The People's Choice

In his first meaningful action of the season, Tashard Choice (32) proved against Indy that he should have a shot at carrying the load in the running game for Dallas. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

With four games left in the 2010-2011 NFL season, it's time for the Dallas Cowboys to evaluate their talent going into next year. While winning three of the last four games in nice, at 4-8 on the season, it's time for the Cowboys to make decisions on who's in and who's out going into 2011-2012.

This is true especially at the running back position where Dallas has struggled on the ground for most of the year with a trio of runners who contributed so much last season.

Much of that changed Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, as Tashard Choice - with Marion Barber out of the lineup with a strained calf - spearheaded a season-best 217 yard rushing attack.

"They did a nice job," Colts' coach Jim Caldwell said. "They ran the ball well on us."

Granted, it was against fourth-worst rushing defense in the NFL, but Choice's ability to hit the hole hard and make defenders miss is something the Cowboys had yet to have from a leading rusher this season.

Felix Jones is a speedster who can make people miss in the open field, but isn't the type of player like Barber who can bully his way in there to convert that 3rd and 1 or get the extra yard. Barber, however, has lost a lot of the burst he had in his first couple of seasons with the Cowboys, and it looks like the pounding of running into guys at 100 miles an hour every play for almost six seasons has taken it's toll.

The Cowboys' starter to open the season is averaging 3.1 yards per carry this season, the lowest of his career, and rushed for only 313 yards - only 175 yard more than Choice has this season on nearly 70 fewer carries.

Choice combines both of those skill sets and seems hungry for an expanded role on the offense - something I believe he should have regardless of who else is healthy and in the backfield next week. With Barber on the decline and Jones unable to leave his imprint on the running game, Dallas needs to see whether or not Choice can be the guy at running back over the final four games of the season.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)