But, as we have assumed all season long, Choice is not 3rd String because the Cowboys have "too much talent" in front of him. He is 3rd string because as far as anyone can tell, that's what the Cowboys decision makers think that he is. To put it another way, if the Cowboys thought he was something better than that, he would have moved Marion Barber off the field sooner than this.
The Cowboys decision makers see every practice, every meeting, and every detail of his performance, whereas we in the media and in the fan base simply draw short glimpses of his performance and try to extrapolate that over the course of a game or a season. It is likely that we base too much on the end of 2008 when he did put up some nice numbers, albeit numbers that should be placed into proper context. What I mean by that is that by charting the games in 2008, we learned that many of his yards came on Shotgun draws on 3rd and long and other "pass-first" scenarios that makes it easier to rack up yards without dealing with defenses loading up to stop a RB.
I honestly don't know what Choice would accomplish if he was given a top role with a NFL team, but I believe the Cowboys have made it pretty clear that they feel like they know what he is.
Of course, it should be noted that they thought Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was a better kick returner than Bryan McCann in training camp.
TOTAL SNAPS FOR RBs vs New Orleans (74 plays)
| Half | 24-Barber | 28-Jones | 23-Choice |
| 1st | 12 | 21 | 1 |
| 2nd | 10 | 23 | 5 |
| Total | 22 | 44 | 6 |
TOTAL SNAPS FOR RBs SEASON TO DATE (686 Total Plays)
| Half | 24-Barber | 28-Jones | 23-Choice |
| WK 1 | 28 | 28 | 13 |
| Wk 2 | 31 | 33 | 7 |
| Wk 3 | 30 | 17 | 10 |
| Wk 4 | 23 | 51 | 1 |
| Wk 5 | 24 | 33 | 0 |
| Wk 6 | 13 | 42 | 0 |
| Wk 7 | 22 | 38 | 8 |
| Wk 8 | 9 | 27 | 13 |
| Wk 9 | 15 | 31 | 0 |
| Wk 10 | 25 | 27 | 5 |
| Wk 11 | 22 | 44 | 6 |
| Total | 242 (35%) | 371 (54%) | 63 (9%) |
In case this is your first time to check these numbers, this is all about snaps on the field - not touches or run plays. This is merely intended to see who is on the field and who is on the sideline for the Cowboys offense.
Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com
Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm
Way late on reading/commenting, but I've been away from computers for a while.
ReplyDeleteYet another example of excellent work by the Sturminator. You won't hear many people talk about the context for Choice's yards (just as you never, ever, ever heard context for Barber's yards when he played behind Julius Jones). Thank you, Bob, and keep it up!