Just a few seasons ago, the Cowboys had the luxury of having two running backs in their huddle capable of forcing defenses to game plan around them, in Marion Barber and Felix Jones who brought sheer power and unbelievable speed to the field respectively.
Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network gave several pointed opinions in an interview he did with the Dallas Morning News, that indicate that time is past, as Barber has clearly lost a step, especially when he runs outside the tackles.
Jones on the other hand, does not share the same problems that Barber has in eluding defenders with his feet, as his speed once he’s in the open field is unparalleled by the vast majority of offensive playmakers in the league today. Jones’ issue is more about his inability to stay healthy than anything else, making it unlikely that the Cowboys will choose to give him a larger share of playing time in the place of Barber this season.
That leaves third year rusher Tashard Choice as the only real option for Dallas to use, and while he’s shown flashes of brilliance in his career thus far, Choice hasn’t yet proven himself capable of pushing Barber to the side and taking over where he left off as of yet.
The most likely course of action for the Cowboys at this point according to Lombardi, is to spread out their offense, taking advantage of their overwhelming speed in the receiving corps and in the backfield with Jones, to create significant mismatches, which inevitably lead to points on the scoreboard.
Whether Dallas chooses to go in that direction or not is still up in the air, but as the season progresses, they’ll undoubtedly find that it’s the most prudent option, as it plays to their strengths and emphasizes their opponent’s weaknesses in one fell swoop.
It won’t solve all of their problems, especially their locker room and coaching woes, but as the old saying goes, winning cures all, and if the Cowboys can piece together a string of victories on the back of their potent offense, they should end up finding their way back to the postseason once again.
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Written by Chris Kolb
Topics: Dallas Cowboys