|
IRVING, Texas - Growing up in Hampton, Ga., Tashard Choice idolized Emmitt Smith. He wore No. 22 at Georgia Tech in honor of the NFL's all-time leading rusher. He didn't dare touch No. 22 when the Cowboys drafted him last April, opting for No. 23 instead.
But when Marion Barber's toe injury on Thanksgiving Day made Choice the only healthy, somewhat experienced option at running back, the fourth-round pick drew inspiration from a pair of unlikely sources.
"I've seen people like Brett Favre get their chance when people got hurt, Tom Brady," Choice said, referring to the future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks who started their respective careers on the bench. "You look at those people and see what they do. You know you can do the same thing if you've gotten yourself prepared to play."
Choice's career might not end in Canton. But his December emergence - 62 carries for 325 yards (5.2 avg.) and two touchdowns in four games, including three starts - proved the Cowboys should have three starting-quality running backs next season, assuming Barber (dislocated little toe) and 2008 first-round pick Felix Jones (toe surgery) are ready for training camp this July.
For a team whose glass is three-quarters empty following its season-ending 38-point loss to Philadelphia, the prospect of a rushing triumvirate offers at least a scrap of off-season solace.
"That's instant improvement in our running game," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "If we can keep all three of them healthy, I think that jumps you up as far as being able to run the football better. That overall can help you with the turnovers, just the mentality that we can, and will, run the ball more effectively."
The question is, how much? Should an offense predicated heavily on passing the past two seasons shift its philosophy with this much tailback talent?
Maybe the Cowboys can find a happy medium. After all, quarterback Tony Romo's current top three receiving targets - Jason Witten, Terrell Owens and Roy Williams - have a combined 12 Pro Bowl appearances between them.
The Cowboys finished with a 58-to-42 pass-run ratio (547 passes to 401 runs) this season. Barber, the full-time starting back, had 225 carries in the 12 games before his injury - roughly 33 percent of the offense's plays.
Choice and a healthy Jones could add to that total next season. The Giants are a healthy example. They produced the league's best rushing attack (157.4 avg.) with three players splitting carries: Brandon Jacobs (219), Derrick Ward (182) and Ahmad Bradshaw (67).
But Phillips points out that their own ground game would have to be more efficient. The Cowboys finished 21st in total rushing, averaging 107.7 yards per game. Barber's average per carry dipped from 4.8 in 2007 to 3.7 in 2008.
But the Cowboys did finish with the 12th-best average (4.3) thanks in part to Choice (5.3) and Jones (8.9).
"Well, I would say yes in that I think you've got to utilize your talent," Phillips told KTCK 1310-AM when asked about placing a greater emphasis on running.
"Overall, and you go into stats which obviously people use different ways, but our running game the last two years is around the 20th-best in the league. If we can shoot for the top 10 with that group I think it'll help us not only as far as moving the football in the running game, it'll also help us with the turnovers, cut down on those things, and the rush on our quarterback.
"I think it's something we've got to address."
An effectively balanced attack might indeed remove some burden from Romo, who committed 21 turnovers (14 interceptions and a career-high seven lost fumbles). So would the simple presence of Jones, who kept defenses honest with his versatility, splitting out wide and running between and outside the tackles.
Choice was the biggest surprise of all - not only as a runner, but as a safety valve for Romo against the blitz as well. He also caught 17 passes for 163 yards in those final four games with Barber out or severely limited.
"You never want anybody to get hurt, and that's not me," Choice said. "I came in here wanting to challenge everybody to have playing time and then once they got hurt, I was thrown in that situation. I knew I could do it, and during the preseason I did well and did well in preseason and OTAs.
"But once I got my chance, man, I just ran with it."
Something the Cowboys might try to do more of next season with three proven 'choices.'
| Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS |
|
Rob Phillips - 
