The Barber Bashing

Marion Barber’s fantasy stock has been slipping a little bit each day since the end of the Cowboy season, and Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News crushed the Barbarian on Wednesday, writing:

“Barber has been mediocre, at best, in the last two seasons… If Barber does not show rapid improvement, he could slip to the bottom of the pecking order at running back.”

Fraley’s assertion comes a little more than a week after Jerry Jones mentioned the possibility of lessening Barber’s workload. The owner told Fraley:

“We have had an injury issue there at the end of each of the last two seasons. That may have something to do with the amount of time we can give the other backs. That could impact that decision. ”

And judging by a brief scan of local commentary, it sounds like a lot of fans would be more than willing to trade Barber and open up the backfield for Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

First of all, apparently Mr. Fraley and I use the word “mediocre” differently. Despite his injuries, Barber has carried the ball 452 times over the past two seasons and averaged 4.0 yards-per-carry. That is not outstanding, but MBII has been far from “mediocre.” That adjective applies to guys who average 3.5 yards-per-carry or players who don’t show enough to even get on the field.

Guess what? Over his last seven seasons with the Cowboys (1996-2002), Emmitt Smith averaged 4.0 yards-per-carry. How many times during those seven campaigns did the fans call for him to be traded?

I would agree that Barber has been merely average over the last couple seasons, but I can’t agree with the apparent feeling that RBs capable of handling 200 carries and averaging four-plus yards-per-carry are nearly worthless.

Furthermore, I can understand the fervor over Felix Jones and the belief that he should see more touches in 2010. But do you know who has been holding Felix back over the last two years? Jones himself. If he was healthy in 2008 or 2009, he would have seen more than 146 combined rushing attempts. Jones showed a lot of promise over the second half of 2009 and into the playoffs, but he still has a huge hurdle in front of him. Can you tell me the last time Jones carried the ball at least 160 times in a season?

The owner also talks about getting Choice more involved in 2010, and, like Felix, Tashard has shown a lot of talent when asked to step up in 2008 and 2009. Unlike Jones, Choice carried a heavy workload in college, and he seems more likely to be able to handle a larger NFL share.

In theory, there is a lot to like about a potential Jones-Choice 1-2 punch, but I’m not sure why the Cowboys fans are so eager to make it happen in 2010. Having three quality backs – and, yes, Barber still fits that description – is a luxury, and the two younger guys carry cheaper contracts. Why not use all three again in 2010, reduce Barber’s role as needed, keep the mileage off Jones and Choice, and then consider trading Marion next offseason?

Right now, the Barber bashing seems premature, and I would bet that at least two rivals (Eagles, Redskins) would love to get Marion for cheap right now.

Tags: NFL