Cowboys To Cut Barber?

There are rumors floating around that the Cowboys might cut Marion Barber, and use Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Personally, I think this is a bad idea. Barber was hurt last year, but reports say that he is in great shape, and has even taken off 10 pounds, which can help him get his explosiveness back. I am not sold that Jones can stay on the field, and carry the ball 25 times a game. I also don't think Choice is anything special. Unless the Cowboys really need the cap space, I think they should hold on to Barber. He is great at wearing down teams, and having a guy like him pounding the ball and Jones running wild makes a difficult matchup for any team.

Marion Barber Injury Update

"Cowboys running back Marion Barber is headed home to Minnesota for a playoff game on Sunday. Whether he gets to play - or how much he plays - depends on how his left knee heals this week. Coach Wade Phillips said Monday that Barber won't practice Wednesday as a precaution. He missed some practice time last week, tried to play Saturday night then was stuck on the sideline after three carries netted just 4 yards. "He's already better than he was last week and better than he was after the game," Phillips said. "So we think he's going to be all right. And I know he wants to play going back to Minnesota. But we'll monitor it (ESPN)."

Whether he plays or not I don't think it will matter. This game will be decided by the arm of Tony Romo. The Vikings have one of the best defensive lines in the league, so you have to pass on this defense. Barber would be nice if they got close to the goalline, but whether or not he plays will have very little affect on this game, since the Cowboys have 2 very good backup running backs (Jones/Choice).

Barber/Ware To Play This Week

"Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber and linebacker DeMarcus Ware joined the injury list Wednesday, but should play this weekend against Atlanta. Barber has a fractured left thumb that he thought he just jammed against Kansas City before the bye week. An X-ray revealed the break. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he expects both to start Sunday at home against the Falcons. He said the right-handed Barber didn't appear to have trouble carrying the ball or catching it in practice Wednesday Sportsline)."

I know a lot of people are giving up on Barber, but I am not one of them (yea he's on my team). Barber has been banged up and Choice is getting more carries, but I don't trust choice and I think he will be just another guy who will be good for a couple of weeks then disappear (kinda like BenJarvus Green-Ellis aka The Law Firm). The Falcons have not been very good against the run, so I would start Barber in all leagues...

Marion Barber 100%

In some important news for any fantasy owners of Marion Barber...

"The Cowboys are being careful with Marion Barber in his return from a quad injury, which is why they only gave him the ball once in last week's game against the Denver Broncos. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said he has confidence in Tashard Choice, the Dallas Morning News writes, which is why Barber wasn't rushed back.

But when owner Jerry Jones asked his medical staff about Barber, they told him he was fine. So for this week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Barber should be the featured back again and get more than a single carry after halftime (ESPN)."

Looks like he is back to 100% and that is good news since he is facing the Chiefs and should get a lot of touches. Barber, when healthy, is a top RB in the NFL and with Jones out it should mean only more carriers for this fantasy stud (though keep an eye on Choice).

Felix Jones Out For Week 4

"Cowboys RB Felix Jones will miss Week 4 at Denver with a sprained PCL, reports ESPN. Head coach Wade Phillips said Tuesday that there is not a timetable for his return, but the report stats Jones might miss Week 5 as well so that he'll have three weeks of rest heading into Week 7 (the Cowboys have a bye in Week 6). Phillips did say Tuesday that RB Marion Barber is getting better but wouldn't commit to him playing against the Broncos. Jones rushed for 94 yards on eight carries and caught one pass for 20 yards against the Panthers in Week 3 before leaving in the third quarter (Sportsline)."

There is no word yet if Barber will be able to play, but if you need a running back in fantasy football pickup Tashard Choice. He could be the Cowboys' every down running back, which makes him a potential fantasy stud vs Denver. I like Felix Jones a lot, but he just can't say on the field, and I just don't see how he could ever be a primary back. He wasn't one in college and so far hasn't showed he can do it in the NFL.

Marion Barber May Play

Now there are reports that Marion Barber may play on Monday. Nursing a strained quadriceps muscle in his left leg, Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber received treatment Tuesday morning and hopes to play against the Panthers on Monday, a league source told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

Personally, if I were the Cowboys I would make sure Marion Barber did not play. Tashard Choice and Felix Jones are both great back-ups and will be able to shoulder the load easily. The Cowboys should really be concerned about their defense more than there offense.

Barber Out vs Steelers

The Cowboys have a tough road to the playoffs, and it didn't get an easier today, as it was announced that Marion Barber will not play because of a dislocated a pinkie toe. With Felix Jones already out for the year, this is really going to hurt any chance of the Cowboys to have any kind of running game. Barber has been having a great year, but not it will be all on Romo's shoulders. I don't believe in the Cowboys' defense, so I guess we will see what the Tony Romo is really made of. If he can battle this team back, and beat the Steelers, then I will shut my mouth for a while about how bad Tony Romo is.

-BMack

Your Monday Injury Report

This week many injuries happened to many people here is a breakdown of the most important:

1. Tom Brady- Patriots
Looks like Tom has some severe damage to his left knee, including ligament and a possible ACL tear.
Obviously this is a huge blow to the Patriots season, and Brian B. wrote a great post on it last night. Unlike some faggy Boston sports blogs, I believe it was a clean hit by Bernard Pollard. And as a Steelers fan, I hate to see Tom be out for the season because if we want to be the best, we have to beat the best and a Tom Brady ran Patriots team is by far the best in the NFL. Many Patriots fans will be morning the loss of Brady, but I see things differently. If the Patriots somehow tank this year they can possibly get a high draft pick and get some players for that aging defense. Also, if Cassel wins 13 games this year for the Pats, what happens to Tom Brady's legend.

2. Vince Young- Titans
Vince Young tore his MCL yesterday playing the Jaguars, and this crushes me. I love Vince Young and although he hasn't panned out to be this stat putting up QB like many thought he would; the guy flat out wins games. This also puts Kerry Collins at the helm of the Titans for 2-4 weeks making this a less sexy team.

3. Marion Barber- Cowboys
Marion looked real good against the Browns yesterday, but honestly, I think Bob and I could look good against the Browns. Marion has injured ribs and Wade Phillips said he was "a little" worried, and in coaches terms that is like saying, "fuck". Although I am a firm believer in Felix Jones, I don't believe he can be an everydown back.