Are The Cowboys Really Set At WR?

The month before the draft is usually a good time to take the remarks of owners, general managers, coaches, etc. with a grain of salt. At best, their comments will be veiled in circumlocution and clichés, and at worst, they will be downright lies.
 
Then again, this back-and-forth, he-said, she-said is what the NFL off-season is all about, at this stage, anyway.
 
Jerry Jones insisted, although never directly that Terrell Owens would still be a Cowboy in 2009; and then last week, Owens was canned with odd timing and an unlikely explanation.
 
In a way, this phenomenon makes the off-season better; anything, it seems, can happen.
 
So what are we to make of Jerry’s assertion that the Cowboys are set at the wide receiver position? The owner and general manager seemed to know well the importance of Terrell Owens within the passing game, and he should have noticed the lackluster years seen by each of our current top three receivers.
 
Roy Williams, who will go into 2010 as Dallas’ number one receiver, averaged a paltry 1.9 catches a game in his time with the Cowboys last year. Patrick Crayton caught 39 passes for four touchdowns. Miles Austin and Sam Hurd each had deflated season stats due to injury. And that, as it stands now, is the receiving corps for the Dallas Cowboys.
 
Given, there are myriad reasons why these receivers may have had deflated numbers last season, the most obvious of which is the presence of Terrell Owens. You could also cite Williams’ lack of familiarity with Tony Romo and the offense or the aforementioned injuries suffered by Hurd and Austin. Whatever the case, Jones was quick to express faith in the Cowboys’ young receiving corps.
 
“One of the reasons that I made the decision on Terrell Owens was because I thought so much of our young receivers,” he said. “Not only Roy Williams ... but our other young receivers — Miles Austin, Sam Hurd, those are guys that will now have a chance.”
 
This is true. Terrell Owens monopolized the Cowboys offense to a degree; not necessarily a bad thing, considering Owens’ skills. But, for one reason or another, the relationship failed. Owens is gone and Jerry Jones has made what looks to be a treacherous and unsure leap of faith.
 
Whether or not the leap will pay dividends for the Cowboys in 2009, or even if Jones will hold to his word, is unsure. The new-look Cowboys receiving corps is unproven if anything, most of them veritable no-names on a national scale. And this could be a positive. Superstar receivers do not make championships.
 
This isn’t to say Jerry Jones' contented remarks should not be a cause for concern; they certainly are, and leaps of faith always look more improbable to the outsiders; that’s the nature of the beast.
 
I can only be so optimistic after, all. There is a chance that Jones’ stance will illustrate a terrific lapse in judgment and, ultimately, a monumental failure.
 
So, for now, it’s probably best to take Jerry’s remarks with, well, a grain of salt.