When Jerry Jones originally traded for Roy Williams, everyone I corresponded with that knew anything about the Dallas Cowboys thought that Williams was going to be opposite Terrell Owens.
When Owens was released, I was shocked because not only did we let go of a guy who is a Hall of Fame receiver, but we now had Roy Williams as our number one target.
It made me very nervous to say the least because when you look at Roy Williams in a uniform, he reminds you of Owens and Hall of Fame Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.
Tall man at about 6’4 and 210 lbs, long arms, broad shoulders, very good speed and jump, a good sense of where the sidelines are to go along with good feet placement, and he can catch some of the weirdest passes at times.
Yet, when he finally got on the field, it was a major disappointment. He and quarterback Tony Romo didn’t always have the right timing with him, he didn’t always run the right route, and at times, he would drop major key passes, which definitely hurt his confidence.
It looked like the Cowboys were cooked for the season until Williams missed the Kansas City game and gave Miles Austin a chance to start, and it was the greatest thing Williams did all year because Austin exploded on the Chiefs, catching ten balls for 250 yards and a pair of scores.
Miles Austin is now a Pro-Bowl wide receiver while Roy Williams has had ups and downs during the season. Austin, in 12 games, caught 81 balls for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns while Williams has only 38 catches for 596 yards and 7 touchdowns.
It looked like Jerry’s trade for Roy Williams was a horrible idea. The Cowboys gave up a first, a third, and a sixth round draft for Roy Williams and a seventh round draft pick from the Detroit Lions.
However, I contended that Roy Williams was just in a slump and with time, it would go away.
It looks like it just might be gone now.
Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News stated in a previous article that he doubted Roy Williams would be a factor in the playoff game against division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, he was wrong, I can definitely say that.
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Roy Williams wasn’t hot, since he only had five catches for 59 yards, but he made a statement early by catching the first pass from Romo for 7 yards to set up a very manageable 3rd and 5. Later on in that drive, he made a 15 yard catch and run on 2nd and 11.
Despite not scoring that drive due to a few penalties and a sack on Romo that kept the Boys out of fields goal range, Roy Williams got his confidence back and made some big plays against one of the best cornerback tandems in Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel.
Williams made two 17 yard catches on two 3rd down situations in two separate drives. Both drives led to scores by Dallas. One other time Romo threw a screen to Williams, who tripped and only got three yards, but he didn’t lose the ball, and trust me, the Eagles were trying to strip it all night.
Roy Williams is not a top five or ten wide receiver, but when he is on, he is just as dangerous as one. This game has definitely helped his confidence, and he refuses to give up on working with Tony Romo. He will now have another chance to step up since the Vikings will definitely put their best cornerback, Antoine Winfield, on Miles Austin.
Dallas will need Williams to get more plays and I believe that he has the ability to do it. He’ll have to prove it in Minnesota’s dome next week though.
I just liked the fact that he made catches. He wasn't targeted much more than what he caught, having only missed one on a deep shot that was off target, and out of bounds. But him making plays, any plays, helps our offense by spreading the defense further. We've got Austin, Crayton, and Williams to cover; Witten and Phillips to cover, as well as our backs Barber, Jones, and Choice who all need to be covered even in passing situations. That's just a lot to have to cover at any one time.
But as long as Williams is dropping balls he won't be thrown to, and that's a fact the Vikings D will be banking on.