Friday Morning Would…You Rather Start Marion Barber or Jonathan Stewart in Week 7?

I’ve got a flight to catch at 5:20 — headed to Cleveland for the Sports Media 360 conference — and a full day of work to squeeze in between now and when I leave the office around 2:30. Thus, there is no time to waste.

Let’s get right to our usual Friday Morning Would debate.

Today, we are going to look at two running backs who have had up and down seasons to this point: Dallas battering ram Marion Barber and Panthers second-year scamperer Jonathan Stewart.

A few weeks ago, when Barber was tearing it up and Stewart was on the sidelines nursing what seemed to be an endless array of maladies, this would have been a no-brainer.

But as we know, things can change quickly in the NFL. And as Week 7 approaches, I am suggesting that you start Jonathan Stewart over Marion Barber.

Here’s why:

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Week 4 Running Back Updates: K. Smith, Portis to Start; Expanded Role for T. Choice

A few quick running back updates concerning Kevin Smith, Clinton Portis, and the Tashard Choice-Marion Barber combo in Dallas:

… Continue Reading

MNF Preview and Podcast: Cowboys-Panthers Analysis, Prediction, and Spread Pick

Editor’s Note: AJ Kaufman’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

• Check out Sadler’s Monday Night Football Recipe of the Week: Smokehouse Panini
• Each week, you can also listen to the MSF Monday Night Football Podcast, brought to you by Sadler’s. In this week’s edition, Jerod and Big MB preview the Cowboys-Panthers Monday tilt and provide three “locks of the week” against the spread. (Note: Special thanks to Davey Heritier and Austin Bridges for the intro/outro song “Awake the Day”…one of Jerod’s all-time favorites.)
• Follow the link to listen to the MSF Podcast on iTunes, or use the in-page player below to listen while you read.

Panthers-Cowboys MNF Preview Podcast presented by Sadler’s

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MNF Preview Podcast: Cowboys-Panthers

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Monday Night Football Preview

Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

• Panthers-Cowboys Date: Monday, September 28th
• Panthers-Cowboys Time: 8:30 ET
• Panthers-Cowboys TV Network: ESPN
• Panthers-Cowboys Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
• Panthers-Cowboys Point Spread: Cowboys -9.5
• Panthers-Cowboys Over-Under: 46
• Panthers-Cowboys Pick by Jerod: I don’t like this game at all and would not touch it with a ten-foot pole if I actually bet money on these things. Luckily I don’t, so I can still offer up at least a guess as to how it will turn out. I think it all comes down to who you trust more: Tony Romo or Jake Delhomme. If Romo protects the ball and lets his great RBs do the heavy lifting, the Cowboys should rebound from their home opener for a win. However, Dallas is terrible against the pass (as proven last week by Eli Manning) and perhaps this is the game that Jake Delhomme gets well again. In the end, I do think Dallas will win this game, but Romo will make enough mistakes and Dallas’ DBs will play poorly enough for Carolina to keep it close. Plus, when in doubt, go with the 0-2 team that had playoff expectations coming into the year. Desperation can be huge in the NFL. Panthers-Cowboys free spread pick: Panthers +9.5
• StubHub: Cowboys-Panthers MNF tickets as low as $25!
• StubHub: all Dallas Cowboys home game tickets
• StubHub: all Carolina Panthers home game tickets
• StubHub: all 2009 NFL tickets

Cowboys-Panthers Preview & Analysis

Though it may seem silly and emotional, in Dallas, hope turned to despair from week one to two.

However, after a closer look, it is a very good sign for your offense when you are playing one of the top rated defenses in the conference, your quarterback plays one of the worst games of his career, and you still manage 31 points.

These results convey two important points: (1) that your offense is balanced, and (2) that your offensive line is getting the job done.

It should come as no surprise that given the production of said offensive line, the Cowboys running game is firing on all cylinders as Marion Barber and Felix Jones represent arguably the best 1-2 running back punch in the NFC, if not the NFL. Barber is averaging more than six yards per carry in 2009. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, Barber is still questionable for Monday with a quad injury.

Fortunately for ‘Boys fans though, his backup, Tashard Choice, is no slouch, and should pick up the slack nicely if pressed into a more prominent role in the offense. Last year, Choice put together a string of three excellent games against Pittsburgh, New York, and Baltimore. Therefore, he should serve solidly in a time-share with Jones.

Expect Mr. Jones to maintain his role as the change of pace and 3rd down back with Choice claiming the “workhorse” duties. The duo should come up big against a Panthers defense that has an injury riddled front-line and has given up over 150 rushing yards in each of their first two games. 



As for Romo, odds are he’ll be fine. The bigger issue is the uncertainty over a reliable third option for the Cowboys’ receiving game (after Jason Witten and Roy Williams). Patrick Crayton seems destined to be nothing more that a slot receiver, leaving Miles Austin in the driver’s seat to run away with second wideout duties. His talent and big play ability has left Jerry Jones watering at the mouth, but Austin has yet to consistently manifest that talent into reality.



It is a very bad sign for your secondary when Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, and Steve Smith look like the second coming of the Three Amigos. That said, I think the Cowboys will be fine defensively, so long as they abandon the experiment to rotate Orlando Scandrick (who was repeatedly burned by Manningham) and Mike Jenkins at the corner, and it seems like Wade Phillips has already started to move in that direction. 



Panthers fans can take some solace in the fact that Jake Delhomme, coming off two straight awful performances that led to major criticism, wasn’t nearly as bad last week against Atlanta; but that being said, his 308 passing yards shed far too positive a light on his actual performance. This simply isn’t the Delhomme of five years ago, and the Panthers have to be second guessing the heck out of themselves for his exorbitant contract extension this past off-season.
 
Though he indicated he “felt good out there,” Jake was nearly an early disaster. Though he began the game 4-4 for 54 yards, he could have thrown an early interception when he inexplicably tossed a weak underhand pass, which was dropped by a Falcons defender. If Delhomme would have thrown a pick there, things probably would have snowballed on him again, as they would have been in another big early hole.

Cowboys-Panthers Prediction and Spread Pick

So, though it’s not outrageous to muse that the 34 year-old is on the downward arc of his career, the Panthers do indeed have a dangerous rushing attack with DeAngelo Williams and 22 year-old Jonathan Stewart  that will make things significantly easier for Mr. Delhomme at times. 



All that being said, I just don’t see how the Panthers stop the Cowboys’ rushing attack, especially with the season ending ankle injury to defensive tackle Louis Leonard, one of the team’s primary run stuffers. This is yet another hindrance to a defensive line already crippled by injuries.

Ultimately, I just don’t see the Panthers as being able to stop the Cowboys’ ground game without bringing a safety in the box, and in doing so, they will open up the passing attack for Tony Romo, who should have a good bounce back game. Dallas needs this win, and it’s highly likely they’ll get it, perhaps easily.



Cowboys-Panthers Prediction and Spread Pick: Cowboys do cover the large spread.

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* – Felix Jones photo credit: Dallas Observer Sportatorium

* – Jake Delhomme photo credit: Snort Report

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Marion Barber Injury Update: Pulled Leg Muscle, Left Game

Marion Barber left tonight’s Cowboys-Giants game with what appeared to be a pulled leg muscle. 

After getting behind the Giants’ D and appearing poised to scamper all the way to the end zone, Barber pulled up and eventually tumbled over about 10 yards shy of the end zone. It was apparent from the replay that Barber pulled a muscle in his leg.

Felix Jones ultimately scored a TD on the drive, but Barber left the game and was immediately pronounced out for the remainder of the contest, which New York won 33-31.

Barber ran for 124 yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 31 yards. After the Cowboys’ coaches watch tonight’s film, they’ll have to ask themselves why they called anything but running plays.

On 29 carries, the Cowboys averaged a whopping 8.7 yards per carry. Tony Romo, on 29 pass attempts, threw for 127 yards and 3 INTs.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on Dallas Cowboys tickets and all 2009 NFL tickets.

I have seen no specific injury updates on Barber as of yet, other than he left the game and did not return, but I’ll update this post as soon as I hear anything.

Update: The injury that knocked Marion Barber out of last night’s game is being called a left quad strain, according to Yahoo Sports (via Rotowire). Barber did walk off the field under his own power, and the injury does not appear severe. Obviously if you are a Barber owner, you want to own Felix Jones and Tashard Choice as well (if possible), and be sure to monitor Barber’s status throughout the week.

Update 9/22: Newy Scruggs of NBC 5 in Dallas is reporting (hat tip: PFT) that Marion Barber will miss 1-2 weeks with the quad strain that he suffered Monday night. Because the Cowboys don’t play until Monday, I would not consider Barber to be definitely out this week. Check the injury reports, but make sure you have a contingency plan (or Felix Jones/Tashard Choice) because you will most likely have to make the decision Sunday as to whether or not you’re going to wait until Monday for the final word on Barber’s availability.

Update 9/23: Definitely keep your eye on Marion Barber’s status. The latest update, at least according to ESPN, is that Barber received treatment yesterday and hopes to play Monday night.  Looks like this will be a Sunday morning decision and you’ll just have to base your thoughts on Barber’s status for Monday night — which will obviously influence the fantasy value of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice value — on as much info as you have.

Sunday Night Football: Giants-Cowboys Preview and Prediction

If the New York Giants are going to spoil the regular season christening of Dallas’ new billion-dollar stadium, then Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw must bring their A-game.

Both teams won last week’s season opener, but the Cowboys were gashed by Tampa Bay on the ground for 174 yards in the 34-21 victory. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams picked up 97 yards on only 13 carries while Derrick Ward gained another 62 yards on 12 attempts. Each back found the end zone once.

If New York gets that kind of productivity, and the defense plays as it did against Washington, we could see an upset in Big D.

The G-Men have history against them, however. Dallas has won four of the last five meetings, and three of the last four in Dallas.

Here is all of the viewing information for this weekend’s game:

New York Giants (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

• Giants-Cowboys Date: Sunday, September 20
• Giants-Cowboys Time: 8:20
• Giants-Cowboys TV Network: NBC
• Giants-Cowboys Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
• Giants-Cowboys Point Spread: Cowboys -2.5
• Giants-Cowboys Over-Under: 44
• Giants-Cowboys Preview — (Dallas Sports Fans)
• StubHub: Giants-Cowboys tickets as low as $40!

In last December’s game at Texas Stadium, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was sacked eight times, picked off twice, and did not throw a touchdown pass in the 20-8 Dallas victory. This is another reason why New York running game is so vital. Jacobs ran for 117 yards in last season’s Giants victory in New York, but the big bruiser missed the blowout loss in Dallas.

If the Giants are unable to get anything going on the ground, DeMarcus Ware and Co. will be able to pin their ears back and head right for Manning. Surprisingly, Dallas was unable to register a sack last week in Tampa after Ware led the NFL with 20 sacks a season ago. Tampa quarterback Byron Leftwich completed 61 percent of his passes and threw for 276 yards as the Buccaneers totaled 450 yards of offense.

For Dallas, the recipe for success is eerily similar.

The Cowboys have their own 1-2 punch in the backfield. Establishing Marion Barber and Felix Jones on the ground will open things up for Tony Romo. Dallas rushed for 118 yards against the Bucs, led by Barber, who had 79 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Romo enjoyed a superb opener, throwing for 353 yards and three touchdowns, including seven passes to Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams for a combined 221 yards. It’s clear that the Cowboys don’t miss Terrell Owens. Romo’s efforts this past Sunday made up for the lackluster defensive performance in the Sunshine State.

While Dallas’ defense was underwhelming in victory, New York’s unit overwhelmed Jason Campbell and the Redskins. They held the Redskins to 272 yards – 85 rushing – and forced two turnovers with three sacks, including 1 1/2 by NFC defensive player of the week Justin Tuck. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora, back after missing last year with a knee injury added a sack and a forced fumble of Campbell. He then returned the fumble 37 yards for a score in the 23-17 win.

Manning was not spectacular against Washington, but was efficient, going 20 of 29 for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception, completing passes to seven receivers.

That kind of efficiency begins with pass protection and a solid running game. Both teams have basically the same strengths. It’s just a matter of which squad can establish the ground game early, pressure the quarterback, and create a turnover – something Dallas has struggled to do the last few years.

The clubs have already begun the war of words, with Jacobs and Ware both saying they “hate” the other team. It would seem the passion on the field in this storied NFC East rivalry has finally caught up to the passion in the stands.

The passionate ones in the seats could be the difference in this game, if Dallas can feed off its crowd in the home opener. The Giants will do all they can to silence the expected sell-out crowd. That could be easier to do with their 260-pound tailback on the field.

With Jacobs in the lineup, this is a completely different Giants team, and New York just might be leaving Big D with a big W.

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* – Eli Manning – Dallas photo credit: New York Daily News

Rough Week, Season, and Year for Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones

Before writing this I paused, wondering if a discussion of Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones was really within our jurisdiction here at Midwest Sports Fans. But then I remembered that most of the Midwest sports fans I know actually take great joy in seeing Jerry Jones and his beloved Dallas Cowboys suffer, so I am throwing caution to the wind.

(Hopefully I throw it into the wind a little better than Tony Romo, or another blog may intercept this post and run it back for a link on Deadspin.)

Gotta love the mixed metaphors.

Anyway, back to our discussion of Jerry Jones. We all know about the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and many of you have probably heard by now that Jerry Jones basically called out Marion Barber for being a wuss and not playing with his injured pinkie toe. Yes ladies and gentleman, a grown man who has gotten a face lift and danced in public with Steve Urkel insinuated that one of the toughest running backs in the NFL is a wuss.

He of course backtracked off of those comments once they caused a stir in the media, but you tell me how this is taken out of context (from the Rick Herrin story in the Fort-Worth Star Telegram):

“He can play with that injured toe,” Jones said. “He can play with the soreness and a combination of those things. I see nothing that led us to believe he couldn’t.”

Seems pretty cut and dry to me: Jerry Jones thinks Marion Barber should have been able to play, yet Barber did not even make the trip to Pittsburgh. I’m confused though by how there was not better communication about this injury within the Cowboys organization leading up the game. Hell, I posted in the middle of the week last week that Marion Barber most likely was not going to play, and I’m just a schmuck blogger for a Midwest site who’s lived in Dallas for less than a year. Yet somehow I was more up to date on the status of Marion Barber than the Cowboys owner.

Maybe the fact that Jerry Jones seems out of touch is because he has something a little more pressing on his mind that regular season football. Something like…a $1 billion stadium for which he is currently short about $350 million.

I actually did some Photoshop work for an article that was written on this topic last week. Entitled “Dallas Cowboys Stadium Shortfall: Bailing Out Jerry Jones“, I learned that a little over five weeks ago Jerry Jones hosted a variety of banks to try and secure the final $350 million that he needs to complete his ridiculous stadium in Arlington. The article itself is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at what some of Jerry’s options might be to get the financing he needs, including whether a federal bailout would be a worthwhile use of tax dollars. Because honestly, if the Dallas Cowboys suffer, don’t we all?

Just to give you a little taste, here is one of the images from the article. This one was produced as an illustration of the possibility of Barack Obama funneling some money Jerry’s way, in an effort by Barack to have a better chance at winning the state of Texas in 2012. My favorite part is the expression on Jerry Jones’ face as he is forced to shake hands with a Democrat, and the sobbing Tony Romo in the background:

You can click on the image for a full-size view. To view the other images, including “Jerry Jones Field at He Loves Him Some Him Stadium” which features Jerry Jones grinding up next to a shocked Tom Landry, you’ll have to go check out the article.

It will be interesting to see what actually happens with the new stadium, and with the Cowboys team, leading into the 2009 season. There is absolutely no question that Jerry Jones fully expected to be heading into the new stadium in 2009 riding a wave of momentum from a Super Bowl win in 2008. It was all I heard on the radio this offseason and during training camp.

Now, after 13 weeks of up and down football and an 8-5 record, Jerry Jones is:

• Calling out his star running back
• Short of funding for his new stadium
• Has to be wondering if he has a QB with the stones to win once the games really matter
• Frustrated with his head coach, Wade Phillips

(By the way, after you go read the article about the new Cowboys stadium, check out the link above. It is from 1310 The Ticket here in Dallas, and is a regular bit they do every Monday called Fake Jerry and Fake Wade. It is hilarious.)

Anyway, with the Cowboys taking on the Ravens, Giants, and Eagles in their final three games, and needing to win at least two just have a prayer at a playoff berth, the rest of 2008 is not shaping up to give Jerry Jones much relief. And to be quite honest, his unnecessary comments about Marion Barber’s injury make me think that Jerry may be coming unraveled and starting to feel the pressure of the enormous stadium budget and the reality that his team is merely good, but not elite.

Everything or Nothing: Marion Barber Injury Update – Tashard Choice May Start

(Week 15 Update, Sunday morning: Marion Barber’s status for the Giants game is still up in the air.  According to a report I just read on ProFootballTalk.com, John Clayton from ESPN is reporting that if Barber does indeed play he will not have a significant role.  Monitor this one up to the kickoff of the early games, or up until tonight if you own Tashard Choice as well.)

Allow me the indulgence of a little bit of foreshadowing: prepare to get goosebumps. Trust me.

Now, a quick injury update on Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber as we head into this weekend’s titanic matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, a huge week for many fantasy football owners as well. According to the Dallas Morning News, as well as 1310 The Ticket in Dallas, Marion Barber is currently a dreaded “game-time decision.”

(Update 12/6, 5:00 PM: The game-time decision has been made. Marion Barber did not accompany the Cowboys to Pittsburgh. Tashard Choice will start.)

Other than “Dr. James Andrews” is there a worse phrase to hear in relation to one of your fantasy football players than “game-time decision?” Well, perhaps “playing Pittsburgh’s defense,” but we’ll get to that in a second.

Here is the quote from Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips referring to the Marion Barber injury:

“We were assuming that Marion would play, but it’s a little more doubtful right now, so we’ll see [today],” coach Wade Phillips said.

Marion Barber is suffering from an injury to his toe, and according to the Morning News the Cowboys training staff is trying to find the right kind of shoe to give him support that may allow him to take the field Sunday. For now, they are not committing one way or the other, and the really frustrating part for fantasy owners is that it is a 4:00 game. If the decision drags past 12:00, setting rosters could be tricky.

Here’s something that is not tricky, however: don’t play running backs, or any offensive players for that matter, against the Steelers Defense. Why? They are first in the league in rushing yards allowed, passing yards allowed, total yards allowed, and scoring defense. That’s domination. As a Browns fan it pains me to give the Steelers props like that, but they deserve it. Their defense has been outstanding.

Who would fill in for Marion Barber if he is unable to go? The first choice would obviously be Wade Phillips, in a Jerome Bettis-type battering ram role; but Phillips is what you may call “portly” and has lost some of the speed and explosiveness that once defined him as a…okay, never mind. With Felix Jones out for the season, rookie Tashard Choice would be the choice to fill in for Marion Barber.

For the season, Tashard Choice has carried the ball 30 times at a 4.9 yard per carry clip. Not too shabby in limited action. He was a very productive runner in college and I know, living in Dallas, that the people down here are really excited about his potential. He is smaller, and has much more an Emmitt Smith-style than the punishing style of Marion Barber, but Choice has always produced when given the chance. If Barber is out for any extended period of time, Tashard Choice could be a solid #2 RB or flex player.

Plus, and here comes the goosbumps part I alluded to earlier, Tashard Choice gave one of the most passionate and inspiring pre-game speeches by a player that I have ever heard while at Georgia Tech. Many of you may have seen this video before, some of you may not. We bring you the goods either way:

I was thinking about just ending this post right there with that video, but now I’ve decided that I’M GONNA WRITE, ‘TILL I CAN’T WRITE NO MO’! I’M GONNA GET UP — AND WRITE AGAIN!

Tashard Choice became my new personal hero the first time I saw that speech. He rocks, and if Marion Barber is out this weekend I hope Choice has a good game against Pittsburgh. I realize that Pittsburgh’s D is outstanding, but would you really question Tashard Choice’s ability to get the job done? Watch that video again and tell me you wouldn’t start him.

That’s what I thought. Everything or nothing.

Work be damned, I’m wrapping this up now so I can go watch Remember the Titans and Hoosiers.

(Update: After I posted this item, I emailed Florio over at PFT to give him the Barber update — which he probably knew anyway — and to remind him about the Tashard Choice speech. At 1:00 later that afternoon, this story was posted on PFT. They didn’t link to us, or mention us, and maybe they had been planning the story and the inclusion of the Choice video anyway, but we’ll take it as a little homage to MSF. Hey, we’re just a newbie on the block trying to gain some credibility in the blogging world, and don’t do any primary source reporting like they do. And Lord knows I’ve gotten enough story ideas from them, and linked out to them a lot, so if we helped alert them to this and that led to more people seeing Tashard Choice’s awesome speech, we’ll take some pride in that. If our tip meant nothing, we’ll just chalk it up to coincidence and keep plugging away trying to grow our little site here. For what it’s worth, they posted about the same story today, updating Barber’s status, and actually embedded the video this time. If you’re an NFL fan, this is one of the best sites out there. After you opt-in to our RSS feed below (if you so choose), make sure to subscribe to theirs as well. You will be a much more informed NFL fan.)