Felix Jones Jersey

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Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]: OC coy on [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]' role
IRVING, Texas -- With Tennessee's Chris Johnson coming to town Sunday, the subject of making running back [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] a featured part of the Dallas Cowboys' offense is an especially hot topic around Valley Ranch this week.
It appears that owner/general manager Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] and assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett aren't in complete agreement about the issue, but Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] insists that isn't the case.
Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] has said repeatedly since last season that he wants [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who has a career average of 6.2 yards per carry, to get more touches. He discussed the subject during both of his appearances on the team's flagship radio station KRLD-FM this week and again Friday afternoon with reporters at the team's practice complex.
However, Garrett indicated that he doesn't plan to make getting [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] the ball a bigger priority than it's been. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] had 22 carries for 88 yards and four catches for 38 yards during the Cowboys' 1-2 start.
"He's probably being coy with our strategy," Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said of Garrett. "And that comes from being coy with the strategy. I don't get that [from Garrett]. I don't have that kind of communication going on with him."
Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Johnson are two of the eight backs taken after [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] in that class who have more rushing yards than [link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Johnson became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],000 yards in a season last year, when he had 358 carries. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] has 168 carries for 1,039 yards in his career.
"I think he's capable of having the touches Chris Johnson [has]," Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said. "And I don't know that [Johnson] was thought of as an every-down running back, but when you've got that kind of skill, that dictates some of the every-down running back decision."
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] missed 12 games because of hamstring, toe and knee injuries his first two seasons, but the Cowboys don't consider his durability to be a significant concern.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych] proved he can be more than a change-of-pace back in the final six games of last season, including the playoffs. He rushed for 475 yards on 79 carries during that span. He sealed the Cowboys' NFC East-clinching win over the Philadelphia Eagles with a 49-yard touchdown run. He followed that with a 16-carry, 148-yard playoff performance against the Eagles, highlighted by a spectacular 73-yard touchdown run.
That strong finish, along with the owner's offseason comments, resulted in the perception that [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]' would have an increased role this season. Head coach Wade Phillips has also said he expects [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] to be featured more, which is the primary reason the running back no longer returns kickoffs.
"It's not like I'm just sitting on the bench," [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said. "I'm playing. I'm actually getting carries. It might not be as many as y'all expect I should get, but when I get an opportunity, I try to maximize it."
But Marion Barber, who has 36 carries for 125 yards, remains the starter and lead horse in the running back committee. Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] said he isn't concerned about which back starts, but he expects to see [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] get the ball more often than he has.
Garrett said the running back's playing time and touches are often dictated by game situations and the way the opposing defenses play.
Garrett is as elusive as [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] in the open field when asked if featuring the dynamic running back will become a bigger emphasis.
"We like [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Garrett said. "We're going to give him the ball. He knows we like him. We have plays for him every week, and we have plays for Marion, we have plays for the receivers and the tight ends and down the line. So those guys will get their opportunities. Felix has done a great job taking advantage of the opportunities, and that will continue this week."
Jerry [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] has a much more direct answer: "I think you will see at the end of the day more touches with Felix."
Tim MacMahon covers the Cowboys for ESPN Dallas. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.