A Telling Stat

Added on Oct 21, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

While the finger-pointing in Dallas has been aimed squarely at head coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo, there’s another guy who deserves a healthy dose of haterade. And that man would be running back Marion Barber. Most of the Cowboys’ offensive woes can be attributed to a non-existent and inconsistent rush attack. Some of the blame falls on a beat-up and underachieving offensive line, but the rest should go to #24.

Barber has accumulated 175 yards on 52 carries for an average of 3.4, which is the lowest of his career. He’s on pace to receive only 166 carries, his lowest total since 2006. In addition, he has scored only one touchdown in five games — a paltry number for a player who has averaged eleven scores per season over the last four. The days of Barber blasting through defenders at will are a distant memory.

By contrast, Felix Jones has amassed 229 yards on 51 carries for 4.5 yards per carry. He’s had 19 and 24 touches in his last two games and appears to be the favored back in Big D. He’s faster, more elusive and is a bigger threat to break a long run. The one knock on Jones is his durability. Despite adding additional weight and strength in the offseason, there is still a concern about him wearing down.

Dem ‘Boys have eleven games remaining to raise their sinking ship. At this point, Barber isn’t getting the job done, except in short yardage. It might be time to bench him and bring third-stringer Tashard Choice back into the mix. Choice has younger, fresher legs and has proven in the past capable of carrying part of the load. For some strange reason, he’s been absent from the gameplan the last two weeks and has only eight carries on the season. Even if he’s in the doghouse, getting him more involved couldn’t hurt.

Dallas has numerous problems to fix, but the running would be a good place to start. Maybe Jones is the answer, or a combination of Jones and Choice. One thing seems clear, though. The answer isn’t Marion Barber.