Cowboys' Williams not a No. 1 receiver
Posted Aug. 03, 2009 @ 10:56 a.m.
By Eric Edholm
http://www.profootballweekly.com/200...-no-1-receiver
I am not on the Roy Williams bandwagon this season. I have heard the logic: Terrell Owens is gone, Williams and Tony Romo have worked an entire offseason together, and the Cowboys need a No. 1 wideout.
That, to me, does not a big season make necessarily.
Williams always has been overrated in my mind. He has played like a No. 1 receiver for exactly one season — 2006, when he played on a Lions team, led by Mike Martz, that threw the ball almost 70 percent of the time.
The Cowboys will not be doing that. Yes, they have Romo, but they also have a trio of running backs — Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice — who starred separately last season and should expect to see more carries this year. The Cowboys ran the ball 401 times in 2008 but should be up around the 450 mark, which figures to be about the league average.
TE Jason Witten is the No. 1 option in Dallas. Even with Terrell Owens, Witten was Romo's go-to guy, and there's no reason to upset that chemistry. He played hurt, catches almost everything near him and can be both a safety valve and a downfield threat. There are few players who match up well with him.
I also have high hopes for Miles Austin, who reportedly has had a nice offseason and has a chip on his shoulder after constantly being asked if he can fill the No. 2 wideout role alongside Williams. There are some who think he could be the top receiver.
But mostly, I am fearful of Williams' chances to be a No. 1 receiver because of Williams. He spoke recently about the chemistry he and Romo have built over the past five months, but from what I am hearing, that isn't necessarily true. Williams still isn't half the playmaker he thinks he is, and I believe the Cowboys soon will regret the trade they made to get him.
Why did he struggle to make any kind of impact — 19 catches in 10 games, one TD — in '08? I think it's because (a) he was unhappy he didn't immediately step in and have 10 passes thrown his way; (b) because he might have "learned" the offense, but he never embraced it; and (c) Romo just didn't trust him. I doubt the offseason has done a lot to change that on a grand scale.
In my mind, you have to treat Williams like a No. 3 fantasy receiver until he proves otherwise.
By Eric Edholm
http://www.profootballweekly.com/200...-no-1-receiver
I am not on the Roy Williams bandwagon this season. I have heard the logic: Terrell Owens is gone, Williams and Tony Romo have worked an entire offseason together, and the Cowboys need a No. 1 wideout.
That, to me, does not a big season make necessarily.
Williams always has been overrated in my mind. He has played like a No. 1 receiver for exactly one season — 2006, when he played on a Lions team, led by Mike Martz, that threw the ball almost 70 percent of the time.
The Cowboys will not be doing that. Yes, they have Romo, but they also have a trio of running backs — Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice — who starred separately last season and should expect to see more carries this year. The Cowboys ran the ball 401 times in 2008 but should be up around the 450 mark, which figures to be about the league average.
TE Jason Witten is the No. 1 option in Dallas. Even with Terrell Owens, Witten was Romo's go-to guy, and there's no reason to upset that chemistry. He played hurt, catches almost everything near him and can be both a safety valve and a downfield threat. There are few players who match up well with him.
I also have high hopes for Miles Austin, who reportedly has had a nice offseason and has a chip on his shoulder after constantly being asked if he can fill the No. 2 wideout role alongside Williams. There are some who think he could be the top receiver.
But mostly, I am fearful of Williams' chances to be a No. 1 receiver because of Williams. He spoke recently about the chemistry he and Romo have built over the past five months, but from what I am hearing, that isn't necessarily true. Williams still isn't half the playmaker he thinks he is, and I believe the Cowboys soon will regret the trade they made to get him.
Why did he struggle to make any kind of impact — 19 catches in 10 games, one TD — in '08? I think it's because (a) he was unhappy he didn't immediately step in and have 10 passes thrown his way; (b) because he might have "learned" the offense, but he never embraced it; and (c) Romo just didn't trust him. I doubt the offseason has done a lot to change that on a grand scale.
In my mind, you have to treat Williams like a No. 3 fantasy receiver until he proves otherwise.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:29 PM
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