Cowboys like setup with RBs
San Antonio Express-News
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Julius Jones is the new Drew Bledsoe.
OK, maybe it's not that bad. But there are fans who want to see coach Bill Parcells bench Jones and start Marion Barber.
If the Tony Romo-for-Bledsoe swap produced magic, a Barber-for-Jones exchange will do the same, or so the thinking goes.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, Parcells doesn't agree.
"I like it the way it is," Parcells said last week.
And why wouldn't he? Dallas has an effective one-two punch in Jones and Barber, who form one of only two running back tandems in the league with each player rushing for more than 490 yards.
Parcells gives Jones the bulk of the carries because it keeps Barber fresh for special-teams and red-zone duty, which is a big reason why the bruiser from Minnesota leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns and has 11 overall, the most by a Cowboys player since Emmitt Smith recorded 13 in 1999.
To use the boxing terms Parcells favors, Jones (853 yards) softens up the defense with jabs and then Barber (492) delivers the roundhouse right that ends the fight.
But Jones' critics point solely to the fact that Barber's 5.0 average is nearly a yard better than Jones' norm.
"One of the disadvantages Julius is at (when it comes to yards per carry) is that Marion has been in there when we've worn them down a little bit, picking up a lot of the crumbs," Parcells said. "Julius is there most of the time when we are starting out, and it's usually a little tougher sledding earlier in the game."
During the Cowboys' current three-game winning streak, Jones has averaged 16 carries, just three more than Barber.
That's the formula Parcells had in mind during training camp.
"Once in a while, things are a little different," Parcells said. "There was that one week where Julius had a high number and Marion had only seven. That's not good. I don't like that. I would like to see it more a 2-to-1 ratio in that area. Even more toward 50-50 would be good for me.
"I am equally confident in both players. One brings something a little better than the other, and the other brings something better than the first. It's using the players you've got."
In Jones, Parcells has a player who has matured into a dependable, hard-working professional.
"He knows the game better," Parcells said of Jones, a three-year veteran who ranks 13th in the league in rushing. "He's more experienced. He's smarter. You come in here any Monday and he's one of the first guys in the building. The game might have been over Sunday night at 10 o'clock, but he's in there doing squats, getting the game out of his system.
"That's something I've emphasized since he was a younger player, and he's got it now."
Jones also understands he's better off sharing carries with Barber rather than attempting to run for 1,700 yards, which was Jones' goal last season.
"He's got a lot better idea of what's going on here," Parcells said. "I think he sees that Marion can help the team. You'd have to be blind not to see that. I think they are both accepting of (their roles)."
And fans should accept them as well.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Julius Jones is the new Drew Bledsoe.
OK, maybe it's not that bad. But there are fans who want to see coach Bill Parcells bench Jones and start Marion Barber.
If the Tony Romo-for-Bledsoe swap produced magic, a Barber-for-Jones exchange will do the same, or so the thinking goes.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, Parcells doesn't agree.
"I like it the way it is," Parcells said last week.
And why wouldn't he? Dallas has an effective one-two punch in Jones and Barber, who form one of only two running back tandems in the league with each player rushing for more than 490 yards.
Parcells gives Jones the bulk of the carries because it keeps Barber fresh for special-teams and red-zone duty, which is a big reason why the bruiser from Minnesota leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns and has 11 overall, the most by a Cowboys player since Emmitt Smith recorded 13 in 1999.
To use the boxing terms Parcells favors, Jones (853 yards) softens up the defense with jabs and then Barber (492) delivers the roundhouse right that ends the fight.
But Jones' critics point solely to the fact that Barber's 5.0 average is nearly a yard better than Jones' norm.
"One of the disadvantages Julius is at (when it comes to yards per carry) is that Marion has been in there when we've worn them down a little bit, picking up a lot of the crumbs," Parcells said. "Julius is there most of the time when we are starting out, and it's usually a little tougher sledding earlier in the game."
During the Cowboys' current three-game winning streak, Jones has averaged 16 carries, just three more than Barber.
That's the formula Parcells had in mind during training camp.
"Once in a while, things are a little different," Parcells said. "There was that one week where Julius had a high number and Marion had only seven. That's not good. I don't like that. I would like to see it more a 2-to-1 ratio in that area. Even more toward 50-50 would be good for me.
"I am equally confident in both players. One brings something a little better than the other, and the other brings something better than the first. It's using the players you've got."
In Jones, Parcells has a player who has matured into a dependable, hard-working professional.
"He knows the game better," Parcells said of Jones, a three-year veteran who ranks 13th in the league in rushing. "He's more experienced. He's smarter. You come in here any Monday and he's one of the first guys in the building. The game might have been over Sunday night at 10 o'clock, but he's in there doing squats, getting the game out of his system.
"That's something I've emphasized since he was a younger player, and he's got it now."
Jones also understands he's better off sharing carries with Barber rather than attempting to run for 1,700 yards, which was Jones' goal last season.
"He's got a lot better idea of what's going on here," Parcells said. "I think he sees that Marion can help the team. You'd have to be blind not to see that. I think they are both accepting of (their roles)."
And fans should accept them as well.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:27 PM
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