There has been a lot of talk about the wide receiver depth since T.O. was released last week. I have heard endless debate about whether Roy Williams is capable of being the #1 receiver for the Cowboys. I decided to find out exactly what it means to be a #1 receiver by looking at the top 10 NFL offenses last year. I compiled the reception totals, yardage and receiving touchdowns for the top receiver for each of the top 10 offenses. I determined the #1 receiver for each team based on the 2008 statistics.1. New Orleans Saints: Lance Moore (79 rec., 928 yds., 10 TD)
2. Denver Broncos: Brandon Marshall (104 rec., 1265 yds., 6 TD)
3. Houston Texans: Andre Johnson (115 rec., 1575 yds., 8 TD)
4. Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald (96 rec., 1431 yds., 12 TD)
5. New England Patriots: Wes Welker (111 rec., 1165 yds., 3 TD)
6. Atlanta Falcons: Roddy White (88 rec., 1382 yds., 7 TD)
7. New York Giants: Steve Smith (57 rec., 574 yds., 1 TD)
8. Green Bay Packers: Greg Jennings (80 rec., 1292 yds., 9 TD)
9. Philadelphia Eagles: Desean Jackson (62 rec., 912 yds., 2 TD)
10. Carolina Panthers: Steve Smith (78 rec., 1421 yds., 6 TD)
13. Dallas Cowboys: Terrell Owens (69 rec., 1052 yds., 10 TD)
Things get really interesting when you average out the number from each category for the top receivers in each of the top 10 offenses. Here are the results.
Top 10 avg. receptions: 87
Top 10 avg. yards: 1194.5
Top 10 avg. TD’s: 6.4 TD
Roy Williams had his best season with the Detroit Lions in 2006. The numbers he put up are suprisingly similar to the averages of the top 10 #1 receivers from last season. Here are his numbers from 2006.
Roy Williams 2006 season stats: 82 rec., 1310 yds., 7 TD
What these numbers show me is that Roy Williams has the ability to serve as one of the focal points of the offense but he is going to have to prove that he has the work ethic to earn the trust of Tony Romo. I don't think Roy Williams has to put up typical #1 receiver numbers to earn his keep since there are so many weapons for Tony Romo to choose from. Jason Witten is certainly still going to be a primary target and Felix Jones will need more touches in 2009. At least we can rest easy knowing that Roy Williams has shown the ability to be a top receiver in the past. Now it is time for Roy to prove his worth to his teammates, the coaches, and the fans in 2009.
I think the biggest difference with Williams will be the short routes. I expect him run alot of slants and out routes. In the red zone he will be a great target because he can go get the ball. I don't think he is a deep threat, his speed isn't near the speed of Owens. Williams will be a great reciever for us. I think Crayton and Austin are more of a question mark than Williams.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The offense is going to be much different next year with Roy as the lead receiver. The key is going to be whether Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, and Miles Austin can step up and be major contributors to the offense. We have seen Crayton do it for a few years, but the other guys are still question marks.
ReplyDeleteI actually think Crayton isn't as good as he was 2 years ago. The cowboys should run alot of 2 tight end sets this year. Witten and Bennett are both way above average tight ends.
ReplyDeleteare you guys just blind watching the game! regardless of how u look at it the cowboys are in the same boat with a lesser wide reciever u already had a problem with finding a number 2 receiver so u brought in roy.....now u let t.o. go so hear comes the double teams again lets just say on williams this time which mean 8 in the box and stuff the run now who do you throw too witten again how long is that combination gonna last before they double him and play williams one on one corners are too good now in the nfc cowboys are goin 6-10 mark my word i been a fan of cowboys since77 but cowboys need to really give themselves a kick with them boots they wear in dallas
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