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It looks like Miles Austin will be back on the field for the Dallas Cowboys when they face the New York Giants on Dec. 11. That leaves Dallas with one more game, against lowly Arizona, before Austin returns to his starting receiver position.
The question remains what that will mean to the offense that has now won four games in a row.
Adding talent to the field should make everything better, one would assume. Is there a such thing as having too many playmakers on the field at one time? I think there might be. When Austin comes back, someone will have to head to the bench.
Laurent Robinson has been the touchdown machine for the Cowboys since he arrived in Big D. Robinson has seven touchdowns in the past five starts. Is that the kind of production you want sitting on the bench? Dez Bryant plays better when someone like Austin is across the field from him. With his game breaking ability, you want him on the field as much as possible. Austin himself played poorly in his three games before his injury, totaling seven receptions for 96 yards and no touchdowns in the three games combined. But Austin in a playmaker and is the team's No. 1 receiver.
Jason Witten isn't going anywhere. As long as Witten is on the team, he will be the starting tight end and play a majority of the offensive snaps. DeMarco Murray isn't coming out of the game either, since he is the main reason that Dallas leads the NFC East right now. That means the one person who won't be playing much after Austin returns is fullback Tony Fiammetta.
You might think that is no big deal but look at this number: Murray averages 8.1 yards per carry with a fullback. When Fiammetta is out of the lineup, Murray averages 3.4 yards per carry.
Now, I know they can switch things up and switch out Bryant, Austin and Robinson on various plays. They can have a fullback on plays that they will run the ball and bring him out on passing downs or plays where Dallas fakes and runs a draw. The problem is, with this many stars, I am scared Dallas will look predictable based on who is on the field.
I don't know if Jason Garrett is prepared to run an offense with this much talent. But I can dream.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
Source: Dallas Cowboys
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