More on the Cowboys wide receivers

by Dave Halprin on Jul 12, 2007 2:29 AM CDT in News Comment 24 comments

Nick Eatman looks at the receivers. We all know about TNT and how they will be the starters. We pretty much know that Patrick Crayton will back them up as the first option. But after that is where the fun starts. Sam Hurd and Miles Austin would seem to be in pretty good shape to make the roster. But we also got to slot in rookie Isaiah Stanback.

We're all going to keep our eyes on fourth-round pick Isaiah Stanback because of his intriguing athletic ability, his transition from college quarterback to receiver and how he recovers from a Lisfranc foot injury that has sidelined him since last fall. But Stanback is a fourth-round pick. The Cowboys are high on him, and it's likely he will have a role on this team.

So that means we keep six WR’s or somebody in that group has to go. And that’s not even taking into consideration some of the long shots on the roster, including the much-discussed Jamel Richardson.

But the real rookie to watch is Jamel Richardson, the former Canadian Football League standout trying to find his way onto the roster. At 6-3, 220, Richardson has good size, but he knows he won't be able to simply outmuscle cornerbacks like he did the last four years of the CFL. While it might be crowded at the bottom of the depth chart, Richardson has a legitimate chance to be in the hunt for a spot.

The fight for the last receiver spots should be an intense battle at camp.

Vic Carrucci lists Tony Romo in his dozen players in "comeback mode" this season. I’m not sure I buy it, yeah, he had some tough times down the stretch, but give him a break, it was only his first season starting. I'm not sure how much of a "comeback" it would be, more like a learning process. Anyway, here’s what Carucci said.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas: His sizzling start after he took over as the Cowboys' No. 1 quarterback cooled off when he finished the season with a series of blunders. Romo clearly gave the team more spark than it had with Drew Bledsoe under center, but can he consistently perform at a high enough level to finally deliver long-awaited stability at the position? New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett faces a big job in getting Romo to produce as the big-time star the Cowboys think he can become.

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I buy

Roethlisberger, McNabb and Alexander.

The rest either don't need a comeback (Romo, Green, Hasselbeck) or aren't likely to have one (Delhomme, Leftwich, Grossman).

by dunkman on Jul 12, 2007 6:45 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

comeback from what??

A pro Bowl season in which he posted a 95 qb rating.

Carrucci is another one of those morons like Pete Prisco from sportsline.com who know absolutely nothing about football. It just simply amazes me these guys actually get paid to write this tribble.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 12, 2007 7:23 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

with the young talent we have at wr

if one of those youngsters gets hurt in camp, and I mean even the sligtest injury that would prevent them from practicing, they're pretty much done.

I haven't really seen this many talented receivers on our roster for a very long time. Great problem to have.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 12, 2007 10:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree but

it almost worries me more. By that I mean, will the team keep the right guy(s), cut the wrong guy(s)? Guess you just have to trust that the coaching staff will see enough of these kids to know which ones can contribute.

by dunkman on Jul 12, 2007 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think they will

I can remember last year at this time, I was really high on Miles Austin. He flew under the radar in camp, even Grizz didn't mention him that much as compared to Hurd and Rector.

However, Parcells saw something in the kid and he made the team. The point I was trying to make is that with so many talented guys, an injury will allow another receiver to climb up the depth chart and beat out the injured guy. These things happen every year, but hopefully the truly good ones who should make the team stay healthy.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 12, 2007 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree and wonder

if one did get hurt or Stanback does not get well whether the Cowboys would put them on the disabled list and give them another shot next year? With Owens and Glenn approaching middle age we need the talent in the pipeline behind them. I think we have the cap room to do that this year.

by lee3022 on Jul 12, 2007 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts on WR's and Romo's "Comeback"

The one guy everybody seems to be taking for granted is Crayton. Or perhaps more correctly, the one guy everyone seems to substantially overrate is Crayton. He hasn’t shown me anything in 3+ years to make me think he will be more than a third receiver in the NFL. He is an average, dime-a-dozen type receiver, and the league is littered with those guys. Heck, when the Cowboys had a starting job open up for a week last year, they picked Sam Hurd – a rookie with almost no experience! – to fill the starting spot. Now you can point to the blah, blah about ‘wanting to keep Crayton for the slot receiver in the three receiver sets, but the fact is that if he was anything more than average they would have started him in a heartbeat. If Stanbeck, Hurd and Austin all have really good preseasons, I would trade Crayton for a fourth round pick. In fact, I would not be shocked if Crayton is the odd man out at the 53-man countdown.

As for Romo, he has no business whatsoever on that Comeback list. By definition, to make a comeback you must have been somewhere to begin with. He has played 11 games! 11! How in the world can a player have gone from unproven to proven to slacker in 11 games? You can’t even get to proven in 11 games, much less move to slacker. At least every other player on that list has two complete seasons under his belt to compare. Is he on this list simply because he has to "comeback" from one stinking play? Is he on this list because his QB rating went from exceptional the first six games to below average for the last five? What a joke.

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 12, 2007 11:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

On Crayton

36 catches for 516 yards and 4 TD's as a third WR doesn't show you anything? A guy with excellent hands, perhaps the best hands on the team isn't something you want in a WR? He's a non-diva (rare for WR's) who is just now getting down all the nuances of being a WR after a position change and he has produced on the field. That gives me nothing but confidence in the guy. He's shown me plenty and he finally got through a season without injury.

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by Dave Halprin on Jul 12, 2007 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Grizz is right

Crayton caught 75% of the passes thrown in his direction last year. Not one receiver in the NFL did better with 50 or more passes (Crayton got 48). Owens caught 56%, Terry Glenn caught 64%, Reggie Wayne caught 63% and Marvin Harrison caught 64%. The only 3rd receiver (according the Football Outsiders) who had as high a DPAR as Crayton's 16.5 was Bryant Johnson of Arizona and he caught 53% of his passes. There is a very strong statistical case for Crayton as the best 3rd receiver in the NFL and he would be rated the 28th best overall if he had met the 50 catch threshold. But wait - it gets better - Crayton had a DVOA (Defense Adjusted Value Over Average) of 37.5% which is better than EVERY receiver in the NFL last year.

So please don't kick my pet cat (smile).

by lee3022 on Jul 13, 2007 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dude

you should work with numbers for a living!

Nice analysis.

by dunkman on Jul 13, 2007 8:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

excellent analysis

You have made a very stong case for your position. Stats, while thy can be manipulated, don't lie. Perhaps I am mistaken on this one.

If he is as as good as many of you think, the 'Boys will have a very interesting situation/decision after this season when he is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 13, 2007 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think WR

in general is going to be interesting to watch. It seems at least from here that the team has three or four really promising WRs and no way to keep them all, while at the same time the two feature WRs are juuust reaching that point when they lose the ability to beat DBs, give or take a year or two.

by dunkman on Jul 13, 2007 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

I agree. And, this has been an interesting string; in the doldrums of summer, that is always welcome.

You boys have a good weekend.

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 13, 2007 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crayton is Underrated

The people that think he'll be traded aren't thinking about the upcoming season obviously. Crayton is clearly #3. The reason Hurd got into the starting lineup was because Hurd can play all 3 WR spots, not because he's better than Crayton. I can see Crayton playing #2 spot. He's not going anywhere this year. Now if it is cost prohibitive to re-sign him next season, then he's free to test the market. But I would like to see him stay.

by APerfectStar on Jul 12, 2007 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with that

Parcells didn't want to screw up two receiver positions to replace one guy.

by dunkman on Jul 13, 2007 8:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crayton

Hmmm. I don't see all that much above-average talent and ability. Yes, those are nice stats for a third receiver. But can he successfully make the jump to a #2? In my opinion, no. He is a nice comfort blanket, but he should not be considered as someone who will eventually replace Owens or Glenn. I believe several guys on our roster with more upside could put up Crayton's stats. I sure would hate to cut the guy guy who could become a star so we can keep a comfort blanket. Anyone remember Jimmy Smith? Yes, I know that's an extreme case.

I used to be on board with Crayton, and I even had him on a few fantasy teams as a sleeper. But I'm no longer on board. I am certainly in the tiny minority on this one, perhaps even a minority of one. But nevertheless, that's where I currently am. And what the heck - this board is supposed to provoke a few oddball opinions and ideas, right? I hope Crayton proves me wrong tenfold.

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 12, 2007 11:51 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

oddball is right

you're way off base Louie and big time. If you carefully evaluate Crayton's play, you'll see a receiver who has virtually no weaknesses in his game except for exceptional quickness and speed. The kid is strong, has absolutely great hands, runs exceptional routes and is tough. I can think of 3 HOF receivers who fit that description, Lance Alworth, Steve Largent and Fred Biletnikoff.

He'll be a very good #2 receiver in this league someday and maybe even a #1. Right now, he's playing behind 2 of the greatest receivers to ever play for the Cowboys. I got news for you, Crayton has already proved you wrong and then some.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 12, 2007 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

unproven, as yet

Crayton has not proven me wrong yet simply because he has not had the opportunity. My assertion is that Crayton is a nice 3rd WR but nothing more, and not someone who has the talent to be a successful #2 or #1 WR. It will take at least a year of Craton manning the #2 or #1 WR slot to give a definitive answer as to who is correct. Right now, all we have are opinions on the topic. Anyone who claims to know with certainty simply doesn't understand the difference between opinion and fact. However, it appears Crayton will someday get that chance since the Cowboys'management appparently thinks highly of him. I reiterate from my previous post: I hope he proves me wrong when the time comes.

My other assertion is that several of the other WR's on the Cowboys roster could put up similar stats in Crayton's place. The jury remains out on that as well. With TO and TG getting up in years, I fear we may find out the answer out season.

On a slightly different note, I am simply amazed at how highly you value every single player on the Cowboys current roster. And what I'm about to ask is in all seriousness; I'm not trying to be a smart ass: Are there any of the projected 22 starters that you think are not Pro Bowl players? Along a similar line, are there any of our reserves that you view as true average players, as opposed to players who are on the bench only because they are behind a budding superstar?

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 12, 2007 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

absolutely

I in no way think every starting player on the team is pro bowl material and there are several backups I'm not thrilled with.

I'm not very confident in our O line. Flo could be potentially great but seems to be on the lazy side. Kosier is okay, nothing special. I like Gurode and Davis a lot but to me the jury is still out on Colombo. McQuistan is the only backup that I really like. The O line will at least be improved over last season with the addition of Davis.

There are definitely question marks at the FB position.

Defensively, I'm not sold on Carpenter yet. I think his best position is OLB, not ILB but we'll see. I'm not sold on Burnett either.

I really like our DL both starters and backups.

Finally, although I'm really hoping he proves me wrong, I'm not a big Hamlin fan. I don't have a lot of confidence he's the ball hawking centerfielder we desparately need, but like I said, I hope he proves me wrong. If he doesn't pan out, hopefully Watkins will come on.

Our backup corners really don't excite me either, although I think Glenn has one or two good years left in him.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 12, 2007 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Keep in mind

that Crayton accomplished that while Glenn and Owens had 1000 yard seasons, Witten picked up 750, and JJ/MB3 teamed up for a very respectable rushing total.

Crayton has the highest total for a third receiver in the NFC East, for example. And only three teams in the entire NFC had better stats for their third receiver - Seattle, New Orleans and Arizona.

I think that's solidly above average, and his production wasn't predicated on skill as much as it was on scheme.

by dunkman on Jul 12, 2007 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

good stats

Yes, Crayton's stats matched up well with the NFC last season. My opinion is that he was successfull because the defenses were paying attention to those other guys, who have proven to be dangerous players. I do like stats to back up an opinion though.

You stated: "I think that's solidly above average, and his production wasn't predicated on skill as much as it was on scheme."

I think you meant his success was predicated on skill, not scheme, right? Because our opinions differ and mine opinion is that his success was based on scheme, not skill.

by Cowboy Louie on Jul 12, 2007 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's not a bad perspective

I guess I'm saying that he managed to carve out some good yardage (and pretty good YPA) when there were so many options available. Could be that he benefitted from attention paid to others, but that's one I'd have to review game film to see. But what did Randall El contribute with all the attention paid to Moss? Almost half.

Crayton is still a work in progress having been a college QB, and yet he has the best hands on the team (but it's close with Glenn) and he does a great job pulling down the football in traffic, blocking down field, running solid routes, etc. Keyshawn, Shannon Sharpe and many others fashioned whole careers out of those skill sets, so Crayton may be a potential #2. Can't ever know until he does it, but I guess I'm a believer until he proves me wrong.

by dunkman on Jul 12, 2007 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs