SAN ANOTNIO - There seems to be this preoccupation with No. 1 receivers these days.
You know, the guy who catches 80 to 100 passes a season.
The guy who gains 1,200 to 1,500 yards receiving for you a season.
The guy who is good for at least 10 touchdowns a season.
The guy who commands constant double-teaming.
Yeah, you know, the go-to guy, the one normally hard to live with, but then again hard to win without.
The Cowboys have had a few over the past 49 years, and Michael Irvin was the most dynamic, leading the Cowboys in receptions for a club-record eight straight seasons (1991-98). Drew Pearson comes to mind from back in the day, putting up the second-longest streak at four (1974-77).
And, of course, a bunch of you are screaming about What's His Name, the root of this discussion because since the Cowboys rid themselves of the most self-absorbed receiver of the bunch, there is this fear they can't win if they no longer have a legitimate No. 1 receiver - even though the Cowboys have had eight different leading receivers over the past 10 years since doctors discovered spinal stenosis would end Irvin's career four games in to the 1999 season.
The only guy to repeat as the Cowboys' leading receiver has been tight end Jason Witten, a three-time leader and in each of the past two seasons, totaling 177 receptions, and my guess is the reason for that has more to do with the seventh-year veteran's talent than just him being best buds with Tony Romo.
What's His Name managed to lead the Cowboys in receptions in just one of his three seasons, 2006, but I'll give him this, he did set the club touchdown-receptions record at 15 the next season and pitched in another 10 last year.
But he's no longer here to incinerate this team with his unparalleled paranoia that seemed to surface when things weren't going well, always more than willing to assess the blame than remain part of the team. Loved him some him.
So now the hysteria over his departure, so many crying the Cowboys no longer have a No. 1 receiver, all based on Roy Williams' partial season last year, one that included just 19 catches over the nine games after he arrived in Dallas.
Now we have no idea yet if that is true or not, but if it is, then to that I say, so what? So what if the Cowboys don't have a wide receiver catching 80 passes for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns? Does that mean you can't possibly win?
Look here, of the 12 teams qualifying for the NFL playoffs last season, six were led in receptions by a guy catching no more than 62 passes, and two of those guys were tight ends.
Quick, who led the Super Bowl champs in receptions last year? While Hines Ward did have 81 catches, he only averaged 12.9 yards a catch, not exactly Arizona prolific and only a yard more than Jason Witten.
So much was made about Miami going 11-5 in Tony Sparano's first season as head coach. Ted Ginn led the Dolphins with 56 catches, and only two of those were for touchdowns.
Let's see, Tennessee ended up with the best record in the AFC, yet tight end Bo Scaife led the club with 58 receptions.
Philadelphia, credited with coming alive at season's end to edge the Cowboys out of the playoffs by a half game, was led by DeSean Jackson's 62 catches.
San Diego was led by tight end Antonio Gates' 60 catches and Minnesota by Bobby Wade's 53.
And while the Giants definitely were hampered down the stretch by the loss of Plaxico Burress, they were led in receptions by Steve Smith's 57.
Yet all these teams qualified for the playoffs.
So I'm just sayin' . . . .
There is more than one way to skin a defense, and not having to pacify one player just might make it easier for the Cowboys this season.
For just a snapshot of what could be, go back to Thursday night in Oakland, that second possession. The Cowboys began at their own 29-yard line. Nine plays later they had covered the necessary 71 yards for a touchdown. But best of all, six different players touched the ball, and just two more than once.
Romo hit Roy once, and might have been twice if not for the interference. Romo handed the ball three times to Marion Barber. He handed the ball once to Felix Jones and threw it to him another time. He handed the ball once to Patrick Crayton on an end-around. He threw the ball once to Martellus Bennett. And he concluded the snappy four-minute, 49-second drive with an ad-libbed eight-yard touchdown pass to Witten.
"That's the blueprint for this season," said one assistant coach afterward.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. While the Cowboys might not have a dominating offensive player, they have more weapons than you can shake a stick at, and they are now unencumbered to use them all at their discretion without having to worry about some verbal repercussion.
Just count them. You got two running backs now needing the ball in their hands, Barber and Jones, plus a third who can carry his own weight in Tashard Choice. They have a bevy of receivers capable of contributing in different ways, from Williams to Crayton to the emerging Sam Hurd and Miles Austin.
And as I pointed out at the start of camp, you will fall in love with the two-tight end sets formed by Witten and Bennett, their dual ability to not only block like tight ends but run the field like power forwards.
Jason Garrett, your call.
Maybe this is one of the reasons Cowboys owner Jerry Jones chose to say the other day, "If we stay healthy, we can have the kind of team we expected to have last year," not wringing his hands over that No. 1 receiver thing.
Now Romo tried to downplay that one drive's versatility in Oakland, but partially I suspect to not rile up WHN out in Buffalo.
"I don't think that means anything," Romo said. "It's just about what the defense allows us to do on each specific play. Each play, it's like a roulette wheel. Each spin is different."
Exactly, and the Cowboys can now react accordingly instead of worrying about how many catches one guy gets or how many runs another guy gets or how many passes were intended for that guy.
Meaning if Hurd happens to have the hot hand in one game, just feed him without worrying about one of the other many offensive weapons moaning and groaning afterward, making it hard on the quarterback when he's next in the pocket. Hey, the quarterback has enough alligators snapping at his behind without consciously trying to appease one guy.
"They couldn't stop it, just put it down their throats," Williams said of the drive's socialized approach, everybody getting something. "And to think that was just our base offense. Just did what you're coached to do."
And this part, not sure about you, but I particularly liked hearing from Roy, who returned to practice Monday after the sore wrist he incurred during Sunday morning's practice caused him to miss the afternoon session while seeking out an X-ray (negative) and MRI. In fact, given the choice of rehabbing with associate trainer Britt Brown, running with the chords attached, and practicing, Roy quickly said he'd practice.
So when asked about so many different guys capable of touching the ball, he said, "But remember, it's important to run the football, too. We got to run the football, and that might sound funny coming from a wide receiver."
Funny? Maybe hilariously unprecedented.
What a novel approach. Run the ball as needed. Throw the ball to the open guy. Play as many tight ends as you please. Approach offense as you see fit, or as Romo said, "We're not going to be a reactive offensive but a pro-active offense," with no regard to who's No. 1.
Because if you think about it, when the Cowboys were blazing through the '90s, Irvin got his, Emmitt got his, Novacek got his, D.J. got his and even Alvin Harper got enough to parlay his four seasons into a hefty free-agent signing bonus with Tampa Bay.
And speaking of funny, just before Romo left the Oakland Coliseum locker room, he found it necessary to parry another question, concerned an honest answer would have ranged far too close to WHN, something about spreading the ball around since he's not here anymore. Romo's deflection was NHL quality.
But smart aleck me says something like, "Yeah, but does it help you don't have to worry about us (the media) counting how many passes were intended for one guy?"
That immediately caused Romo to roll his eyes, pick up his bag and head for the door, only to turn, smiling, and say, "Good one."
Absolutely.
So let's hear it for socialized offense.
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Mickey Spagnola - 
