Tony Romo And The Dallas Cowboys Aerial Attack: Passing All Competitors

Last season, 20 NFL players had more than 1,000 receiving yards. Only four teams had two players above the 1,000 yard receiving threshold. Care to take a guess which teams that might have been? The Falcons, Broncos, Saints and - you guessed it - the Cowboys.

The Cowboys had two players who each had more than 1,000 receiving yards: Dez Bryant notched 1,382 receiving yards and Jason Witten just passed the threshold with 1,039 yards. Not too bad, considering the Cowboys played with an offensive line that was far from fully operational.

But was last season just a fluke for the Cowboys? Let's extend the scope of this 1,000 receiving-yards analysis a little further, and look at the stats from 2006-2012. Off the top of your head, how many teams do you think had more 1,000-yard receivers than the Cowboys? More than three? More than five?

Before we answer that question, let's first look at how many and which Cowboys players exceeded 1,000 receiving yards over that period.

The Cowboys have had players exceed 1,000 receiving yards 11 times in the last seven years. 2011 was the only year in which the Cowboys didn't have a single player hit that statistical milestone, although Witten (942), Austin (928), and Robinson (858) all came relatively close.

So how many teams had more 1,000-yard receivers than the Cowboys?

Not a single one. The Patriots and Cardinals come closest, with nine players each; the Colts, Packers, and Saints have eight each. Over the past seven seasons, the Cowboys have as many 1,000+ yard receivers as all three NFC East rivals combined: The Giants have six, the Eagles have three, and the Redskins two. So much for that divisional discussion.

With all of that in mind, you've got to wonder, just like Tom Ryle did below, whether there is something all 11 of those receivers had in common.

@OCC44 Gee, was there something all 11 of those receivers had in common?

— Tom Ryle (@TomRyleBTB) July 3, 2013