Posted by b in 
File this under “Something You Could Have Told Me Last Week”. While just about everyone knew that Marion Barber’s role was going to be diminished by a very talented stable of back’s, it wasn’t quite as clear as Wade Phillip’s made it yesterday:
Hopefully we’ll get a lot of carries with him [Jones] and Marion. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were back there together some.
Well sort of clear. Ok … its not clear at all. Of course the feeling that is starting to develop is that a 6-7th round Jones is now on par with 2nd round Barber. Here is what offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said two weeks ago:
We love Marion down in the red zone. He’s got a great track record. But obviously Felix can run down there as well. He’s proven that he can do that. He’s proven that he can run between the tackles.
The slowly building case for Jones’ increased role is exactly the kind of thing that makes Barber owners nervous. The last thing you want to hear going into week one is that your RB1 is now in a RBBC. As I see it, Jones’ role is not any different than we thought months ago, but thats no reason not to use this as fodder for a season-changing preseason trade. As always look for holes in the owners lineup, but also play to the desire for a back who isn’t going to be splitting carries, like a Ryan Grant. Make no mistake Marion Barber is a touchdown scoring machine in an offense that is looking to reemphasize the run. If you can buy all those touchdowns for a discount in a trade this week, do it.
