Marion Barber The Starter

The refrain has been heard since last year. And it's not likely to disappear as long as Julius Jones remains a Dallas Cowboy. "Marion Barber should be the starter!" And everyone uses the playoff game against the New York Giants as proof.

Upon closer examination, I think Marion's performance against the Giants proves just the opposite. True, he did gain more than 100 yards in the first half. But the second half was a different story. He didn't gain all that much. Why? Because he was worn out. He didn't have that same aggessiveness in the second half. And if you were watching closely, you could tell he was simply tired.

There is a reason for this. It's his agressive running style. He doesn't look to avoid contact. He, instead, looks to initiate it. And in the first half, he had ample contact with many Giants defenders. Believe me, alot of energy is expended by making contact and then dragging multiple would be tacklers several yards every other play. And it showed in the latter stages of the Giants game. It seems that Bill Parcells had a method to his madness of using Barber late in the game and in short yardage situations. Would that Wade Phillips had not changed that methodology for such an important game. It could have made a huge difference late in the game.

This is not to say that Marion Barber is not a good running back. He is. But as long as his running style remains the same and lacks the speed of a top tier back, he needs another back to share the load. Is that back to be Julius Jones? It could be, but I don't know.

I think that question will be answered by the market more than anything. I don't think the Cowboys want to get rid of Jones, but I'm not sure they really want him to stay, either, especially if they have to pay too much. If the Cowboys draft a back in the first couple of rounds, I believe Jones is gone. If they don't, however, they might be content to at least attempt to sign Jones and keep Tyson Thompson as the third running back. If they decide to not sign Jones for whatever reason, they might be willing to give Tyson Thompson the shot at taking the load off of Barber.

But whoever the other back is next year, just ask yourself this question about the Giants game. Would you have rather seen Barber gain 100 yards in the first half or the second half?

That's what I thought!!!

Who Is Mickey Spagnola? Should Jerry Jones Trade Him?

All Things Cowboys would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to Mickey Spagnola of DallasCowboys.com for not so prominently mentioning this obsure and "lame" blog in his latest column, A Bigger Fish To Fry. Such notoriety is completely unexpected at this juncture of our online sports enterprise. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. Once again, our thanks to Mickey.

With that said, I'd like to give our readers a hint as to who Mickey Spagnola really is. Having never personally met him, I only know him through his writing about the Dallas Cowboys. This reaches back to his days working for The Dallas Times Herald, having to endure the journalistic blossoming of Skip Bayless. (He referred to the passes of Danny White as "quacking ducks") Fortunately, Mickey had the positive professional influence of an august group of accomplished writers including scattershooting Blackie Sherrod and reserved Frank Luksa. He also worked along side of Randy Galloway, who may be considered accomplished but not quite august. (Randy understands!) This circus atmosphere prepared him for working for Jerry Jones, DallasCowboys.com and The Silver Star Network, where he has worked along side of Babe Laufenburg as a Preseason Game Analyst.

To put it concisely, Mickey Spagnola is the consumate professional. He knows his stuff, especially his Cowboys stuff. He is always prepared and never caught off guard, in spite of those around him. His tenure within the varied ranks of modern sports journalism speaks for itself. He exhibits a measured realism in his analysis of the Cowboys, a realism which stops short of tabloid hype. ( Of course, Dale Hansen might have provided the ultimate primer on journalistc no-nos while working for Jerry Jones.) This attribute is a treasured commodity in the midst of the ever present selfishness of journalists attempting to draw attention to themselves. For this reason alone, Mickey stands out simply because he's not trying to.

Because of this immense value of Mickey to the operations of Jerry Jones, I can't help but wonder if it's feasable to trade him for someone (maybe more than one "someone") with a little more flash. After all, Jerry likes flash. And flash brings attention. And attention brings cash flow! And cash flow makes Jerry smile. And Jerry likes to smile. And when Jerry smiles he looks for more flash.............. So maybe Mickey should be shipped off to ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX for ..............Who?.......a loud mouth?..........a non stop motor mouth?...........a handsome camera presence?.........a nationally recognized and respected sports personality? I ask you, "Exacty who would that be?" After all, do these entities want to trade their contracted personnel? For the most part, no. They would tell you that they are currently satisfied with their arrangements and the stature of Mickey would upset that desired equilibrium.

So, as much as Mickey would add immense value to these other national operations, they can't afford to give up what they already possess. And Jerry will not ship him off unless it significantly enhances the weight of his back pocket. And Jerry doesn't keep anyone, I repeat, anyone, unless he really likes their performance and they add to his bottom line. And believe me, Mickey has done exactly that over the years.

That's why he's staying right where he is. Nope, the trade's not going to happen. I don't care what you may have read or heard on some legitimate web site, the great Mickey Spagnola stays put. He's too valuable and should be recognized as such, something even lame blog writers can do!

Why The Cowboys Season Ended Early

If you want to discuss the reason or reasons for the Cowboys season ending far sooner than anybody expected, it's really rather simple. As much as anyone would like to point fingers at Jessica or point a finger at Jerry for taking a payoff, the stark truth is that the Cowboys did not play good enough to win.

Admit it! If the Cowboys had played good enough to win, they would have won. And the fact is that the Cowboys were not playing their best ball at the end of the season and it carried on into the Playoffs. As much as they felt they needed the rest from the bye week, maybe they needed the reps of real game action to work themselves back into early and mid season form.

So, because they didn't, the Giants took advantage and played just well enough to win. Please understand that I'm not saying that the Giants were the better team. They simply played well enough to defeat the Cowboys on this particular day. Dallas is obviously the better team. After all, they've proven this point by taking two of three this season. And that trend would have continued. Needless to say, the Playoffs are different.......and the Giants are in the Super Bowl.

But does anyone really think that the Giants are the better team?

Do the Green Bay Packers believe that?

The fact is that the Cowboys weren't good enough when they needed to be.

And for this season, that's final!

Cowboys Trade Talk ....Roy Williams For Chad Johnson. Why Not?

by Ryan Bush

FACT; With Terrell Owens at age 34, the Dallas Cowboys need to start looking for another go-to receiver.

FACT; Mike Zimmer has just been hired as defensive coordinator for the Cincinati Bengals.

POSSIBILITY?.... Dallas should offer a trade of Roy Williams and a 2nd round pick for Chad Johnson. Zimmer (who was the defensive coordinator in Dallas from 2000-2006) might like to get a big time player on the defensive side of the ball in Cincy, for a change.
It would make sense for both teams, considering that Zimmer is familiar with Williams and already has two solid corners and likes to blitz the safety, whereas, Dallas has gone away from Williams' strength, which is playing close to the line of scrimmage, stuffing the run and harassing the quarterback.

The Cowboys have no use for Williams in their style of play and Johnson might have worn out his welcome in Cincinati.

And plus, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones always wants another flashy playmaker like “Ocho Cinco”.
So why not?

Back To The Future

With the signing of Hudson Houck as the Offensive Line Coach, the Dallas Cowboys turn to their past to solidify their future. Beginning in 1993, he earned two Super Bowl rings while holding the same position for the Pokes.

His return helps to alleviate any lack of continuity in the coaching ranks with the departure of Tony Sparano to the Miami Dolphins. With that said, this was actually an easy hire for Jerry Jones, since he likes Houck from his previous stay on staff. But more importantly, its good for the team. WOW!!!!This is getting scary!!!!!!

Jason Garrett Stays...What's the Fuss??????

Jason Garrett has decided to stay in Big D! That news seems to be a welcome relief for many fans. That news also seems to have gone against conventional Sports Writers Wisdom regarding the future of Garrett. Most were expecting a departure from the hallowed halls of Valley Ranch to a loftier head coaching perch elsewhere.

Personally, I never understood the train of thought regarding such an expected move. Since Jason was hired by Jerry Jones (before the hiring of Wade Phillips), I've said that Jason Garrett would be the Cowboys Head Coach sooner or later. Jerry has always liked Jason and his coaching faculties, especially since they were groomed at the feet of another man on Jerry's past Super Bowl payroll, Jason's father, Jim. Wade simply was the right man at the right time for Jerry to allow Jason to grow into the job.

Now that Jason is making almost as much as Wade Phillips and has also been handed the title of Assistant Head Coach, people are now speculating how long it will take for the next move upward to happen. That probably depends on Wade!