- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Darren Woodson: There's an accountability factor right now and a little fear factor from Jason Garrett
Posted at 9:58 PM on Wed., Dec. 8, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
Former Dallas Cowboy Darren Woodson was interviewed on KESN-FM on Tuesday to discuss the Cowboys and Tashard Choice and Jason Garrett. Here are some highlights:
Is Tashard Choice a better running back at this point in his career than Marion Barber?
You know what, it's hard to say. I think right now...and I think I'm a little biased, I've been calling for TC for a while now...I think he needs to get more touches and every time he touches the ball, good things happen. He finds a way to either get that extra yard or get in the end zone. But, again, I think his body of work shows that when the guy touches the ball a number of times, he's a 100-yard rusher. He's just one of those guys you're just going to have to deal with; he's patient when he hits the holes, he runs hard and he has a lot of fire. He shows a lot of emotion while he's out there, so given a chance, I think he is, right now, in my opinion, I like to see him touch the ball 15 to 20 times; even more so than Felix [Jones] right now.
Do you think that Jerry Jones is pushing for Barber to get more touches because of the money he is paying him and that the coaches want to play Choice but aren't allowed to?
No, I think it's a locker room deal also. I think the guys trust Marion; you know, Marion's been there for a while and has proven, especially early on in his career, that he's a tough nosed runner. He's going to give you everything he has; he's a captain on the offensive side of the ball. So I think it's that veteran status that you see in Marion that makes a statement: "Hey, you can trust this guy. He doesn't put the ball on the ground." And he has that toughness that you want from a running back, so I don't think we should bash Marion Barber, I just think at this point, Marion's been banged up the last couple of years; Tashard Choice has some fresh legs right now and I think he's proven that those legs are fresh. And, again, he's a patient running back in this system and I think that bodes well for this offense.
Orlando Scandrick said he wasn't thinking at all about a touchdown celebration for his interception return touchdown because of Jason Garrett. What do you think about that?
That just shows you there's an accountability factor right now and maybe a little fear factor from Jason Garrett. I mean, I think the one thing that you've seen is this team has been accountable; they've played well over the last few weeks. They've been a much more disciplined football team the last three or four weeks, and I think that just goes to show you that guys understand that Jason Garrett is not going to take the nonsense. It's a no-nonsense policy over there with the Cowboys and I think it has something to do with that. But also, this is Orlando's first interception for a return at all for his career and so I think that had a lot to do with it. You get that ball in your hands and all you see is a clear path and the end zone in front of you. I'm sure he was just wanting to get there and not thinking about everything else. I think he just wanted to get in the end zone and he probably didn't know how to celebrate in the first place.
You've been critical of Cowboys' safety Alan Ball but he had a big game against the Colts. Do you think he's improved or do you think he's still playing out of position?
You know what, that's a great question. I think he's getting better; when I've seen him the last few weeks, you see a guy that's more disciplined in where he is on the field and understand the route combinations that are being thrown his way. I think when you look at Alan Ball, he's a guy, when you look at him skill-wise and his skill set, he has the ability to make these plays. And I don't think it's about his athletic ability, I think that's far from the truth; I think his athletic ability is there. I think it's all mental and knowing exactly the free safety, in the middle of the field, position. And this is his first go around, so you're seeing, near the end of the season, you're seeing a much better Alan Ball. And I don't know if it's maybe some of the coaches that have sat with him and said, "Hey listen, these are the issues that you have; this is how we can correct them."
They've put him a little bit deeper; he's playing a little bit deeper in the secondary but he's made some plays on routes that are basically hook routes or pro routes and to me, it looked like he read the route against Peyton Manning and jumped it and believed in it and jumped it. I think that speaks well for them; not only the coaches but for Alan Ball for having the faith in himself to actually go out and jump a route.
Posted at 9:58 PM on Wed., Dec. 8, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
SportsDayDFW sports Bio | E-mail | News tips
Former Dallas Cowboy Darren Woodson was interviewed on KESN-FM on Tuesday to discuss the Cowboys and Tashard Choice and Jason Garrett. Here are some highlights:
Is Tashard Choice a better running back at this point in his career than Marion Barber?
You know what, it's hard to say. I think right now...and I think I'm a little biased, I've been calling for TC for a while now...I think he needs to get more touches and every time he touches the ball, good things happen. He finds a way to either get that extra yard or get in the end zone. But, again, I think his body of work shows that when the guy touches the ball a number of times, he's a 100-yard rusher. He's just one of those guys you're just going to have to deal with; he's patient when he hits the holes, he runs hard and he has a lot of fire. He shows a lot of emotion while he's out there, so given a chance, I think he is, right now, in my opinion, I like to see him touch the ball 15 to 20 times; even more so than Felix [Jones] right now.
Do you think that Jerry Jones is pushing for Barber to get more touches because of the money he is paying him and that the coaches want to play Choice but aren't allowed to?
No, I think it's a locker room deal also. I think the guys trust Marion; you know, Marion's been there for a while and has proven, especially early on in his career, that he's a tough nosed runner. He's going to give you everything he has; he's a captain on the offensive side of the ball. So I think it's that veteran status that you see in Marion that makes a statement: "Hey, you can trust this guy. He doesn't put the ball on the ground." And he has that toughness that you want from a running back, so I don't think we should bash Marion Barber, I just think at this point, Marion's been banged up the last couple of years; Tashard Choice has some fresh legs right now and I think he's proven that those legs are fresh. And, again, he's a patient running back in this system and I think that bodes well for this offense.
Orlando Scandrick said he wasn't thinking at all about a touchdown celebration for his interception return touchdown because of Jason Garrett. What do you think about that?
That just shows you there's an accountability factor right now and maybe a little fear factor from Jason Garrett. I mean, I think the one thing that you've seen is this team has been accountable; they've played well over the last few weeks. They've been a much more disciplined football team the last three or four weeks, and I think that just goes to show you that guys understand that Jason Garrett is not going to take the nonsense. It's a no-nonsense policy over there with the Cowboys and I think it has something to do with that. But also, this is Orlando's first interception for a return at all for his career and so I think that had a lot to do with it. You get that ball in your hands and all you see is a clear path and the end zone in front of you. I'm sure he was just wanting to get there and not thinking about everything else. I think he just wanted to get in the end zone and he probably didn't know how to celebrate in the first place.
You've been critical of Cowboys' safety Alan Ball but he had a big game against the Colts. Do you think he's improved or do you think he's still playing out of position?
You know what, that's a great question. I think he's getting better; when I've seen him the last few weeks, you see a guy that's more disciplined in where he is on the field and understand the route combinations that are being thrown his way. I think when you look at Alan Ball, he's a guy, when you look at him skill-wise and his skill set, he has the ability to make these plays. And I don't think it's about his athletic ability, I think that's far from the truth; I think his athletic ability is there. I think it's all mental and knowing exactly the free safety, in the middle of the field, position. And this is his first go around, so you're seeing, near the end of the season, you're seeing a much better Alan Ball. And I don't know if it's maybe some of the coaches that have sat with him and said, "Hey listen, these are the issues that you have; this is how we can correct them."
They've put him a little bit deeper; he's playing a little bit deeper in the secondary but he's made some plays on routes that are basically hook routes or pro routes and to me, it looked like he read the route against Peyton Manning and jumped it and believed in it and jumped it. I think that speaks well for them; not only the coaches but for Alan Ball for having the faith in himself to actually go out and jump a route.
.. Dude's looking back at Peyton and Wayne is 15 yrds behind him when Wayne caught that long ball..