thevalleyranchreport
08-29-2007, 12:21 AM
Barber Heads Back to Minnesota as True Professional
Rob Phillips - DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
http://www.dallascowboys.com/images/barber2_081807_330.jpg
Barber will play in his home state Thursday for the first time as a pro.
IRVING, Texas - Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips should tell Marion Barber how he secured a block of seats for last Saturday's game in Houston. The Cowboys running back might need at least 25 tickets Thursday night in Minneapolis.
While most of Barber's teammates are preparing for one last tune-up before their Sept. 9 opener, Thursday's preseason finale against the Vikings means more to the Minnesota native.
It means returning to the state where he was born and raised, where his football career first took shape and eventually where he gained national prominence at the University of Minnesota.
Between friends, family and his Golden Gophers teammates, Barber's ticket requests should rival Phillips' when he returned to his old player-coach stomping grounds last weekend.
"It's going to be a lot - I still got fellas on the (Minnesota) team," Barber said. "It'll hurt the paycheck. I'm going to have to get a credit card."
Barber enters his first professional game in Minnesota as a key cog in the Cowboys' offense. Though not a starter, the 24-year-old back has found a niche as a third-down, short-yardage and goal-line "closer," the nickname he earned from former head coach Bill Parcells.
Barber's role hasn't appeared to change much based on the Cowboys' first three preseason games. He and starting tailback Julius Jones have split time with the first-team offense and shared carries inside the red zone. Third-year back Tyson Thompson's strong preseason might even subtract a few carries from both players during the season.
But Barber isn't concerned with stats. Never has been, even when he was the lead back on his high school team in quiet Wayzata, Minn., a 4,000-person town nestled on the northeast tip of Lake Minnetonka.
Brad Anderson, Barber's coach at Wayzata High, recognized his star runner's unselfishness in the opening game of Barber's senior year.
"Marion only rushed for 70-something yards that game and it was really because we had absolutely no blocking," Anderson said. "Right after the game or the next day he came in and said, 'Coach, what do I need to do differently to help the team out? Use me wherever you need to.'
"Marion is a very quiet young man, but he was extremely competitive. He always put the team before himself."
An all-state selection at running back and safety, Barber led Wayzata (pronounced "Why-ZET-ah") to the state semifinals as a senior before following his father's footsteps to the University of Minnesota, where he and current New England Patriots running back Lawrence Maroney powered the Gophers' offense.
"Barberoney" was an effective tandem in the Twin Cities, much like Barber's combination with Jones here in Dallas. Jones topped the 1,000-yard mark (1,084) for the first time in his career last season, while Barber scored an NFC-best 96 points and rushed for the most touchdowns by a Cowboys player (14) since Emmitt Smith's 25 in 1995.
Barber's own success inevitably led to questions for Parcells - and now Phillips - about which back should dominate the carries.
The answer is simple: Neither.
Like his predecessor, Phillips thinks Jones and Barber complement each other well, that Jones' speed and Barber's trademark punishing runs force defenses to adapt to a different rushing style from play to play.
The Cowboys didn't find much running room (21 carries, 57 yards) against Houston, but Jones and Barber combined for three touchdowns in the first half in a convincing 31-20 win over Denver. Barber twice barreled his way into the end zone.
"He's got that mentality," Cowboys guard Leonard Davis said after Barber's 11-carry, 57-yard game. "He thinks he's bigger than he really is, but I guess he bulked up. And both those guys, they really like what they're doing. It makes our job easier also."
Barber almost appears to seek contact on his runs, and his 221-pound frame can grind down defenses late in drives. Back at Wayzata, Anderson felt Barber's vision made him a better running back prospect, but others felt his physical style was better suited for defense.
"Defensively our defensive back coach thought he'd make a fabulous safety, which I'm sure he would have or still would because he just hit people with such force," Anderson said. "He'd come up and make plays on receivers coming over the middle and no one would want to throw the ball over the middle on him."
Sound familiar?
Barber also does a good job in blitz protection, and Phillips even used him for a handful of plays as the lead blocker role for Jones against the Texans.
Those fundamentals likely developed at an early age. Barber's father, Marion Sr., played seven years at running back for the New York Jets and has been a sounding board for his son throughout his career.
"Don't take anything for granted," Barber said of his dad's advice. "It's your job now. Just staying on top and making sure you do that.
"He'll give his two cents, of course. And that's a good thing to have when you have somebody that's been through it already. You can go to him for questions. Even my mother, because she's been around it as well."
Said Anderson: "The one thing about (Marion's) dad is his dad never forced him into playing football or never was the pushy type. In fact, if anything I'd say Marion's dad was more laid-back and would let Marion come to him to ask questions. . . . I think the two of them gave him a real solid foundation as far as being the person that he is."
Marion and Karen Barber came to Texas Stadium for the Cowboys' preseason opener and will be in attendance Thursday night. But this season they'll have to budget their travel time between Marion and his brother, Dominique, a senior starting safety at Minnesota.
Anderson regretfully will have to tape Thursday's game. Wayzata's home opener against Rochester Century falls on the same night.
That's one less ticket Barber has to worry about when he gets home.
Rob Phillips - DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
http://www.dallascowboys.com/images/barber2_081807_330.jpg
Barber will play in his home state Thursday for the first time as a pro.
IRVING, Texas - Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips should tell Marion Barber how he secured a block of seats for last Saturday's game in Houston. The Cowboys running back might need at least 25 tickets Thursday night in Minneapolis.
While most of Barber's teammates are preparing for one last tune-up before their Sept. 9 opener, Thursday's preseason finale against the Vikings means more to the Minnesota native.
It means returning to the state where he was born and raised, where his football career first took shape and eventually where he gained national prominence at the University of Minnesota.
Between friends, family and his Golden Gophers teammates, Barber's ticket requests should rival Phillips' when he returned to his old player-coach stomping grounds last weekend.
"It's going to be a lot - I still got fellas on the (Minnesota) team," Barber said. "It'll hurt the paycheck. I'm going to have to get a credit card."
Barber enters his first professional game in Minnesota as a key cog in the Cowboys' offense. Though not a starter, the 24-year-old back has found a niche as a third-down, short-yardage and goal-line "closer," the nickname he earned from former head coach Bill Parcells.
Barber's role hasn't appeared to change much based on the Cowboys' first three preseason games. He and starting tailback Julius Jones have split time with the first-team offense and shared carries inside the red zone. Third-year back Tyson Thompson's strong preseason might even subtract a few carries from both players during the season.
But Barber isn't concerned with stats. Never has been, even when he was the lead back on his high school team in quiet Wayzata, Minn., a 4,000-person town nestled on the northeast tip of Lake Minnetonka.
Brad Anderson, Barber's coach at Wayzata High, recognized his star runner's unselfishness in the opening game of Barber's senior year.
"Marion only rushed for 70-something yards that game and it was really because we had absolutely no blocking," Anderson said. "Right after the game or the next day he came in and said, 'Coach, what do I need to do differently to help the team out? Use me wherever you need to.'
"Marion is a very quiet young man, but he was extremely competitive. He always put the team before himself."
An all-state selection at running back and safety, Barber led Wayzata (pronounced "Why-ZET-ah") to the state semifinals as a senior before following his father's footsteps to the University of Minnesota, where he and current New England Patriots running back Lawrence Maroney powered the Gophers' offense.
"Barberoney" was an effective tandem in the Twin Cities, much like Barber's combination with Jones here in Dallas. Jones topped the 1,000-yard mark (1,084) for the first time in his career last season, while Barber scored an NFC-best 96 points and rushed for the most touchdowns by a Cowboys player (14) since Emmitt Smith's 25 in 1995.
Barber's own success inevitably led to questions for Parcells - and now Phillips - about which back should dominate the carries.
The answer is simple: Neither.
Like his predecessor, Phillips thinks Jones and Barber complement each other well, that Jones' speed and Barber's trademark punishing runs force defenses to adapt to a different rushing style from play to play.
The Cowboys didn't find much running room (21 carries, 57 yards) against Houston, but Jones and Barber combined for three touchdowns in the first half in a convincing 31-20 win over Denver. Barber twice barreled his way into the end zone.
"He's got that mentality," Cowboys guard Leonard Davis said after Barber's 11-carry, 57-yard game. "He thinks he's bigger than he really is, but I guess he bulked up. And both those guys, they really like what they're doing. It makes our job easier also."
Barber almost appears to seek contact on his runs, and his 221-pound frame can grind down defenses late in drives. Back at Wayzata, Anderson felt Barber's vision made him a better running back prospect, but others felt his physical style was better suited for defense.
"Defensively our defensive back coach thought he'd make a fabulous safety, which I'm sure he would have or still would because he just hit people with such force," Anderson said. "He'd come up and make plays on receivers coming over the middle and no one would want to throw the ball over the middle on him."
Sound familiar?
Barber also does a good job in blitz protection, and Phillips even used him for a handful of plays as the lead blocker role for Jones against the Texans.
Those fundamentals likely developed at an early age. Barber's father, Marion Sr., played seven years at running back for the New York Jets and has been a sounding board for his son throughout his career.
"Don't take anything for granted," Barber said of his dad's advice. "It's your job now. Just staying on top and making sure you do that.
"He'll give his two cents, of course. And that's a good thing to have when you have somebody that's been through it already. You can go to him for questions. Even my mother, because she's been around it as well."
Said Anderson: "The one thing about (Marion's) dad is his dad never forced him into playing football or never was the pushy type. In fact, if anything I'd say Marion's dad was more laid-back and would let Marion come to him to ask questions. . . . I think the two of them gave him a real solid foundation as far as being the person that he is."
Marion and Karen Barber came to Texas Stadium for the Cowboys' preseason opener and will be in attendance Thursday night. But this season they'll have to budget their travel time between Marion and his brother, Dominique, a senior starting safety at Minnesota.
Anderson regretfully will have to tape Thursday's game. Wayzata's home opener against Rochester Century falls on the same night.
That's one less ticket Barber has to worry about when he gets home.