The Three Headed Monster
by AirforceBat on May 19, 2009 10:09 AM CDT
36 comments
Okay. So it's pretty obvious that Dallas has three talented runningbacks and with that a pretty good problem to have.
How do you get these guys on the field to best utilize the unique qualities that they bring to the game?
I personally agree with Nick Eatman from DC.com. His idea was to use Marion Barber and Choice as split backfield, like any duo in the NFL ala Julius and Barber 07. Then I would sprinkle Felix in and get him all over the field.
Adding to that, I think that it's imperative that Jason Garrett finds some packages to get 2 and maybe even all three of them on the field at the same time(although rarely.).
What does Cowboy Nation think?
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+1
I like that idea. We’ve all heard a bunch of scenarios, but I think that one will work the best. Felix is that homerun hit. Toss him in there every so often, keep ‘em fresh; it’d help out all 3 of them, IMO. As long as Garrett switches it up, I see an unstoppable offense in our future..
Hooah.
This is where Garrett needs to earn his considerable paycheck
He needs to find a way to utilize these guys and get the most of their talents. Felix has a little Reggie Bush in him. Bush has more wiggle, speed and is more of an athlete, but Jones is closer to a pure NFL running back. When Bush came into the league, I thought New Orleans was going to find crative ways to get him the ball – swing passes, reverses, screens, laterals, etc. But so far, they havent done much of that. They try to use him like most other backs and he hasnt been all the successful. I think Garrett needs to create some plays just for Felix where he can create in space like that. I also think he needs to be used all over the field – backfield, motion, slot, wide, etc. Keep ‘em guessing. It’s all up to Garrett as to what we get out of all these guys. Get creative, or hello 8-8.
New Orleans has tried to find creative ways to get Bush the ball.
He’s overhyped is all. Half of his touches (that I’ve seen) come on the types of plays you mentioned. I could be wrong but I think Bush’s bigger problem is that he just can’t make the NFL’s more agile defenders fly by him by simply stopping on a dime or changing directions. The little stutter-steps that gave college defenders fits aren’t worth a flip in the NFL. Bush can’t make people miss at the pro level unless he gets the ball in open space and/or has a defender pursuing him from an awkward angle.
It remains to be seen how good/versatile of a receiving threat Felix Jones actually is. But he definitely has a much better shot at being a Marshall Faulk type of dual threat back than Bush who apparently isn’t strong enough to break tackles or decisive enough to make defenders miss on standard running plays.
Garrett is a brilliant guy
I’m sure he’ll figure out some way to use all their talents to help the offense score a lot of points this season.
In Romo we Trust
Can he figure out a way to get Romo to play better in Dec and Jan?
by 69 on May 19, 2009 3:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I dont think its fair to say Romo plays bad in Jan...
Look at Peyton manning his team played great hey played Horrible they won a superbowl…. The same cant be said for Romo because his team doesnt play well in January either. I mean i mean giving up 150 yds of rushing in 2 min then giving up 44 points the following week…Sounds like a team effort not just Romo.
why are you leaving out the rest of the offense 69?
The other 10 guys have to play better as well.
In Romo we Trust
+1000
Its called a “Team” for a reason… very rarely can u pin a loss on just one person. And Romo hasn’t been his best in December but he has played pretty decent in the 2 playoff games he was in, we just failed as a team to get it done
"We play to win the game" - Herm Edwards
by nicholas.rodriguez on May 21, 2009 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Even though I thought Mike Martz went too far with the passing game...
… I did love the way he used Marshall Faulk through the air.
Lining him up as a WR.
Having him set up as a TB and then go in motion.
Throwing him short slants and having the QB hit him in stride.
Sending him out on a fly pattern.
I would absolutely love it if Red Ball can at least incorporate half of those types of plays to get El Gato the ball out in space.
Mix it up.
Then have sweeps so that the line pulls — and perhaps MB3 gets out in front of Choice and blocks for him as they amass a large gainer to that side.
Is some imaginative play-calling too much to ask from our OC — especially when he’s haulin’ in a boatload of cash as an assistant?
I co-sign on TCBinNYC’s statement:
This is where Garrett needs to earn his considerable paycheck.
The emphasis should be on the word EARN.
Celebrity or Imposter?
YOU Decide...
http://www.xanga.com/metaltometal/689036052/celebrity-or-imposter/
Yeah.
Alot of getting Felix on the field is at least having to make defensive coordinators matchup to it.
It was shown in the Washington game, when Felix was on the field defenders had to at least shift to match up for his unique skills.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 19, 2009 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Personally,
I’d like to see one of the two backs not named Barber as the starter. I think he’s so much more effective in relief duty, whether it be short yardage, change of pace, or closer. I really thought Choice looked more effective as the starting running back last year. Granted, he was fresh at that point in the season and teams didn’t have film on him, but I think he’s more effective at the types of plays we try to run. He hits the hole and gets upfield. I think Marion dances in the backfield too much at times. I agree with everyone else that Jones should be sprinkled in for maximum effect.
Yep. Barber=slamdancer.
At least from last season’s limited sampling size, Choice seems to be much smoother and able to glide through a hole.
I like the idea of a Barber / Choice split
But instead of just sprinkling Felix, I would have him on the field almost every down.
"Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication." --Roger Staubach
Yeah...
Unfortunatly that would be almost impossible.
You have him on the field every down and you’re taking someone off.
Hence the unique problem that Jason Garrett finds him in.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
I would have him in around 50-65 percent of the plays.
lining him everywhere on top of kickoff returns
"We play to win the game" - Herm Edwards
by nicholas.rodriguez on May 21, 2009 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I want Felix to start.
I wanter Barber to close… I want felix at least 10 touchs a game and barber around 12 and tashard around 5…. Then i would be happy… But i think we all konw barber is best at the end of the game so id like to see him there.
Trade bait...
I think Dallas has to look at trading one of them in the short term for a high draft pick. If you told me I could trade one of them for Taylor Mays or Terrence Cody, I’d jump at the chance.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on May 19, 2009 3:10 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Not Felix....
I dont want to part with any of them but if i had to… it would be Marion Because he would get you the most in return and his style of play doesnt let you have many years playing… Felix is something special and he needs to be here for his whole career like Ware and Witten.
Bling, don't take this person I really like you, but...
no way, I want all three of these guys as long as we can keep them. With each of them being a little different, we’re like a pitcher in the Majors with three out pitches. Fastball(Barber), slider(Choice), and curve(Felix), why on God’s green earth would we not want that ability to choose?
Deo Vindice Veritas,
by SmittyCityMo on May 20, 2009 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
I think eventually
one of them(not felix) will be traded due to contracts or playing time.
But right now I’m happy with the three guys.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
by AirforceBat on May 20, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
not a good idea at all
RBs in the NFL go down like flies, to trade a really good is foolish IMO.
In Romo we Trust
Really good as in special?
If so, the term special just doesn’t apply to that many running backs; rarely if at all and even the contributions of the backs deemed special varies wildly from year to year. Take Larry Johnson for example; he just doesn’t seem as special anymore as he did when he had that freakish stretch in ’05. Even his nearly 1,800 yards the following season were a product of him being force-fed the ball as the only real weapon on a short-handed offense. No doubt he still hasn’t fully recovered from his NFL record amount of carries that season (416 rushes; 457 touches overall) as his touches over the last two seasons combined have only added up to 393. Furthermore, Johnson has went from scoring a TD every 21 touches to only scoring one every 43 touches.
Let’s see; injuries, the loss of a future HOF blocker in Willie Roaf and the toll of nearly 30 touches per game over a full season. Those are the type of factors that will turn a special back pedestrian overnight. But that’s Larry Johnson who came back to earth; not Marion Barber.
I’d say Barber is roughly as good as Brandon Jacobs. Put him behind that Giants line and he’d pile up 1,000-yard seasons with 4.8 averages. Of course, Jacobs is bigger and nimbler if you wanted to press the issue of who is actually better. It goes without saying that Westbrook is the one of the top 5 backs in the league and hell, I’d still take old man Portis over Barber or Jacobs even if Portis is one or two more years of heavy lifting away from being officially all used up.
Long story short; Barber’s not a special back. He’s a hell of a teammate and a ferocious runner. But backs are hardly inexpendable and even the best ones have to go odd years between their monster years.
The guy who has a chance to be a special back is Felix Jones. He’s the most explosive back the Cowboys have had since Tony Dorsett. His only issue; and it’s a huge one, appears to be durability. But plenty of slighter guys than Felix Jones have logged 300 touches per season over the course of long careers. Warrick Dunn, for one.
Felix’s target number should be 14-16 touches at least; let’s say 12 rushes and 4 catches per game. Give 14-15 carries to Barber and save Choice for the stretch run or ideally let him get carries in games that get out of hand. It seems to me the Barber/Choice dilemma will work itself out. If Barber’s running style is really as hazardous as some think whether that means Barber misses a few games or just hits a wall midway through the season Choice will get his chance to tote the rock for a multi-game stretch.
Ideally, the best way to filter out the crowded backfield is some team’s starting back goes down on opening day and they flip either a 1st or 2nd-round pick or perhaps even a solid starting-quality receiver for Choice or Barber. But even in that scenario, I’m not sure there are teams who would give that up for Choice or Barber. You can find running backs; Choice and Barber were found in the 4th after all.
I say let it play out for at least one more year and then things will sort themselves out. There’s no reason to give any of these guys away for a 3rd just because the position is loaded.
Um Felix doesn't have a durability issue unless you are strickly talking about last year.
Being an Arkansas fan I can tell you I don’t remember him ever missing a game at Arkansas although I may be wrong.
Yeah, but he never carried the load at Arkansas either.
There’s always an if; especially with running backs. Felix was a situational player last year yet he only lasted six weeks. I’m hoping it was just a case of horrible luck. Besides, my main point was the sky is the limit for him as long as last year’s injury was an isolated incident. You just never know with running backs, though. Take Deuce McAllister, for example, who’s been a great back but has also suffered torn ACL’s in both knees.
Thats true, but he will never carry the load in Dallas either.
Although theres no way to know how everything will pan out, he played 3 years in the SEC without any serious injuries. Like you, I’m hoping last year was a freak incident, and if the past is any indication it was. Not sure why you threw Deuce out there, I don’t see any way that relates to what we are talking about. They are like night and day when comparing styles and Felix didn’t hurt a knee, which would be something I’d be much more concerned to reoccur.
Why can't he carry the load in Dallas? Because he's never carried it before going back to Arkansas?
All that means to me is he’s got a lot less mileage on him than guys who carried the ball a ton in college.
Just for clarification, I don’t actually mean 300 rushes or upward by load but rather right around 300 touches total with Felix getting 55-60 percent of the team’s rushing attempts. As I’ve said before, much smaller guys than Felix like Warrick Dunn and Napoleon Kaufman have logged 300 touches in a season. Why can’t Felix handle it? He’s basically the same stature as Emmitt. If he’s as dangerous as he looked from last year’s brief cameos, I don’t know why he can’t be used like Marshall Faulk who only ever carried the ball about 260 times in a given season for the Rams.
As for Deuce, he was just an example. Of course, he and Felix have different styles. Don’t get hung up on that. To give another example, Bo Jackson was the most freakish physical specimen to ever play running back and his career ended because of a freak hip injury. I also threw out Deuce because he came back and played at a high level after his first ACL. Yet, even after he returned and played well another cataclysmic injury was looming.
Furthermore, concerning the way Felix is used, Felix wasn’t carrying the load last year either when his season ended so I don’t know why that would factor into the likelihood of him getting injured again. If he’s that good, you can’t limit his touches just because you fear he’s the type of high maintenance vehicle that will break down under too much strain. Part of being great is being able to handle the strain. Felix isn’t really a tiny back so that doesn’t work as a vaild reason why he can’t be made the feature back sooner than later.
I never said Felix couldn't carry the load, he just wont considering the topic of this post
We have three good backs, therefore Felix wont be asked to carry the load anytime in the near future. I do believe he can and will at some point in his career. The mileage point is a great one and is a valid reason why he could/will become a very productive back in the league. If one of the other guys goes down, I would completely expect Felix to step up and take on the responsibility it would create. However, the way the current roster lines up, he won’t be asked to do that anytime soon.
Garrett has to be able
to use all the weapons at his disposal this year. Whether it is Felix or Tash or even Martellus in an H back role. The formations and packages could be many and varied. As far as who gets how many touches. Let that sort it self out. Just go with the hot guy. There is usually one guy who is just on that day. Feed him. It will all balance in the end.
Just copy what the Giants did last year
Barber = Jacobs
Jones = Ward
Choice = Bradshaw
Done.
I also like the idea of Jones and Barber switching off series. I want to keep Choice fresh in case either Barber or Jones gets hurt.
I'm pretty sure you have Choice and Barber backwards.
Bradshaw was the back with breakaway speed. Ward just does everything right.
by Mandmeisterx on May 27, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think about a number of touches
When we talk about the cowboys RBs, I’m thinking about giving the ball to the RBs at the right moments:
- Healthy dosis of Barber in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Qtrs (Healthy for Barber).
- The Barber treatment in the 4th.
- Change of pace Dash in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
- And some carries for Tash in the 2nd and 3rd.
That would be maximizing what our team has at RB.
Viva México! Go Cowboys!
How about...
A heavy dose of MBIII in the first and fourth quarters, with El Gato and Tash getting their bulk of carries in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Let Barber hit the defense in the mouth early then bring in those guys to change the pace. By the time the 4th quarter rolls around, the defenses are worn out from trying to cover all these backs (assuming Garrett uses El Gato and Tash in creative ways) and Barber comes in to finish off the job. If El Gato and Choice can provide Barber some rest, he should be a bit more durable and would be able to come in with fresh legs in the 4th while the defense is worn out.
I honestly don’t care who gets carries when as long as we mix it up and get everyone involved. I wanna see any two of them on the field at the same time (maybe all three some) and I want to see a ton of motion (especially for Felix) to keep the defense guessing. The options are endless. These guys are going to be a blast to watch next year, and heaven forbid an injury occur, we know we have viable options at running back.
As long as we stay creative and the offensive line plays well this offense is going to be a b**** to stop in the future.
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