course, McFadden, the highest-picked player in that group who went fourth overall, struggled his first two years to stay healthy but is finally coming into his own, ranking third in the NFL in rushing with 392 yards.
That would be a good 304 yards more than his college teammate. Oh, and I'm talking about Jones, not Hillis, the third Arkansas tailback who just happens to be starting in Cleveland and has 322 rushing yards.
But once again, it all comes down to opportunity.
We can sit here and criticize Jones for not being the player we thought he'd be at this point in his career. Or we can sit here and criticize the Cowboys for not using him like we thought he'd be used.
Either way, Jones really hasn't had the opportunity to be a superstar. Then again, was that ever the plan?
The Cowboys drafted Felix, knowing that not only was Barber their starting tailback, but they were about to shell out about $45 million to him later that summer. All along, the Cowboys wanted to use Jones as a role player next to Barber, someone to compliment his hard-nosed running style with a home-run hitter and occasional kickoff return threat.
Well, that's pretty much what has occurred. Only now, the combination of Jones' breakaway style, along with Barber's inconsistencies, have called into question just how much this team is using Jones.
For two years, it's been a debate. In fact, it can drive one to a headache.
Should it be Jones, then Barber? Or Barber and Jones? What about Choice? What about Jones, Choice, Barber?
Enough already. I wish the Cowboys would just figure it out.
From the sounds of things, the Cowboys are planning on giving Jones a little more touches this week. That's at least what team owner Jerry Jones said on his Tuesday morning radio show.
Then again, we've heard that before. Get Felix the ball! It's happened before, but somehow in the flow of the game, it might not work out that way.
Unless the Cowboys make him the starting tailback, just like we've seen from the other tailbacks in this draft class, then Felix will continue to be that player that shines bright at times, but always leaves you wanting a little more.
Maybe that "more" comes out this week. Or maybe, the Cowboys will see more than they want from Chris Johnson, leaving us all wondering what might have been.
