Bucs’ OC Greg Olson wants Caddy to be the featured back. Williams has been productive, but he’s injury-prone, and if the Bucs start giving him 25 touches a game, he’s probably going to break down. This is bad news for Derrick Ward in the short term, but in the long term, it might be a good thing. Ward could be the primary ballcarrier to close the season.

Brandon Marshall seems to be happy again. It’s amazing what a 4-0 start and a sick, game-winning TD catch will do for a guy. Marshall’s talent is undeniable, and it seems like he and HC Josh McDaniels have put the ill will behind them and have found a way to work together. Marshall’s upside is still limited somewhat by Kyle Orton (just ask Eddie Royal owners), but he has been productive of late and has worked his way back to being an every-week start in most formats.

Rashard Mendenhall should start this week. With Willie Parker likely out, look for another big game from Mendenhall as he faces the Lions’ 20th-ranked rush defense.

MBIII is back at practice. The Cowboys face the Chiefs this week, so it’s a nice matchup for the entire offense. Barber should be in most starting lineups, but Tashard Choice is likely to see a lot of work to keep Barber fresh. Choice has been productive, so there’s no reason not to use him.

Frank Gore on track to return in Week 7. The 49ers have a bye next week, so it looks like Sunday may be the last week that Glen Coffee is startable. He has a nice matchup with the 25th-ranked Falcons’ rush defense and should see plenty of work. Regardless, Gore owners should keep Coffee stashed as a handcuff.

For those who couldn’t tune into Monday night’s game between the Cowboys and the Panthers, you didn’t miss much.

The Cowboys were sloppy, the Panthers were sloppier and thus Dallas won the ultimate snooze fest 21-7. Victories are hard to come by in the NFL, but if I were Wade Phillips or Jerry Jones, I wouldn’t be breaking out the party favors and bubbly after this one.

The Panthers are bad – real bad. And it’s not fair to pin all of their problems on Jake Delhomme, who threw two more interceptions tonight to run his season total to 407. Delhomme has been bad, but he’s hardly the only reason why Carolina is 0-3 right now and has little to no chance of repeating as NFC South champions.

The Panthers might as well cheat and set up speed bumps on every play, because their run defense is horrible. The Cowboys rushed for 212 yards tonight on 32 carries (6.6 YPC) without Marion Barber as Carolina made Felix Jones and Tashard Choice look like Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Marion Barber suffered a quad strain in the Cowboys’ 33-31 loss to the Giants on Sunday and could be held out against the Panthers, whom Dallas plays on Monday night.

An MRI taken Monday morning confirmed Barber suffered a quad strain. When asked later in the afternoon if the injury could force the running back to miss some time, head coach Wade Phillips said, “We’ll have to wait and see on that.”

How the injury responds in the next few days will determine if he’s able to play against Carolina.

This is the second year in a row where Barber has come out of the gates like a bat out of hell, only to suffer an injury to slow him down. Last season, he scored nine touchdowns in the first 13 weeks before a toe injury severely limited his production for the rest of the year.

If Barber can’t play, Felix Jones would get the start and split carries with Tashard Choice.

The Dallas Cowboys put all of the internal bickering and inner squabbling that dominated the headlines at Valley Ranch last week behind them Sunday night and came up with a massive 20-8 win over their division rivals the New York Giants, who lost back to back games for the first time all season.

Tony Romo was excellent, completing 20 of 30 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns, as well as Tashard Choice, who rushed nine times for 91 yards and a game-clinching 38-yard touchdown run. But the Dallas defense was the true hero, sacking Eli Manning eight times, intercepting him once and limited a Brandon Jacobs-less Giants’ running game to just 72 yards.

For the moment, the win puts the Cowboys in the fifth playoff spot in the NFC. They’ll host the Ravens next Sunday before wrapping up the season in Philadelphia on December 28. If they continue to get this kind of defensive effort and can keep from killing each other in between games, Dallas will not only make the playoffs but they could potentially make a deep run, as well. One game at a time though.

As for the Giants, they’re now 0-2 since Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a nightclub and suddenly their offense looks incredibly ordinary. Getting Jacobs back will obviously help, but if the offensive line plays as badly as they did Sunday night in Dallas, the G-Men won’t get past anyone come January.

Two weeks ago the Giants beat the Redskins in convincing fashion and everyone thought they were a lock for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now a loss next week at home against the Panthers and Carolina would own the top spot in the conference. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn on a dime in the NFL.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Cowboys’ running back Marion Barber (toe injury) will now be a game-time decision on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was thought Barber might do some light work as the week progressed, but he has not practiced. The training staff is working with Barber to see what type of shoes will give him the most comfort and support.

“We were assuming that Marion would play, but it’s a little more doubtful right now, so we’ll see [today],” coach Wade Phillips said.

This isn’t good for a team that not only is playing in a tough Pittsburgh environment, but also fighting for their playoff lives. If Barber can’t go, Tashard Choice would start and Alonzo Coleman would be signed from the practice squad. Either back would be a poor start against the Steelers, who currently have the best defense in the league.