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IRVING, Texas – As the Cowboys focus on the offseason, training camp is still in sight.
Coming off two straight 8-8 seasons and three full years removed from the playoffs, the Cowboys have plenty of question marks surrounding the team as they prepare for the 2013 season.
As we count down to camp, each day the writers of DallasCowboys.com will take a different question concerning the roster.
With 81 days until the Cowboys take the field in Oxnard, Calif., today’s question centers on the wide receiver position:
81. Can Terrance Williams produce like the 2011-version of Laurent Robinson?
When you think of No. 81 at the receiver position, especially with the Cowboys, there’s not just a name that comes to mind but rather some initials. But this team is long removed from T.O. In fact, Laurent Robinson had quite a year with 11 touchdown catches in 2011, often acting as the No. 3 receiver.
So that begs the question about Terrance Williams’ role with the Cowboys, who took the Baylor standout in the third round (74thoverall). Williams wasn’t drafted to start – this year. But we all know about
So Williams will be asked to fill in at times, and judging from his performance at Baylor, and the recent success of his former college teammates, he should be NFL ready. In 2012, rookie receivers Kendall Wright (Titans) and Josh Gordon (Browns) both had stellar campaigns coming out of the Baylor system. Williams was even more productive last season in college, catching 97 passes for 1,832 yards and a nation-leading 18.9 yards per reception.
But he was the No. 1 guy at Baylor. He’ll be the No. 3 receiver at best with the Cowboys. Does that matter? Robinson did start a few games in 2011 with Austin injured, but was the third receiver for much of the time. He made his mark in the red zone where he caught most of his 11 touchdowns. Many of them were a product of Romo scrambling and Robinson finding holes in the defense to exploit.
The Cowboys don’t need Williams, who will wear No. 83, to be like Owens. But if he’s anything like Robinson, this offense should see marked improvement.
Sticking with our numerical journey to training camp, let’s take a closer look at the number 81:
- No jersey has been issued by the Cowboys more than No. 81, which has gone to 23 players. The main reason for that is no player has remained in the number for more than four seasons. The first player to wear 81 was wide receiver Bill Howton (1960-63). The second-longest tenured player in that number was Terrell Owens, who had it for three seasons (2006-08). Currently, No. 81 for the Cowboys is
Danny Coale , a second-year receiver from Virginia Tech.
- The one Hall of Fame player who has worn No. 81 for the Cowboys is tight end Jackie Smith, who is known more around these parts for a key dropped pass in the end zone during Super Bowl XIII against Pittsburgh. Smith spent most of his career with the Cardinals.
- The most productive player to wear No. 81 in Dallas is undoubtedly Owens, who made headlines for many other reasons during his three years. Still, T.O. had three seasons of at least 10 touchdowns, catching 235 passes for 3,587 yards. On average, his time with the Cowboys resulted in 78 catches, 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- The 1981 NFL Draft saw the Cowboys take an offensive tackle in the first round – Howard Richards of Missouri. The Cowboys went 30 years before taking another lineman in the first round when they drafted
Tyron Smith .
- The Cowboys scored big in rookie free agency in 1981, signing a pair of longtime starters in the secondary: Everson Walls (Grambling State) and Michael Downs (Rice), who were starters as rookies. Walls had 11 interceptions in 1981, which still stands as an NFL record for interceptions by a rookie.
