Should Barber be shopped?
by John Boy on Dec 16, 2009 7:03 AM CST
Email
PrintI've recently tossed around in my head the possibility of trading barber in the off-season. We clearly have 3 very good RB's, and just as clearly there are struggles getting them all in defined roles and getting them enough playing time to make them effective. I keep going back to the old expression, "if you have 2 QB's then you really don't have ONE". In this case, if they have 3 RB's vying for playing time do they really have ONE? One meaning THE GUY, the MAN who you go to in crunch time, hell or high water? Marion is still young enough and healty enough, with enough left in his tank, to have some value to another team so it might make some sense to try and get something for him now, while they still can. There are some issues with that of course, Felix hasn't shown the abiltity to stay healty for an extended period of time OR demonstrated the ability to be an every down back. Choice could probably do it, so a decision of starting Choice and bringing Felix in as a reliever might work out rather well. We'd still need a good 3rd RB, but recent history has demonstrated that good, solid RB's can be found in the later rounds, it happens almost every year, which of course is why we have Tashard Choice in the first place.
Now, what could we expect to get for him, and would it be enough? As much as we'd like it he isn't geoing to get a 1st rounder in return, unless he's part of a package. A 2nd rounder might be more realistic, especially if you get talking with the right team, someone who wants him as their "closer". I'm not sure of his contract/cap numbers either, so a trade might be inordinately expensive for us, so it might be a moot point.
All things considered, if we could get a 2nd round pick for him, and if it didn't kill us on the cap (and it's an uncapped year anyhow) then I'd be real tempted to do it and make some room for a Tashard and Felix tandem. My thinking is that it isn't working consistantly enough the way it is now, so why not take a chance and shake things up a bit.
Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.
70 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Love the guy but we should have shopped him or choice last offseason. Would have got the most value.
"On a journey to anywhere you can draw your own map."
shouldve shopped MB3
Im sure Billy boy in Miami wouldve been interested
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
His contract is too big, given what appears to be the beginning of his ecline
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
uncapped year next year....Jones can easily dump his salary....add Hamlin to the list also..maybe even Newman
Jerry can free up a ton of salary by unloading some of these overpaid players..
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
which is another reason why no one will trade for him and his huge contract
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
I am not saying he needs to be dumped. I am saying that no one will trade for him due to his huge contract and lack of production
especially if there is any chance the Cowboys might dump him
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
Another team wouldnt assume his contract...if Jerrys dumps him he is a FA....
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
dump Newman! LOL!
yeah he has had some hic ups this year. But dumping a good starting corner is the last thing any football team wants to do.
I can’t say I agree with any of your player evaluations as of late ;)
the player is nothing more than a #3 CB at this point...he freaking stinks...
How many times do you have to see him out of position, trailing a WR, having the ball bounce off his hands to realize this???
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
I know you're a Newman hater
but thats simply never going to happen. Now your boy Barbie, thats a different story, he’s truly a goner.
In Romo we Trust
case can be made Carpenter is playing better than Newman this year...
Newman is going to get roasted at least 3 or 4 times tomorrow…then tell me afterwards how great he is…I really hope I’m wrong because I want us to win and if we dont were not making the playoffs.
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Newman
Newman is fine. Newman and Jenkins are a very solid tandem. Scandrick and the safeties are the real problem. Even more than that— it’s the pass rush. No corners in the league can cover forever. Rivers had all day to check down, and then step up and in the pocket and make his throw without being touched.
And saying that Barbie is playing better than Newman is ridiculous. Barbie is a liablity whereas Newman is holding down his position just fine.
Scandrick is not the problem...a little inexperienced, but real good..
Newman is the problem and until we address it we will have a problem in the secondary….you heard it here….Hamlin and Newman are two positions in the secondary that have and will continue to cost us games. Scandrick and Jenkins are the future of this team…Newman is a short timer…Newman is one of those bad contracts, like Hamlin and MB3 that Jerry should unload in a uncapped year..
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Carpenter is mainly responsible why opposing TE's are not killing us everyweek.....think again..
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
thank god you are not our GM
you want to get rid of good players to dump salary, spoken like the cleveland browns front office
I thought they should have last season
I don’t think they could get what they would want for him now. I think they should try something with the Browns though, with Lewis retiring, they are gonna be looking for a RB
Super Bowl party at my place, Dallas vs. ?, who's in?
Eh...maybe
And the reason I only say maybe is I don’t know the exact value. Jerry jumped the gun on this one and payed too much for a role playing HB, and now, we are sort of stuck with the cap obligation to pay him. I also think that Dallas struggles to find rythmn on offense because they lack any type of consistant HB(three is really too much), and that these backs are playing out of any type of rotation. I loved what Barber has done here, but any type of decent value(I’m talking late second, early 3rdish and maybe a 5th or something range), or potentially package him for a lineman or safety(Hell, with the Browns letting all their talent go at the beginning of the year, we should have made a play for Joe Thomas), then you have to take the hit. I would rather be able to drastically improve another era and lose something from when we are stacked anyway.
Unfortunately, yes
I agree with Stevefs that it should have been done last season. However, I also agree his contract could be a big impediment, even in the upcoming uncapped year. Tashard has shown he can carry the load, so Barber is really a specialist (one who I love btw). I was screaming for him to be the starter when JJ was here, but Barber is really at his best late in games and on short yardage (SD game notwithstanding) and is a good pass option.
If you can get a 2, jump at it. Even an early 3 is probably worth it. Then use one of your draft pick for a more traditional bruiser. For example, I don’t view Gerhart from Standford as a 1st rounder (assuming he comes out), and I think he would be great at an Alstott type role.
by WhatsUpPorkchop on Dec 16, 2009 9:59 AM CST reply actions
The time to trade Barber was before the '08 season
but could they really have done that? Don’t forget, Tyson Thompson and Julius Jones were let go in free agency.
Barber was coming off his Pro Bowl year, and he was the ONLY back on the roster. Jones and Choice were unknown qualities.
He would not have brought much in value last offseason. He had a huge contract and was rehabbing a toe injury.
When teams can find guys like Cedric Benson on the waiver wire, you’re not going to get that much for a back in trade.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 11:05 AM CST up reply actions
let's face it...were not getting back what we invested in MB3....They need to cut there loses next year by unloading his contract
8 mil a year for a RB that is really not a starter isn’t cutting it…..nothing we can do about it now..Mistake by Jerry giving him a big contract
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Mistake?
Not sure I would go that far. His deal was up and he was the only back on the roster at that time. Barber and Drew Rosenhaus had Jerry between the proverbial rock and hard place. I can’t fault either one of them for the deal.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 11:11 AM CST up reply actions
yeah, I know....but maybe they shouldve slapped him with the tag for a season...
The same thing they should’ve done with Newman and didn’t…..
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
yeah, I was campaigning for them to trade Barber that offseason and acquire Michael Turner
Didn’t get much company on that one.
But the team did all right finding other backs.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 11:14 AM CST up reply actions
If uncapped yr
What happens if we cut Barber? Goes to Eagles and tries to make us pay?
I don’t think we need to cut him, I just think we need to adjust his role.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
And pay that salary to a situational back?
No thanks. Cut him this offseason and do a solid Choice/Jones rotation.
tough..
I could sure go for Ryan Matthews.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
agreed...8 million to a situational back....its a bad contract face it guys...
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Really?
It just shows that Jerry the “GM” has been as big a problem for the team as anything else. You don’t pay big bucks for power backs. Power backs loose they’re power quicker than speed backs loose they’re speed. i love MB3, but is it realistic in today’s NFL to think that a RB like Barber will stay at the top of his game for long? Not really.it’s better to invest in top O-lineman and go after 2nd tier backs, and keep a carousel going (like Denver has done). It costs less and keeps your running game effective. There is always good value at RB in the late 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds. Moreso than other positions.
"Amongst the enemy's Lair, there will always be a DallasPalace!"
by DallasPalace on Dec 16, 2009 7:35 PM CST up reply actions
Thank you Raf!
People always forget that Barber was the only back we had when Jerry re-signed him. What were we supposed to do? Let him walk? …Would have loved to see the fan reaction after that move.
OBSERVATION - EMOTION = COMMON SENSE
by Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) on Dec 16, 2009 10:44 PM CST up reply actions
at the time it had to be done, but now its a bad contract for what his production is..
8 million for basically a backup is not cutting it….with an uncapped year coming next year it’s the perfect opportunity to dump some salary on this team and pay another position on this field we really need… OL, Safety, WR??
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
I'd go that far
Raf, just because he was the only back on the roster then doesn’t mean you pay him millions. Ever heard of incentives, as well? Lots of options at that time.
I say no
…but mostly because I bought my wife his jersey and I don’t want to have to spend the money to get her a different one.
Also, I think he brings a good dynamic to the team, he just needs to be used properly. I’d like to see him get back to the closer roll or the 4th quarter guy.
No
Jones is too injury prone. If he goes down, and barber is gone …. our greatest strength becomes a huge weakness.
MB3 could be outright cut in the offseason....
They were discussing this on DC.com last week. Its not far fetched considering it will be a uncapped year. Next year would be the year to dump his salary if they were to do it….MB3’s contract is very bad for what he is giving us. He is not worth 8 mil a year… We could roll with Choice and Felix and draft a 3rd or 4th round RB to be the #3.. We have had good luck drafting RB’s as of late..
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Let's wait on this kind of thing until the season is over
As far as I can tell, MBIII isn’t phoning it in. He’s playing as hard or harder than anyone on the team.
"Emotion is highly overrated in football. My wife Corky is emotional as hell but can't play football worth a damn."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The RB with market value is Choice
because he has little wear at an attrition position and does not have the huge contract Barber does.
Barber won’t bring half as much, for the reasons Choice will.
So, are you willing to shop Choice? Cause that’s the real question.
Yes
Only because they don’t use him at all.
"Emotion is highly overrated in football. My wife Corky is emotional as hell but can't play football worth a damn."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
nope....keep choice..dump MB3's inflated contract next year when it's uncapped....
It would be a perfect opportunity to dump a bad contract…..
MB3 was a 4th round pick so there is no reason to think we cant do the same with another…..RB is one of the easiest positions to fill and play…we have shown that and so have so many other teams in the league.
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Right
this team has proven it can scout and draft running backs.
It got Julius Jones in the 2nd and Barber and Choice in the 4th.
I have little doubt the Cowboys could find another one if they needed to.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 11:07 AM CST up reply actions
Julius isn't a good example
Considering they passed on Steven Jackson…
by ChrisRichey on Dec 16, 2009 10:32 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
There isn't a team out there that would take on his horrible contract...
Then again, the Raiders traded a 2 for DeAngelo Hall and gave him a 7 year, $70 million deal, so I guess it’s possible.
So let me rephrase…
There isn’t a SANE team out there that would take on his horrible contract.
It’s a lot more likely that Barber could be released at the end of the season.
With a uncapped year looming you will probably see alot of teams dumping bad contracts
There is probably going to be alot of good players on the open market next year…
"Austin made the play, Austin saved the day" Brad Sham
Boyz you got Raf's cogs moving
I would actually like to see you do a story like that. I would be very interested who around the league has an unreasonably large contract and could get dumped.
I have this feeling
That Raf was making fun of the obvious when he commented. He won’t ever agree, but yeah…uh huh.
Love the guy
but we can’t get much for him honestly. It’s not gonna work unless some off the wall ridiculous domino effect happens and all the stars align. Too big a contract, not enough value. Thats the truth, however hard it is to swallow
Yea we won't get much for him
its sad for me to consider shopping barber around – I loved the guy as of two years ago, but hes just been constantly battling injuries and he doesn’t even look like the same goal line hammer he used to be.
You just can’t give rbs big contracts in this league. The shelf life for a rb is like 6-8 years and shrinking. We didn’t have much of a choice, but I think we should’ve kept barber in his original role, or tried to limit him as much as possible. We ran him nonstop the first 4 games of last year, and it clearly took a toll the rest of the year. This year…he got hurt early and hes never looked totally healthy to me since.
Next offseason will be interesting. I think Barber and Hamlin will be gone. I doubt Newman will as so many seem to hope.
Why do you think
I’ve been calling Tashard Choice’s number Foyes? Not only because he seems to be a more slippery back to get the tough yards, but to prolong Barber’s career and use him for what he’s best for. That wasn’t done. The contract was huge, The performance to get that contract based on his success as a SITUATIONAL rb, and his wear and tear a reality. let’s chalk it up to another one of our coaches questionable decisions.
"Amongst the enemy's Lair, there will always be a DallasPalace!"
by DallasPalace on Dec 16, 2009 7:56 PM CST up reply actions
Should he be shopped? Yes. Will a team give us anything for him with that contract?
No.
So what’s the point?
RB’s are the easiest position to fill in the NFL. He never should have been resigned, but too late now.
We HAD to...
We had no one proven at the time. If we would’ve let him go we could’ve found out the hard way we had no replacement. I would rather KNOW we had people to fill his shoes BEFORE he’s out the door. This in turn screwed us because now no one will want him, but at the same time, its better than needing 3 new backs cause we screwed the pooch and gave our only proven one away. Damned if you do Damned if you dont as they say.
I don't believe we had to at all.
Even before the 08 Draft my mock consisted of drafting Felix Jones in the first and Tashard Choice in the forth with the idea being we would’ve kept Barber on his First Round Tender for that 08 season and released him in the offseason if Jones and Choice proved they could play, rather than give a situational back like Barber a huge deal.
When we actually drafted Jones and Choice I thought for sure that’s what they were going to do. Then they gave Barber a 40+ million dollar deal.
It was a bad move when they could have kept him on his tender and waited it out.
No we didn't!
Let him go and bring in free agents. Draft a guy in the 4th round again.
they’re a dime a dozen, and easily replaced. And have the shortest lifespan in the NFL.
Plus, w/hios running style, he was doomed from the start. You can run like that if you’re 6’ 4’’ and 250 +
Not at his size.
by Realist Larry on Dec 16, 2009 8:00 PM CST up reply actions
How many quality backups did Emmitt have?
We drafted back up running backs by the fistful, and not one of them was good enough to start for any other team. Hambrick was probably the best, and even he was god awful.
Was that a Coaching decision Larry, or...
was it Jerry’s idea?
"Amongst the enemy's Lair, there will always be a DallasPalace!"
by DallasPalace on Dec 16, 2009 7:51 PM CST up reply actions
Of course he should have been resigned, but maybe frachised him...
and then see if he could be a 20-30 carry per game back. He can’t, not the way he plays, but then we would have been able to resign him at a more manageable contract.
Exactly
It’s more like they have to play him because of the money involved, rather than play whoever is the hot hand and is the most productive, which is the situation you want to create. Once you pay a Power Back big bucks, your stuck.
"Amongst the enemy's Lair, there will always be a DallasPalace!"
love Barber...
can’t fault Barber because he is getting hit in the back field all too often…plus i wouldn’t want our soft defense going against Barber if we unload him…
Tashard Choice ( the next Emmitt Smith )
Tashard Choice runs almost identical to Emmit. Trade Barber and pick up a bruising Full back. We’re missing a Moose Johnson. The big Moooooooo!!! I miss hearing the crowd say that. This will allow Choice and Jones to reach their full potential. They’ll never reach their full potential with the amount of touches their seeing now. Tashard and Jones would be the best one-two punch in the nfl. I don’t totally fall for what Wade said when Dallas couldn’t score from the one ( Chargers game). This is where we need a bruiser like Leron Mcclain. Anderson is just OK. He’s not the bruiser that we need for the Choice/Jones 1-2 punch!
Last Year....
Last year They didn’t use the wild cat. Choice took on full time resposibillities and proved himself to be a reliable back. Considering the fact that he played against the 3 strongest defenses-Giants-Ravens-Steelers- and tore it up. Not in the wild cat at all. Choice is the man in any formation. He’s proven it.
Ya I was just teasing
cause I cannot for the life of me imagine Emmitt in the wildcat. Even funnier would’ve been Jerome Bettis though. lol. I’d pay big bucks to see that.
Now that it's January, the trio seems to be just fine.
1st… Barber isn’t an every down back which is to say that he’s not getting the ball 20 to 30 times a game and being productive with 5 yards per carry. I think we are overpaying him for his services, but he is still productive as a one two punch.
If we could get a 2nd, I would say trade him with all of the talent in this years draft, but anything less is just hurting our talent base without replenishing it effectively. Not to mention, that we would be trading a productive player for what could amount to pie in the sky. There is a 50% bust ratio in the 1st round, and I’m pulling this out of my …, but lets say a 75% bust ratio in the second. So do we really trust Jerry and Co., to come up with a good replacement?
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
