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| Michael Schneid. 3rd October, 2011 - 6:56 pm
 For the entire nineties, the Dallas Cowboys employed one of the greatest running back in NFL history. Since the departure of Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys have drafted a number of different backs who have all worked to a certain extent. But overuse, misuse and plenty of other issues has led to these different backs not being what owner/GM Jerry Jones has been looking for.
The story of the running back carousel begins in 2004, during the second season of Bill Parcells as head coach of a team coming off a 10-win, playoff appearance season in 2003.
In 2004, the Cowboys made the decision to draft a running back at the top of the draft. They were slotted at No. 22 in Round 1 and wound up making a decision to trade out of round one, making a deal with the Bills. No running back had been drafted yet and Cowboys knew they would still select comparable value in Round 2. First round running backs began coming off the board at 24 with Steven Jackson to the Rams, Chris Perry to the Bengals and Kevin Jones to the Lions. The Broncos took Tatum Bell two picks before Dallas took Julius Jones in Round 2.
Jones was the running back while retreads and flame-outs like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe were the quarterbacks so Dallas implemented a run-heavy offense.
A year later, the Cowboys drafted Marion Barber out of Minnesota in Round 4. Barber was expected to back up Jones and was not considered a threat to take his job at all, not in the short term. But he did see ample playing time and was considered the short yardage and goal-line back. Barber never had a 1,000-yard rushing season with Dallas, though h did have double digit TDs in 2006 and 2007.
Julius Jones spent just four years in Dallas. His best two years came in 2006 and 2007 where he started all 16 games both years. He ran for over 1,000 yards just once in his career, in 2006. He was released after the 2007 season, when it looked like Barber had really emerged as the top option.
In that 2008 offseason, the Cowboys had two first round picks, thanks to a trade with Cleveland during the 2007 draft. With No. 22, their first selection, Dallas took Felix Jones. This move was not surprising as Jones is from Jerry Jones alma mater – Arkansas. In fact, rumors swirled that Jones tried to trade up to get teammate Darren McFadden earlier in the draft but was unsuccessful. Jones was the third running back to selected, following McFadden and Jonathan Stewart. After Jones, two other backs went consecutively – Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson.
Not many people in Dallas clamored for the man who would go on to be known as CJ2k, but many felt Mendenhall was worthy of being picked over Jones. But Jerry Jones, who has a reputation for being stubborn, wanted Felix and it made logical sense given how different his game projected to the NFL in comparison to Barber. Barber is a big bruising back while Felix is a more finesse, faster back. They would complement each other very well.
The Cowboys also drafted Tashard Choice in the fourth round during the 2008 draft. Choice would be considered a project third running back with potential to fill in backup role.
In 2011, during the lockout, the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray in the third round. Once the lockout ended, Marion Barber was quickly released. Some even suspected the time of Tashard Choice may be up, but he is currently the backup to Felix. It is interesting to note that all three Cowboys running backs were drafted by the team.
With Tony Romo at quarterback and having playmakers like Jason Witten, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant over the past few seasons, the Cowboys relied heavily on the passing game as opposed to running. In some games in recent years, Dallas just completely abandons running the ball. This has arguably stunted the development of guys like Julius Jones and Marion Barber, who people feel, have been misused.
The offensive line has also been an issue more recently for Dallas with a lot of newer guys and a very young line in 2011. They have better pass blockers than run blockers. The scheme is simple and predictable. Opposing defenses can tell when Dallas wants to run.
The Cowboys have not been considered a running team since the departure of Emmitt Smith. Since Jason Garrett was hired as offensive coordinator in 2007, the team has been consistent with its aggressive passing. On average, Dallas throws about 60-65% of the time.
The Cowboys like drafting running backs and when they fall into the category of decline they will be released (like Julius Jones and Marion Barber). The truth is though, it does not matter who the Cowboys are giving carries to at running back. He will never be successful until the team changes its entire offensive philosophy - starting from ownership, to the coaching staff, to the offensive line, to the playbook – the Cowboys running backs will always struggle until serious changes are made. |
