Drafting MBIII's sidekick

R

RunRickyRun34

250+ Posts
Why do so many drafts have Dallas drafting Felix Jones to compliment Barber in the Cowboys' backfield? For that matter, I am not sure why Dallas would take any RB not named McFadden in the first round. Mendenhall and Stewart are great backs, but seem a lot like Barber himself. I certainly think Dallas needs to take a change of pace back for the bruising Barbarian, but Felix, Mendenhall, and Stewart don't fit the bill. If you read the link below, Barber has very similar speed per the 40 time he recorded at his pro day back in 2005. I think Dallas would be much better served taking the top CB available, and hope either Limas (unlikely, I know) or Kelly slip to 28. Then take the amazingly fast JC (4.38 w/ a bad start) or Chris Johnson (4.24) in the 2nd, with Johnson possibly being the better choice due to his return ability. Mendenhall and Stewart are certifiable studs, but just seem too much like work horse RBs to be used in a complimentary role. Just my 2 cents.

Mendenhall: 4.45
Stewart: 4.48
Felix Jones: 4.47
MBIII: 4.49 (per link below)

Marion can run pretty well himself
 
I am actually sceptical on whether Felix Jones will be successful in the NFl, but if he is, it will be as a complementary back to a guy like MBIII. Jones is a totally different back than Mendenhall and Stewart.
 
I totally agree that he is a different back than Mendenhall or Stewart. They are on a different talent level than Jones. Felix kind of reminds me of, well, Julius.

You are right about Jones being more suited to the complimentary role. I accidently lumped him in with Mendenhall and Stewart on the "work horse" comment, due to my arguement about them all having similar speeds. I went back and fixed it.
 
Felix reminds me an awful lot of Reggie Bush... or at least his highlights do...

Lots of untouched runs through massive gaping holes... lots of big runs on the corners off of misdirections plays or plays that McFadden drew the D on.


OTOH, I think Jones will be a better NFL runner than Bush.
 
IMO taking a running back with a high draft pick would be a big waste. Why in the world would we draft a feature back when the cowboys run a 2 back offense?

MBIII is a top 5 back in YPC, I think he is one of the best backs in the league. Drafting a feature back is irresponsible due to the fact that he will get no more than 15-20 carries per game, best case scenario. The best thing to do would be to improve the defense with the draft, and pick up Tatum Bell from Free Agency.
 
If Sweed, or Kelly is still around in the 1st I say go for one of the two and a CB in the first round. If they are gone by the time the Cowboys pick, take a CB and the best available RB with the other first round pick and the best available player in the 2nd round.
 
Totally agree. Why take a RB in the top round when the Cowboys have other equally pressing needs? I would like to see them take a CB & offensive tackle with their first two picks, then address WR & RB.

The 'boys need someone to groom to take over for Flozell Adams. He signed a six year deal, but lets be realistic. The max that K gets honored is 3 years. I remain optimistic about Doug Free and James Maarten, but neither of them have done anything as of yet to distinguish themselves.

You can never have too many CBs, especially when the top Super Bowl contenders on the other side are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. RB and WR are two of the easiest positions to strike it rich at. We can wait until late in the first day to address those needs.

Example, just look at our current starters: MB3 - 4th rd.; TO - 3rd rd.; P. Crayton - 7th rd. Contrast that with the former group: F. Adams - 2nd rd; M. Columbo - 1st rd.; T. Newman - 1st rd.

Take that w/ a grain of salt. If Limas Sweed or Malcom Kelly falls we are in a position of luxury to simply take the best player available. For the first time in a while, there are no significant holes that must be taken care of. There's probably a good chance they trade down again. I would be surprised if they move up, IMO the Jerry-Arky connection is overrated.

My dream scenario would be something like this:
1st pick: 1st rd. - L.McKelvin / M.Jenkins / A.Talib / S.Baker / J.Otah / L.Sweed/ M.Kelly / R.Mendenhall / J.Stewart

2nd pick: 1st rd. - any of the above / R.Smith / D.Rogers-Cromartie / C.Williams / F.Jones / J.Hardy / M.Manningham

2nd & 3rd rd. - any of the above / J.Charles / M.Forte / C.Johnson / D.Thomas / E.Doucet / G.Cherilus / A.Collins / C.Richal
 
For years i've been upset that the Cowboys haven't drafted a WR in the first round, but now totally agree with that strategy. Especialy for this team, that isn't in a rebuilding mode.

Very few WR's not named Randy Moss have any success their fist two years in the league. Even after two years, the bust rate is very high.

Think about all the teams in the playoffs this year. Which ones had first round WR's, that they drafted, that were starters or big contributors? Reggie Wayne of the Colts, and Santonio Holmes of the Steelers are the only ones I can think of. There's probably another one or two(if the Jags guys count), but most of the WR's that contributed were FA's, traded, or later round guys.

Some disagree, but personally I feel the Cowboys are in a position to contend over the next year or two, and drafting a WR in the first would not help in that regard. CB, Safety, OL, and RB are all positions where guys could come in and help this team get to the next level.
 
The Cowboys need to draft the best available player regardless of position (with the exception of QB). And that includes drafting a RB if he is the best player on the board.

Contrary to popular opinion, I do not think that Barbar is a top 5 back in the league. He is a great back in the role he has been playing. So drafting another back is not a bad idea. It keeps Barber in the role that he has been so successful in.

Ideally, the best player on the board would be a CB or WR. CB is a pressing need right now; WR will be a pressing need in the next 2-3 years. It is normally the third year after a WR is drafted when they start really producing. TO will probably be leaving right about then.

But then again, I have absolutely no trust in Jerry's drafting ability. He will probably draft a DL or LB (Dallas' two deepest positions) and it will be a player that will be considered a reach.

Just my 2 cents.
 
While I certainly acknowledge Roy's faults, I think 3rd/nickel CB is more pressing of a need. Reeves was victimized game in and game out (so glad he is Houston's problem now), and we need someone capable of assuming either that role, or full time starter's role if neccessary. Not finding a way to land Ross last year was a mistake.

That said, we also need the "wow" player that Jerry talks about to assume the vacant Terry Glenn spot. I wouldn't mind seeing Dallas take D Jackson for the deep threat he would provide, as well as return abilities. Doubt even he will be there though.
 
Why does the second guy have to be a "change of pace" or a "complimentary" kind of player?

If MBIII is a badass, and there are backs just like him available in the draft, why not have 2 badasses?

Won't two bruisers wear a defense down much better than one bruiser?

And for guys like MBIII and Mendenhall/Stewart, once the defense is worn out, they still have blazing speed to take it the distance. So why not have 2 of them?
 
I agree with Rusk. The change of pace label doesn't make a lot of sense.

Barber can take it inside, has the speed to get outside and is a good receiver out of the backfield. What other "pace" is there? Barber could even run back kicks if they wanted him to.
 
Barber doesn't really have "big play" ability. He's a great workhorse, but almost always gets caught from behind.

Not saying that he can't break off a long run. He did a few times last year. But the Cowboys had to work very hard for almost every touchdown they scored last year. It would be nice to have a guy who is at least a threat to take it the distance.
 
Well, there were only three backs with more 40+ yard runs and six with more 20+ yard runs than Barber last year.

Sure speed plays a factor, but unless your name is Peterson, most long runs in the NFL occur because of situational circumstances.
 
I would not be surprised at all of Dallas picks up Warrick Dunn for the league minimum. He is the ultimate 3rd down back, and a complete change of pace from Barber. You can count on him for a few first downs a game and a TD about every 3-4 games.
 
I like Dunn strictly as a 3rd down back. However, one thing that has to be considered is if he can still handle a full workload at this point in his career if MBIII goes down. Given the heavier workload Barber will receive now, and his running style, injury could be an issue at some point. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to see someone with a little more in the tank than Dunn step in if Barber has to miss any time this year.
 
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