If I were to tell you before the Giants game that one running back would run 11 times for a 4.4 yards per carry average and the other back would run 12 times for a 2.8 yards per carry average, you probably wouldn’t be too surprised. If I were to add that it was Julius Jones running for the 4.4 yards per carry average, you probably wouldn’t believe me.

After all, the year started with Julius Jones trying to break three yards per carry and Barber making it look simple to run for five yards a carry. Not so against the Giants when Julius’s speed and quick feet served him better than Barber’s style of just running over people.

And this wasn’t a fluke. Against the Eagles, Julius ran 13 times for 57 yards while Barber ran 16 times for 56 yards. That put Jones again at 4.4 yards per carry and Barber at 3.5 yards per carry.

It seems the bye week must have been good for Jones who is not only getting out into the open where his speed can make a difference, but has also shown some power in breaking through tackles.

Barber still has a definite edge for the year having garnered 569 yards with a 5.1 average while Jones has 401 yards and a 3.9 average, but if Jones keeps running like he has over the course of the last two weeks, he might narrow that gap by season’s end.

I don’t know what Jones is doing differently. Maybe he’s eating a snickers before each game? Whatever it is, he needs to keep doing it. Only, I’d rather Marion keep running like Marion at the same time. For most of the year, Marion has been on while Jones has struggled, and now that Jones seems to be playing with more game, Marion is finding fewer holes to power through.

But that is the good thing about having two backs with different running styles and different strengths. A team good at stopping a power back might have more problems with a finesse runner, and vice-versa. The versatility makes the Cowboys running game that much harder to stop.

I know there has been a lot of clamor for Marion to get the start and Julius to fade into the background. Well-deserved clamor, if I must say so myself. I like Julius, and I like the potential he showed as a rookie, but we haven’t seen much of that potential since the first year. And Marion looks like he could be the next Steven Jackson.

But, no matter where you fall on the fence, the best thing for the Cowboys is for both backs to run up to their potential. The harder Julius makes it for Jerry Jones when it comes time to resign him, the better for the Cowboys. And the harder Marion makes it for the Cowboys not to put him in to start the game, the better it is for the Cowboys.

Lets just hope they can both start clicking at the same time. Then defenses would have some real problems on their hands.