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Posted by rphillips at 2/11/2011 5:10 PM CST on truebluefanclub.com
Marion Barber set career lows in virtually every category last season: carries (113), rushing yardage (374), catches (11) and touchdowns (4). But the stat that gets noticed most -- the stat that many use to assert a rapid decline in his skills -- is his 3.3 yards-per-carry average.
Let's take a closer look at that one. For an upcoming running backs series, I went back and tallied the number of times Barber carried the ball on what could be categorized as "short-yardage." Under this criteria, it's every goal-to-go situation or, three yards or closer to a first down.
Thirty-five of Barber's 113 carries were "short-yardage", and that's the reduced role he assumed in the middle of the season. He gained 62 yards on those 35 carries for a 1.8-yard average.
That will eat into anyone's overall average. He gained 312 yards on his remaining 78 carries for a 4.0-yard average. Felix Jones' total average was 4.3. Neither are ideal.
Now listen, it's obvious Barber struggled this year, and it's possible that going on 28 years old, he won't regain his previous productivity. Making Jones the primary back was the right choice in 2010.
But Barber's 3.3 is a bit skewed by the short-yardage role he had. Just worth pointing out as we go forward here, discussing what his future role might be in Dallas.
Marion Barber set career lows in virtually every category last season: carries (113), rushing yardage (374), catches (11) and touchdowns (4). But the stat that gets noticed most -- the stat that many use to assert a rapid decline in his skills -- is his 3.3 yards-per-carry average.
Let's take a closer look at that one. For an upcoming running backs series, I went back and tallied the number of times Barber carried the ball on what could be categorized as "short-yardage." Under this criteria, it's every goal-to-go situation or, three yards or closer to a first down.
Thirty-five of Barber's 113 carries were "short-yardage", and that's the reduced role he assumed in the middle of the season. He gained 62 yards on those 35 carries for a 1.8-yard average.
That will eat into anyone's overall average. He gained 312 yards on his remaining 78 carries for a 4.0-yard average. Felix Jones' total average was 4.3. Neither are ideal.
Now listen, it's obvious Barber struggled this year, and it's possible that going on 28 years old, he won't regain his previous productivity. Making Jones the primary back was the right choice in 2010.
But Barber's 3.3 is a bit skewed by the short-yardage role he had. Just worth pointing out as we go forward here, discussing what his future role might be in Dallas.
