Ridgelake
Footballguy
Link
By Nick Eatman of Dallascowboys.com
IRVING, Texas - Before the Cowboys headed out to Oxnard, Calif., for training in late July, head coach Bill Parcells had an idea about how he wanted to run the football this year.
In fact, it wasn't much different than his plan heading into last year.
But here we are, two games into the regular season with the Cowboys in the middle of a bye week, and Parcells once again must explain how he plans to divide carries among his tailbacks through the rest of the season.
Same question.
Same answers.
"It's really no different now," Parcells said. "I want to get Julius (Jones) his carries and I want play Marion (Barber) on third downs and some short-yardage. And I even want to get Tyson (Thompson) into the mix, too."
That quote was from this week. But it could've been taken from a news conference back in August, too. The Cowboys seem to be right where Parcells wants in terms of splitting carries between Jones, Barber and even Thompson.
Parcells said after watching the film from last Sunday's 27-10 win over the Redskins that the Cowboys' coaching staff might have found the right amount of carries for Jones, who rushed for a season-high 94 yards on 20 carries.
"He tried to run hard on every play that he carried the ball and I think he ran effectively," Parcells said of Jones. "And what I was happy about, he was breaking a few tackles, which is good. I like that."
Jones, who is averaging 4.5 yards a carry and has 166 yards in two games, said he has stopped worrying about personal statistics.
"That's not really a big deal to me anymore," Jones said. "I just want to go out and win games. However many carries I get, or yards, it doesn't matter. I've said all along, if I go out and produce and stay healthy, the yards and all of that will come with it."
Parcells said running backs coach Anthony Lynn told him in the staff meeting earlier this week he believes 20 carries is a good total for Jones.
"Looking at his runs, he got what was there," said Parcells, who has warned his backs to avoid what he calls "give-up runs."
Parcells said keeping Jones' carries down has nothing to do with his previous injuries, which have forced him out of 11 games in the last two seasons. Parcells said taking a load off his starting tailback is not only smart, but a common trend around the league these days.
"I don't see anybody that I respect in coaching that's not doing it," Parcells said of dividing carries. "A lot of these runners are not the big, big O.J. Anderson-type guys that you could just leave back there for as long as you want."
While Parcells doesn't have a bruiser-type back like Anderson, who played with the Giants under Parcells from 1986-90, he does have some other options he trusts.
Barber doesn't actually give the Cowboys a change of pace from Jones, considering both are similar in stature and running styles. But that can be a positive thing as well.
"I don't think you really lose anything with either one of them," Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe said of the two backs. "Both Julius and Marion are guys that can come in and do a lot of things for us, whether it's running the ball, blocking or catching out of the backfield. I feel we can count on both of them."
Barber is the biggest of the Cowboys' three tailbacks, and Parcells has praised him for his blocking and receiving skills. But according to his coach, Barber is in no way a finished product.
Against the Redskins, Barber missed some blocking assignments earlier in the game and also gave up a sack in the second half.
"He's still got some things he needs to improve on," Parcells said. "Like (Sunday night), when Marion finally found out what time the game started, he started doing something. He was back on Rocky Mountain Time."
Barber had eight carries for 39 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. He also had a 26-yard reception on the Cowboys' 99-yard touchdown drive, which ended with a 40-yard scoring strike from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn at the start of the fourth quarter.
Parcells said he had a plan for Barber in preseason that included playing him on all third downs and giving him seven carries at other points in the game. While the coach said it's more difficult to do that in the regular season, he would like to keep Barber in that range.
And Parcells hasn't forgotten about Thompson, the team's primary kickoff return specialist and one of the team's fastest players.
Thompson actually received the first carry against Washington, taking a misdirection pitch around the corner for a 15-yard gain before a tripping penalty on right tackle Marc Colombo wiped out the play.
Jones knows the feeling. Despite his 94 rushing yards, the third-year back from Notre Dame could've had an even bigger night had it not been for some untimely penalties.
Jones had runs of nine and 14 yards called back because of holding penalties, and a 43-yard reception in which he broke several open-field tackles was negated due to an illegal block in the back.
But Jones isn't complaining - not about the penalties or the rotation. In fact, he seems satisfied with the first two games, though he knows there's always room for improvement.
"The running game has been decent, but we can always be better," Jones said. "The offensive line seems like it's coming together a little bit more. The backs are running the ball pretty hard, the receivers are out there throwing their bodies around trying to get blocks downfield. As long as we keep those types of things up I think we'll be all right."
And if the Cowboys can keep a steady rotation of Jones, Barber and even Thompson, Parcells undoubtedly will be all right with that, too.
By Nick Eatman of Dallascowboys.com
IRVING, Texas - Before the Cowboys headed out to Oxnard, Calif., for training in late July, head coach Bill Parcells had an idea about how he wanted to run the football this year.
In fact, it wasn't much different than his plan heading into last year.
But here we are, two games into the regular season with the Cowboys in the middle of a bye week, and Parcells once again must explain how he plans to divide carries among his tailbacks through the rest of the season.
Same question.
Same answers.
"It's really no different now," Parcells said. "I want to get Julius (Jones) his carries and I want play Marion (Barber) on third downs and some short-yardage. And I even want to get Tyson (Thompson) into the mix, too."
That quote was from this week. But it could've been taken from a news conference back in August, too. The Cowboys seem to be right where Parcells wants in terms of splitting carries between Jones, Barber and even Thompson.
Parcells said after watching the film from last Sunday's 27-10 win over the Redskins that the Cowboys' coaching staff might have found the right amount of carries for Jones, who rushed for a season-high 94 yards on 20 carries.
"He tried to run hard on every play that he carried the ball and I think he ran effectively," Parcells said of Jones. "And what I was happy about, he was breaking a few tackles, which is good. I like that."
Jones, who is averaging 4.5 yards a carry and has 166 yards in two games, said he has stopped worrying about personal statistics.
"That's not really a big deal to me anymore," Jones said. "I just want to go out and win games. However many carries I get, or yards, it doesn't matter. I've said all along, if I go out and produce and stay healthy, the yards and all of that will come with it."
Parcells said running backs coach Anthony Lynn told him in the staff meeting earlier this week he believes 20 carries is a good total for Jones.
"Looking at his runs, he got what was there," said Parcells, who has warned his backs to avoid what he calls "give-up runs."
Parcells said keeping Jones' carries down has nothing to do with his previous injuries, which have forced him out of 11 games in the last two seasons. Parcells said taking a load off his starting tailback is not only smart, but a common trend around the league these days.
"I don't see anybody that I respect in coaching that's not doing it," Parcells said of dividing carries. "A lot of these runners are not the big, big O.J. Anderson-type guys that you could just leave back there for as long as you want."
While Parcells doesn't have a bruiser-type back like Anderson, who played with the Giants under Parcells from 1986-90, he does have some other options he trusts.
Barber doesn't actually give the Cowboys a change of pace from Jones, considering both are similar in stature and running styles. But that can be a positive thing as well.
"I don't think you really lose anything with either one of them," Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe said of the two backs. "Both Julius and Marion are guys that can come in and do a lot of things for us, whether it's running the ball, blocking or catching out of the backfield. I feel we can count on both of them."
Barber is the biggest of the Cowboys' three tailbacks, and Parcells has praised him for his blocking and receiving skills. But according to his coach, Barber is in no way a finished product.
Against the Redskins, Barber missed some blocking assignments earlier in the game and also gave up a sack in the second half.
"He's still got some things he needs to improve on," Parcells said. "Like (Sunday night), when Marion finally found out what time the game started, he started doing something. He was back on Rocky Mountain Time."
Barber had eight carries for 39 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. He also had a 26-yard reception on the Cowboys' 99-yard touchdown drive, which ended with a 40-yard scoring strike from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn at the start of the fourth quarter.
Parcells said he had a plan for Barber in preseason that included playing him on all third downs and giving him seven carries at other points in the game. While the coach said it's more difficult to do that in the regular season, he would like to keep Barber in that range.
And Parcells hasn't forgotten about Thompson, the team's primary kickoff return specialist and one of the team's fastest players.
Thompson actually received the first carry against Washington, taking a misdirection pitch around the corner for a 15-yard gain before a tripping penalty on right tackle Marc Colombo wiped out the play.
Jones knows the feeling. Despite his 94 rushing yards, the third-year back from Notre Dame could've had an even bigger night had it not been for some untimely penalties.
Jones had runs of nine and 14 yards called back because of holding penalties, and a 43-yard reception in which he broke several open-field tackles was negated due to an illegal block in the back.
But Jones isn't complaining - not about the penalties or the rotation. In fact, he seems satisfied with the first two games, though he knows there's always room for improvement.
"The running game has been decent, but we can always be better," Jones said. "The offensive line seems like it's coming together a little bit more. The backs are running the ball pretty hard, the receivers are out there throwing their bodies around trying to get blocks downfield. As long as we keep those types of things up I think we'll be all right."
And if the Cowboys can keep a steady rotation of Jones, Barber and even Thompson, Parcells undoubtedly will be all right with that, too.
