With the loss of Terrell Owens, one of the top receivers in football, many are speculating that the Cowboys will have an off year, regressing from their 2008 form. I, on the other hand, see a pretty solid offense in Dallas, and feel that their wide receivers will be just fine. Let's have a look at the situation in Dallas.
1. Roy Williams. Easily a number one wide receiver in his own right, but due to Owens' reputation, Williams is being forced to live up to a really high standard. I think he'll pleasantly surprise many football fans, as he's never played for a quarterback with Romo's talent. Williams will most likely have a career year in 2009.
2. Patrick Crayton Age:30 (6'0" 203 lbs 4.58 40 yard dash according to USA Today). I don't know about you, but when I think about Crayton, I have trouble getting over the dropped pass in the playoffs a couple seasons ago. But we have to put that behind us. He has good strength and hands, and has only missed 1 game the past 3 years. In those 3 years, he has been very consistent with his production. He has produced between 500 and 700 yards each season, while notching 15 touchdowns during in that time. I like Crayton, just not as the #2. I think he is the type of guy that is perfect for the slot. He can find the openings in defenses, and isn't afraid to go over the middle. If he can put up another 500 yard season, and get a few touchdowns, I think he has done his job well. Lets just hope he is still getting better at the age of 30. We may only have a couple seasons till he starts to decline, which isn't good for a guy who is a role player.
3. Miles Austin. Just 25 years old, Austin put himself on the map last season with a few big plays. Plays that found him the end zone on deep bombs from Tony Romo. For this reason, many feel that Austin is a better option than Crayton, and rumors persist about a position battle between Austin and Crayton in camp for the number two spot.
He can easily score quite a few touchdowns in Dallas this season due to his presence in the end zone. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Austin will be the #2 receiver in Dallas before the end of the season.
4. Sam Hurd Age:24 (6'2" 205 lbs 4.61 40 yard dash). Seems that he is doing the same thing he did last year, creating a huge buzz during training camp. Let's just hope he can stay healthy (starting to see a pattern?) this year. This is a young guy with great hands, unlike "the player", as Parcells would say. He is making great catches in training camp, and everyone has high hopes for him. Like I had stated in the previous paragraph, he is splitting time as the #3 with Austin.
There really isn't much else to say about him, he just needs to stay healthy, and keep up what he is doing in training camp. Let's hope it translates into regular season production. I could see him putting up 400 yards, and a few touchdowns, as the 4th receiver. Now, I know he is in the battle just as much as Crayton and Austin, but I just don't see him moving up the depth chart till next year at the earliest, barring injuries of course.
Short of these four wide receivers, I don't see anyone else at the position making much of an impact in Dallas next season. There's some talent to be tapped into, and a top NFL quarterback passing them the ball. Hopefully this will be enough to win some games.
1. Roy Williams. Easily a number one wide receiver in his own right, but due to Owens' reputation, Williams is being forced to live up to a really high standard. I think he'll pleasantly surprise many football fans, as he's never played for a quarterback with Romo's talent. Williams will most likely have a career year in 2009.
2. Patrick Crayton Age:30 (6'0" 203 lbs 4.58 40 yard dash according to USA Today). I don't know about you, but when I think about Crayton, I have trouble getting over the dropped pass in the playoffs a couple seasons ago. But we have to put that behind us. He has good strength and hands, and has only missed 1 game the past 3 years. In those 3 years, he has been very consistent with his production. He has produced between 500 and 700 yards each season, while notching 15 touchdowns during in that time. I like Crayton, just not as the #2. I think he is the type of guy that is perfect for the slot. He can find the openings in defenses, and isn't afraid to go over the middle. If he can put up another 500 yard season, and get a few touchdowns, I think he has done his job well. Lets just hope he is still getting better at the age of 30. We may only have a couple seasons till he starts to decline, which isn't good for a guy who is a role player.
3. Miles Austin. Just 25 years old, Austin put himself on the map last season with a few big plays. Plays that found him the end zone on deep bombs from Tony Romo. For this reason, many feel that Austin is a better option than Crayton, and rumors persist about a position battle between Austin and Crayton in camp for the number two spot.
He can easily score quite a few touchdowns in Dallas this season due to his presence in the end zone. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Austin will be the #2 receiver in Dallas before the end of the season.
4. Sam Hurd Age:24 (6'2" 205 lbs 4.61 40 yard dash). Seems that he is doing the same thing he did last year, creating a huge buzz during training camp. Let's just hope he can stay healthy (starting to see a pattern?) this year. This is a young guy with great hands, unlike "the player", as Parcells would say. He is making great catches in training camp, and everyone has high hopes for him. Like I had stated in the previous paragraph, he is splitting time as the #3 with Austin.
There really isn't much else to say about him, he just needs to stay healthy, and keep up what he is doing in training camp. Let's hope it translates into regular season production. I could see him putting up 400 yards, and a few touchdowns, as the 4th receiver. Now, I know he is in the battle just as much as Crayton and Austin, but I just don't see him moving up the depth chart till next year at the earliest, barring injuries of course.
Short of these four wide receivers, I don't see anyone else at the position making much of an impact in Dallas next season. There's some talent to be tapped into, and a top NFL quarterback passing them the ball. Hopefully this will be enough to win some games.
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