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Cowboys Mailbag
What has happened to Miles Austin?
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag.)
DOUG SABERS - MINNEAPOLIS, MN: What has happened to Miles Austin? There must be more to it than defenses sliding more coverage his way. He only has 11 catches in the last six games.
Nick: I think the extra coverage is the biggest part of it. But you don't see Kitna or even Romo throw a lot of passes for him, asking Miles to simply "make a play." You see it with Dez and even some with Roy. But with Austin, he doesn't seem to get a lot of passes thrown to him if he's not wide open. He doesn't catch the ball in traffic as well as you would like. So when he's blanketed like this, there are going to be a lot of days when he doesn't get balls thrown to him. It doesn't help that Roy Williams doesn't get open consistently. Austin is the only true deep threat and the defenses know it.
Rob: I agree. Extra coverage didn't stop Austin from posting huge numbers last year, and Dez Bryant wasn't on that team to draw away defenders. Just seems like Austin and Kitna don't have the same rapport that he has with Tony Romo. Their timing has clearly been off on some throws.
Josh: I think it's a Kitna thing. You'll notice that Austin's numbers dropped off precipitously when Tony Romo went out. Kitna threw to Dez Bryant a lot more than Romo did. Different quarterbacks have different receivers they like, and different throws they like to make. What's really worrisome about Austin is all the balls he's been dropping, and the fact they all seem to fall right into defenders' hands.
MARTIN SNODGRASS - CARSON CITY, NV: I was disturbed when I saw Tashard Choice asking Michael Vick for an autograph after the game. I thought this kind of thing was frowned upon. Does this hurt him in the eyes of coaches and his teammates, especially after a tough loss?
Nick: I don't really think it will hurt him in terms of the players and coaches. As for the fans, judging by the comments I've seen already, it's about 50-50. Some people think it's a really big deal and others don't seem to care at all. Personally, I have no problem with a guy wanting an autograph or any kind of memorabilia for a keepsake. But the timing, to do it on the field and make sure you've got a sharpie in hand, it just seems too premeditated to happen at midfield after a three-point loss. But he did admit the mistake and apologized. I think it should be dropped.
Rob: It's a big locker room. There are probably guys who don't agree, guys who don't mind and guys who don't care at all. Personally, I don't think the autograph itself was a big deal. But given the microscope this team is under, it creates a negative perception and everyone knew it would become big news. That said, it would've been better for Choice to do it in private, or at the very least, wait until Jan. 2 after the teams' second meeting. At that point the season is officially over.
Josh: See there is a double standard here among media and fans. If he had acted like a jerk and simply left the field, people would say he was a bad sport. He says it was for his nephew, which I believe, so maybe it was important that he get the autograph in time for Christmas. Who knows, and who really cares? Do you think he didn't play hard, or something? See, that's all that really matters.
What has happened to Miles Austin?
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag.)
DOUG SABERS - MINNEAPOLIS, MN: What has happened to Miles Austin? There must be more to it than defenses sliding more coverage his way. He only has 11 catches in the last six games.
Nick: I think the extra coverage is the biggest part of it. But you don't see Kitna or even Romo throw a lot of passes for him, asking Miles to simply "make a play." You see it with Dez and even some with Roy. But with Austin, he doesn't seem to get a lot of passes thrown to him if he's not wide open. He doesn't catch the ball in traffic as well as you would like. So when he's blanketed like this, there are going to be a lot of days when he doesn't get balls thrown to him. It doesn't help that Roy Williams doesn't get open consistently. Austin is the only true deep threat and the defenses know it.
Rob: I agree. Extra coverage didn't stop Austin from posting huge numbers last year, and Dez Bryant wasn't on that team to draw away defenders. Just seems like Austin and Kitna don't have the same rapport that he has with Tony Romo. Their timing has clearly been off on some throws.
Josh: I think it's a Kitna thing. You'll notice that Austin's numbers dropped off precipitously when Tony Romo went out. Kitna threw to Dez Bryant a lot more than Romo did. Different quarterbacks have different receivers they like, and different throws they like to make. What's really worrisome about Austin is all the balls he's been dropping, and the fact they all seem to fall right into defenders' hands.
MARTIN SNODGRASS - CARSON CITY, NV: I was disturbed when I saw Tashard Choice asking Michael Vick for an autograph after the game. I thought this kind of thing was frowned upon. Does this hurt him in the eyes of coaches and his teammates, especially after a tough loss?
Nick: I don't really think it will hurt him in terms of the players and coaches. As for the fans, judging by the comments I've seen already, it's about 50-50. Some people think it's a really big deal and others don't seem to care at all. Personally, I have no problem with a guy wanting an autograph or any kind of memorabilia for a keepsake. But the timing, to do it on the field and make sure you've got a sharpie in hand, it just seems too premeditated to happen at midfield after a three-point loss. But he did admit the mistake and apologized. I think it should be dropped.
Rob: It's a big locker room. There are probably guys who don't agree, guys who don't mind and guys who don't care at all. Personally, I don't think the autograph itself was a big deal. But given the microscope this team is under, it creates a negative perception and everyone knew it would become big news. That said, it would've been better for Choice to do it in private, or at the very least, wait until Jan. 2 after the teams' second meeting. At that point the season is officially over.
Josh: See there is a double standard here among media and fans. If he had acted like a jerk and simply left the field, people would say he was a bad sport. He says it was for his nephew, which I believe, so maybe it was important that he get the autograph in time for Christmas. Who knows, and who really cares? Do you think he didn't play hard, or something? See, that's all that really matters.
