IRVING, Texas - We've said this before. We'll probably say it down the road, but let's try it again for emphasis:
Plain and simple . . . the Cowboys need to run the football.
Yes, they've got a great NFL quarterback in Tony Romo. They've got an All-Pro tight end in Jason Witten and while the jury is out on just how good Roy Williams and Miles Austin will be, we've seen enough to know they can be dangerous.
But that doesn't mean the Cowboys shouldn't be more of a running team. What good is a three-headed monster if you're not trying to scare anyone?
I'm not saying every team should try to run at all costs. This league has certainly changed to a more wide-open approach throughout the years. For some teams the personnel dictates what you do, and therefore the pass might be a better primary option.
In fact, the Cowboys were that team two years ago. In 2007, when they went 13-3, they were better off with the pass opening up the run. But that's not the way it is anymore. The personnel has changed just enough, especially with three quality tailbacks, that the emphasis needs to be placed on the run once again.
And this isn't just a kneejerk reaction after a loss. We see that a lot around here. The Cowboys lose a game - on the road against a good, yet desperate team - and all of a sudden there are so many problems to fix.
Well, that's not the case. The Cowboys are 6-3, with two very winnable home games staring them in the face. This is a good football team. What is it Bill Parcells used to always say about gauging how good a team is? It was something like, "Get back to me after Thanksgiving." Sure enough, if this Cowboys team goes out and takes care of business like it should, then we'll probably be talking about an 8-3 team going into the final month of the season.
But, of course, it's not just any month. It's that dreaded month of December, where for some reason the Cowboys haven't been able to keep the momentum going.
Maybe this year is different. Maybe this is the year the Cowboys make a run in December.
And that's exactly what this team needs to do - make a run. Make a run up the middle, make a run to the outside, make a run off tackle. Run the rock!
They ran it 11 times to the tailback on Sunday against the Packers. I'm sorry, but I'm giving Marion Barber the ball 11 times by halftime, especially if he rips off runs of 13 and seven yards on his first two totes. And I don't care how much time is left, but if you've got first-and-goal from the one and you haven't scored a point all game, I'm running the ball. And I'm running it with anyone on the team nicknamed "Barbarian." Umm, rock please!
I thought Barber was getting his "juice" back. That's what Wade Phillips told us last week and he certainly appeared to be flowing early in the game. Sitting up there in the press box in Green Bay, I leaned over to my colleagues on the first drive and said, "He's back."
Had you told me right then and there that Barber would only get three more carries the rest of the game, my response would've been, "How bad is it?"
Surely, it would only take an injury to keep Barber from running the ball, especially in a game like this. Especially against a Packers defense that yielded 217 rushing yards at Lambeau Field last year.
And that with just a two-headed attack and Tony Curtis serving as the fullback. This year, you had three guys who were presumably the healthiest they've been in a while. Yet, the Cowboys give them just 11 carries for the entire game.
We're not talking about a blowout either, at least not for three quarters. Not until Tony Romo fumbled and Felix Jones recovered it and then had it stripped out of his hands for the Packers' recovery, was this game really out of reach.
At no point until then would you say the score was prohibitive to run. Yet, the Cowboys simply abandoned the run.
Now this has happened before. Remember last year against the Redskins? The Cowboys only ran Barber eight times and no other tailback got a sniff. The Cowboys also lost that game, despite throwing the ball 47 times.
After that game, the Cowboys' reasoning for the lack of run was a failure in success. Barber had just 26 yards on those eight attempts.
But you can't make that statement against Green Bay. The Cowboys were gaining 4.4 yards per attempt, and Barber averaged 5.2 yards a rush.
So where was the problem? How about first down. Of the 27 first-down plays, the Cowboys ran the ball just six times. Three of them resulted in first downs. Now that certainly isn't the balance we've been seeing from this team.
You throw it on first down that many times without being successful, and it's hard to get into an offensive rhythm. I'm not saying run it every first down, but if you get three to four yards on first down, it allows you to do it again on second down and maybe third. But when you keep getting into second and 10, it probably cuts away half of your playbook.
All year long, we've heard the coaching staff and players talk about taking what the defense gives. If they take away the run, bomb it on them. If they stop the pass, run the ball.
That theory seems to work just fine, but there are games when defenses don't just "give" you anything. At some point, you have to just take it. And with seven games to play, it would seem a good time to find that out.
With Marc Colombo now gone for at least the rest of the regular season, it looks like Doug Free will get the chance to prove himself. The right tackle spot isn't exactly like the left, but you can still get exposed. You may not be on THE island, but it's still an island.
Another reason to establish the running game even more. It's not like you can completely get away from the pass all together. That wouldn't be smart either. Romo is too good to take the ball out of his hands. But he'd be even better if teams put the primary focus on stopping the run.
It's the same with the Cowboys' defense. That unit played great in Green Bay last week. Imagine how effective the offense would be had they been on the field for nearly 36 minutes. That's another reason to run the football. Establish the line of scrimmage, control the ball and the clock and as a result, the momentum, too.
It'd be one thing if you didn't have the personnel to run it like that. But the Cowboys certainly have it. They've got a lead back in Barber, who can truly be the studhorse when he's healthy. It looks like he's finally back to that level again. But he can't do anything without the ball.
Personally, and I've said this for the last two weeks, but I think Felix Jones and Tashard Choice need to switch roles. Choice has shown he's a better inside runner and he would be a better fit to replace Barber on the second or third series of the game. Whatever rotations Jones and Barber have, I would switch out Felix with Choice.
And then, make Felix your real third-down back. That's where he's going to be more effective than Choice. Felix needs the ball in space, on screens or sweeps, and he can even do some damage on the inside draw.
Now, I know you're probably thinking about his ability to pick up the blitz, but if you've noticed, he's been much better lately. And, you can also use his ability to make defenses pay for blitzing. The way the Saints use Reggie Bush or the Eagles did with Brian Westbrook can be very difficult to stop if you blitz. Sure, you may send seven or eight, but then a screen gets dumped over everyone's head and now you've got Felix in the open field with a few guys to beat.
I think he needs the ball more in space. Choice needs a few more inside carries. But Barber needs the bulk of them.
The Cowboys really did none of those things last week. But they need to get back to that if they're going to make a stretch run. Emphasis on the run part.
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Nick Eatman - 
