Barber Could Miss Philly Game

ESPN Dallas has reported that Cowboys’ running back Marion Barber is still receiving daily treatments on his strained calf, and there’s a good chance that he will miss his second consecutive game on Sunday against Philadelphia. The site goes on to wonder aloud whether, if he misses another game, Barber will have his starting job when he returns.

It’s a legitimate question.

Tashard Choice posted 100 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, and seemed to play at a much higher level than has Barber in recent memory. Barber is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry in the starting role this season; Choice is averaging 4.2, a number that is probably skewed downward by the Cowboys’ sporadic use of him prior to Sunday’s victory.

"I think Marion is probably a more physical runner inside, but Tashard is a very good inside runner as well," interim head coach Jason Garrett said recently, per ESPN Dallas. "In general, they’re both good runners. They both block well, and they both catch the ball well out of the backfield. They’re fairly similar in their strengths.

“If you look at Felix Jones, Felix Jones is probably more of a space runner than those guys. He can get out and kind of hit the home run better than both Marion and Tashard, but I think you would say the strengths of each of those other guys are probably very similar in terms of their running styles.”

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