Roy Williams Welcomes Dez Bryant With Open Arms, Sorta…

As I was watching NFL Network a few days ago, they showed an interview reporters had with Roy Williams before a tournament at Cowboys Golf Club. This is Roy’s first public appearance to talk about the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season. The reporters wanted to know how Roy was going to prepare for the upcoming season and, Cowboys fans favorite topic…our first round draft pick.

” I know people are thinking that he is going come in and take my spot (with his signature nervous smile. Like he just dropped another one of Romo’s balls that hit him right in the hands. Hoping that he can make things right with the the leader of the team. Going back into the huddle as the camera is zoomed into his unshielded facemask) and all that mess and you know it’s not all about that,” Roy comments about Dez Bryant’s immediate impact on the team and being a threat to take his number 1 receiver spot. Roy continues, “I don’t think it’s gonna happen anyways”. He then tries to smooth over his bold statement by including ,”I embrace the challenge and what not, but I just think he’s gonna come in and help this football team win 3 more ball games”. Yeah…of course, he was brought in to make us win more games and eventually win us a Super Bowl! Way to go out on a limb Roy!…drafting a receiver first round was to fill a void that you still haven’t been able to do on your own since receiving your 5 year, $45 million contract. Jerry Jones got Dez Bryant for that reason and more. Roy needs to start reading the writing on the walls, or at least admit to it. It’s time for a major upgrade Roy, and earn your money!

I just don’t understand how he still seems to not have chemistry with Tony Romo. Romo has no problems getting the ball out to anyone else on the team. But, practically, every ball that is thrown to Number 11’s way is out of reach some how…some way. Let’s include all that time that was spent in the offseason trying to get a rhythm with the routes. It just boggles my mind! Roy Williams is a 2006 Pro Bowl Wide Receiver and he has, less than, half the stats as what Miles Austin and Jason Witten, with Miles only starting 12 games.

Roy replies to the upcoming competition of this years best receiver in the draft, Dez Bryant, with “I’m just gonna go through this like I’m the man…like I’ve always been and it’s never gonna change”. Really? Do you really need to make that statement Roy? This isn’t a game of opinions and ‘he said, she said’ stuff. This is a game of stats. Obviously, Number 11’s stats don’t add up to being “the man”. It’s plain and simple. Why would he say something like that? You never hear Michael Irvin or Emmitt Smith needing to claim to the media that they are ‘the man’, when competition for their position is a factor. This is a situation where it’s not a spoken matter. This is something that should just be known. It should be something that is known throughout your team, your fans, media, and even people who don’t follow closely to the Dallas Cowboys, but know the NFL.

Another thing that bothers me about that comment is that Roy should be truly embracing his new teammate. He should be completely hopeful for the team and where it is headed. Most importantly, he needs to be a veteran leader to Dez Bryant. Someone, whom Dez will be looking toward to give him a little guidance on the field when times get rough for the rookie. Dez can’t always count on Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin for everything. There is a time when someone just needs to step up and show the rookie ‘the ropes’. So, I guess this ends up being placed on Miles Austin’s shoulders. Well….why not? Miles worked his way from the bottom of the roster to the absolute top. Who else would we want to show our, ‘up and coming’ star, rookie wide receiver how to work hard and making something big of himself. Who else to give Dez a little push ‘here, but not there’ kind of attitude?…especially while they are on the field.

So what is our “Number 1” Receiver’s job for the offseason? Wade Phillips wants for Roy not to be so upright whenever he is coming off his routes. “It’s just little certain things they want me to do, and I’m willing to try and do them to be a better player” Roy states to the media. I don’t mean to nit pick but, when does Master Yoda come into the picture and tell Roy “try you must not! you either do or you don’t”? He just needs to step up and be that leading receiver on the field, without any questions. I know that he has his own particular way of running routes, but clearly it’s not working right now. I know that the stat of 8 dropped balls is all that’s going to be talked about with this upcoming season, from start to finish. It’s not the 8 drops exactly…but in a ways it is. Any person who truly knows football that… Some times,…(just sometimes!…notice sarcasm)receivers don’t run their routes correctly and it’s not the QB’s fault. Look at T.O. and the interceptions that he caused Romo before he was given the axe by Jerry.

Look! Seriously! I didn’t write this article just to bash Roy Williams like the rest of Dallas Cowboys fans have been. I am all for improvement and doing everything in a very positive manner, but I am just being realistic here with his comments. I am just trying to articulate the frustration that has come from dedicated Dallas Cowboys fans for the past year and a half. They want their moneys worth out of him. I am sure Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Wade Phillips, Ray Sherman, Jason Garrett, and Tony Romo do too…especially when it’s 3rd and long and we need a ‘go to’ receiver when Witten and Austin have been overused.

Roy said of his highly criticized dropped balls. “I would bet anybody in this world I won’t come anywhere close to what I had last year,” he also said, “It won’t even be half. You want to take that bet? I won’t even come close. I promise you. I promise you, you, you, you and you and every fan out there. I won’t even come close.” I truly hope so. I truly hope that Roy doesn’t gets that nervous energy out of him before the season starts…cause this is probably going to be this seasons main topic. Welcome to the Dalls Cowboys Roy!…as if you need a reintroduction to the constant pressure of being a wide receiver for America’s Team. I know that Dez has the passion and the talent, let’s see what happens next.

Don’t be intimidated Roy! Just do your job and please, please, please earn your money!…that’s the nicest any Dallas Cowboys fan will ever be concerning everything  that’s gone on since mid-2008…don’t ever get use to it.