Through 13 games, we are still trying to get a feel about the RB situation with the Cowboys moving forward.
Is everyone sure Felix Jones is a #1 feature back in this league? Well, he has had nearly an entire season to wow the public, and at this point he is on pace to barely break the 700 yard barrier on the ground and is averaging 44 yards per game. When we consider that he has been on the field for well over half of all of the starts, that indicates that the production has been less than thrilling.
As I have pointed out in previous weeks, though, he is on pace for nearly 500 more receiving yards this year and is becoming more and more of a threat on screen plays and swing passes.
But, how much is the production on him and how much is it based on the offensive line's dreadful year? That is what the coaches and scouts need to analyze. And I am not sure how they sort this one out. On one hand, all the RBs average less that 4 yards per carry. Felix and Tashard Choice are 3.9 each, and Marion Barber is at 3.1 ypa.
Felix hasn't had much to work with, but there still seems to be great question about his sight and feel when running between the tackles. Some suggest that he is merely a "change-up" back and what have we seen this season to strongly dispute that?
Meanwhile, Choice intrigues most people - and actually seems to be the one with the most balanced skill set to suggest he could be an every down back - but before we get carried away, we should compare his rushing production with Jon Kitna's.
One has to wonder if the next stud RB to feature for the Cowboys is not even on this roster right now.
On the other hand, one has to wonder if all these guys need is just a little daylight to work with. Reviewing the run plays again this morning, it is clear that on a regular basis, the men up front are losing too many battles. Andre Gurode was very poor on Sunday Night on running plays, Jason Witten has been better in the past, and Marc Colombo still looks half the man he was in 2009. Leonard Davis actually wasn't too bad on Sunday, but given his performance this season, I will need to see plenty more to change my mind on his future.
In conclusion, there is so much wrong with the Cowboys run game in 2010 that I am not sure how to assign blame in one direction. This is one mess they absolutely will need to get cleaned up over the offseason. Please read the Decoding Garrett piece from Tuesday for more on the rushing woes.
TOTAL SNAPS FOR RBs VS Eagles (60 plays)
| Half | 24-Barber | 28-Jones | 23-Choice |
| 1st | 0 | 20 | 10 |
| 2nd | 0 | 17 | 11 |
| Total | 0 | 37 | 21 |
TOTAL SNAPS FOR RBs SEASON TO DATE (820 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 |
| Wk 12 | 0 | 32 | 31 |
| Wk 13 | 0 | 37 | 21 |
| Total | 242 (29%) | 440 (54%) | 113 (14%) |
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
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