Dallas Cowboys Need to Re-Sign, Start Marion Barber

Marion Barber was the best reserve in football last season. That's only on a technicality, as he was the main feature of Dallas' rushing attack—but the fact remains that he gained 975 yards in 2007 and nabbed himself a Pro Bowl spot despite serving as Julius Jones' ostensible backup. It was a weird setup, but it turned out to be a quite effective one for Barber, who should be kept and definitively promoted to the top of the depth chart by the Cowboys soon. Through the fault of the coaches and not his own, Jones was Dallas' Milli Vanilli, posing in public as something he was not. He started every regular-season game, but Barber was the Cowboys' primary ground weapon, a fact that's confirmed by both the high quantity and quality of his carries judged against the supposed first-stringer. Barber had 204 chances to rush, gaining 4.8 yards a try, while Jones got only 164 attempts for a 3.6-yard average each time. There are some cases where the second back in the game can deceptively pump ... (link)