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RB Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys

HT: 5-11, WT: 215, Born: 6-10-1983, College: Minnesota, Drafted: Round 4

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Barber did not see any action until the last two minutes of the first half. He caught his only target for a 29 yard gain and a first down, and then ended the drive with an 18 yard touchdown run. His role seemed to be the same as it was last year, and he saw most of his action in the second half. He ran hard and averaged just under six yards per carry.

Week 2 - Barber ran physically. He often would run through a tackler to make something out of nothing. Although his yards per carry were low, he made a lot of people missed and earned every yard, including his first touchdown run. He was untouched on his 40 yard run to put the game away, hitting the huge hole with no hesitation.

Week 3 - Barber saw his first action with the offense at the start of the second quarter on Dallas' third drive. He took two caries on that drive that totaled zero yards. His third and final carry of the first half went for eight yards. Barber got more involved in the offense starting on the Cowboys second series of the second half. After the Cowboys got the ball down to the Bears 22 yard line, Barber picked up 12 yards on three successive carries and followed that up by catching a swing pass for a ten yard touchdown. After making the catch in the right flat, Barber side stepped a would be tackler and broke through an Adam Archuleta tackle to get into the end zone. Later on in the fourth quarter, Barber would add a one yard touchdown run two plays after he ran through the Bears' defense for a 54 yard pick up.

Week 4 - Barber split carries with Julius Jones, rushing for 50 yards on eight attempts, along with two receptions for 22 yards on three targets in the passing game. While Barber had just eight rushes, he still seems like the more talented, more productive runner. He did have a touchdown opportunity taken away from Jones, who scored from two yards out.

Week 5 - Barber ran hard and with his usual determination, though his owners may have been expecting better production given the propensity of the Buffalo defense to surrender lots of yards on the ground. The fired up Bills defenders attacked the line of scrimmage all night, and the Cowboy backs had a tough time finding room to run. Barber was stuffed for two yards or less on five of his eight carries, but he did make a couple of decent gains when he was able to escape initial contact. Five of his seven pass targets came in the last two drives of the game, as Romo was moving his team in position to win.

Week 6 - Barber rushed eight times for 47 yards. His most exciting play gained only two yards. The play started from the Cowboys' ten yard line. Barber had no room to run and was hit in the backfield. Instead of going down, he kept his legs churning. The problem was that he wound up in his own end zone. However, he was able to outrun the defense around the end and made it all the way back to the 12 yard line before being tackled for a two yard gain. Barber was very close to taking a safety, but he was equally close to taking the run all the way for a touchdown.

Barber's long gain was a 17 yard dash. He added two receptions for 12 yards.

Barber fumbled, but was able to recover the ball on a play that was negated by a penalty.

Week 7 - Barber displayed good strength and determination on all of his carries. Every time he touched the ball, he ran with purpose. However, the Vikings stout rush defense caused the Cowboys to not spend much time establishing the running game. Nine of his 19 carries, and 64 of his 96 yards came on the Cowboys' final drive running out the clock.

Week 9 - Marion Barber carried the ball 16 times for 56 yards and one touchdown, while catching all three of his targets for 50 yards through the air. Julius Jones started this game and out carried Barber six to two in the first quarter, but Barber was the primary ball carrier thereafter. Barber's first carry of the day came on second and goal with the ball at the seven yard line. He carried for five yards to the two, but was removed from the game for Jones, who proceeded to punch it in for a score. Barber was the goalline back on all of the other trips into the redzone. He had a chance for a second touchdown in the fourth quarter as he received three carries inside the five yard line, but the Eagles rush defense stacked him up at the line each time, the Cowboys eventually having to settle for a fieldgoal.

Week 10 - Barber was ineffective as he totaled only 34 yards on the ground while adding one catch for a negative gain. He was contained by the Giant's front four and had no room to run all day long.

Week 11 - Marion Barber entered the game during the Cowboys second drive of the game, and carried the ball 15 times for 43 yards, while catching one pass for seven yards on two targets. The Cowboys seemed to rotate series' between Barber and started Julius Jones, though as usual Barber ended up with the heavier workload. The Redskins did a great job of shutting down Barber and the running game, but the Cowboys had success in the second half going deep to Terrell Owens, so Barber became less of a focal point. He had a nine yard carry nullified by a penalty.

Week 12 - Barber scored the first touchdown of the game, and got stronger as the game progressed, gaining most of his yards in the second half. He showed very good power and moves, breaking through tackles and at times eluding them with his ability to use his feet to escape from a defender before he could get his hands on him. By the fourth quarter, Barber was running straight ahead and breaking tackles on his way to posting very good numbers.

Week 13 - Barber came in on the Cowboys' second drive and didn't waste much time making an impact as he had a nice 16 yard run up the middle, punishing tacklers all the while. But he would only have six carries for 25 yards in the first half. Barber had another big gain of 17 yards on a run, after cutting it back to the left side of the field on a play designed to go to the right. The defensive back was able to trip him on the play and bring him down on the Green Bay five yard line, otherwise he had six points. He was able to run the ball pretty effectively late in the game as the Cowboys tried to run down the clock. He had 23 yards on the Cowboys last drive of the game that helped seal the victory.

Week 14 - Even though Barber splits time with Julius Jones, he looks like he is the better of the two backs. Barber is the one back that Dallas relies on when the tough yards are needed as he is rarely brought down by a single tackler. On the first touchdown run he showed good patience in waiting on the hole to develop and on the second score he ran through the line untouched on a fourth and goal from the one. His good hands and elusiveness makes him a reliable weapon in the passing game. His biggest contribution came when he gained a key first down on a fourth and six on the game winning drive.

Week 15 - Marion Barber carried the ball seven times for 32 yards, and was targeted on three passes not catching any of them. Barber started the game in the second series as usual, but didn't find a great deal of room to run as the Eagles rush defense completely bottled up the Cowboys running game. Barber saw most of the late game action, but the Cowboys offense did not feature the running game much.

Week 16 - After a pair of quiet weeks, Barber III bounced back with a two touchdown night in which he averaged five yards per carry. Though he didn't start the game, the Cowboys leaned heavily on him after the first series, and gave him twenty carries for the first time all season.

Week 17 - Barber had a really rough game, earning negative six yards on six rushes. He managed one total yard though, as his one catch went for seven yards.

Week 19 - Barber was extremely impressive, especially in the first half. He was constantly breaking tackles and ran through Giants defenders frequently. Barber tailed off in the second half but still finished with over 120 yards and a first half one yard touchdown run. Notably, Barber got his first start of the year, finally supplanting Julius Jones despite outperforming him all year.