't run nearly as hard as he used to. I don't discount Barber being good back in a closing role like he had in 2007, but he doesn't cut it as a starter. He doesn't break tackles like he used to.

 

[Apollo Creed]

My only beef with Barber is that when he breaks off a 10+ yard run, it's usually through a gaping hole and Felix would be off to the races.

 

[bayeslife]

I'm not a fan of defending Barber as a starter on the argument that "look what he did this season."

Because honestly, when given the carries, look what Felix Jones did better.

 

[Eskimo]

My only beef with Barber is that when he breaks off a 10+ yard run, it's usually through a gaping hole and Felix would be off to the races.

Whoa there! You actually looked at the game film and not the often quoted 4.4 ypc. Barber gets most of his yards because of the draw now with Romo freezing the LBs which allows huge holes to develop when the OL get into position on the second level.

I think Felix will also be able to exploit that as a runner. I think the biggest benefit will be to the WRs and Witten who will have alot of space to work with behind the LBs who had to hold to protect against the play action - that is they will overplay the draw with Felix in the game because he could very easily take some of those to the end zone.

I could see Felix getting 280 carries for 1600 yards next year. It'll be interesting to see what he is able to do as the lead back.

 

[wileedog]

I could see Felix getting 280 carries for 1600 yards next year. It'll be interesting to see what he is able to do as the lead back.

I'll be very surprised if they give him that many carries. Not because I don't think they should, but I still think they are leery about his workload and injuries.

I think from day 1 in the War Room they considered Felix a complimentary guy, not a lead back, and they have been agonizingly slow to come around from that opinion this season.

He might be getting that workload by the end of next season if he can keep proving he can handle it, but my guess is they will come out slow to start the season with him, and Choice will start picking up some carries as well as they reduce Barber's role.

 

[Eskimo]

I'll be very surprised if they give him that many carries. Not because I don't think they should, but I still think they are leery about his workload and injuries.

I think from day 1 in the War Room they considered Felix a complimentary guy, not a lead back, and they have been agonizingly slow to come around from that opinion this season.

He might be getting that workload by the end of next season if he can keep proving he can handle it, but my guess is they will come out slow to start the season with him, and Choice will start picking up some carries as well as they reduce Barber's role.

You do realize that 17.5 carries/game gets him to 280 carries? That's what most people on the board have been calling for: 15-20 carries/game. That is not an exceptionally heavy workload for a starting RB. Thus far, I haven't seen Felix take many big hits - the hit on which he got injured on was some sort of odd jump where he landed awkwardly on the sideline from what I recall in a game in which he had less than 10 carries.

I'd bet if you look at Dorsett you would see several seasons where he was up around this number and he took a much bigger beating on colllege football than Felix did.

I would get him off the KOR unit. There is now too much risk to the offense if he gets injured. I suspect the main issue is blocking because no one seemed to have much success last year with the new wedge rules. Hopefully we find some guy in FA because I don't want to waste a draft pick on a mediocre returner who can't do much else. Maybe that guy from Winnipeg, Ryan, that we signed can do it for us. He did it in the CFL.

 

[wileedog]

You do realize that 17.5 carries/game gets him to 280 carries? That's what most people on the board have been calling for: 15-20 carries/game. That is not an exceptionally heavy workload for a starting RB.

I'm not saying it is, but I am saying it took 2 years and quite frankly a really slowed down Barber to get to the point where they were giving him 10-15 a game.

I'll be a bit surprised if they jump him to 15-20 out of the gate next year, especially if they want to get Choice on the field more (which hopefully they do).

I would get him off the KOR unit. .

I wouldn't mind drafting an extremely speedy slot receiver to replace Crayton who could also add juice to the kick return teams.