BOBBY MAYER
PARK RIDGE, NJ
After the bye week Miles Austin will have had basically half a season to rest his hamstring. Do you see him being explosive and helping to ignite the offense in his return?
David: I don't think "explosive" is the word I'd use, given Austin's history with injuries, but I absolutely think he can be effective and open up the field for the rest of the offense. Even if he's only finishing with 70-or-so yards, as he did in the season opener, it should be enough to create space for the other guys running routes. Jason Witten had only the third two-touchdown game of his career that night, if you'll remember. My biggest concern with Austin is if he's actually 100 percent and ready to contribute, which we won't find out for sure until the game kicks off.
Rowan:I think he'll be a welcomed addition to the offense, but I'm hesitant to say he'll come back and be explosive. We just don't know how he'll feel or how he'll be used at this point. We don't know if it'll be like it was to start the [embedded_ad] year, because at that point neither Terrance Williams nor Cole Beasley had emerged. I think his ability to work the middle of the field will provide a spark, because he'll get a ton of single coverage. If he can provide what he did against the Giants to start the year, that'd be a huge boost for the offense.
THOMAS JEFF
NEW YORK MILLS, NY
With all the talk about opponents shutting Dez down with double teams, I'm not a football genius but doesn't putting him in motion stop the double teams?
David: Jason Garrett was asked the same question last week following one of his press conferences, and he said the Cowboys have at times moved Dez around to try to lessen the coverages on him. I'm not sure how well it's worked, as seemingly every big play he's made this season – with a few exceptions – has started outside the numbers. My guess is that both Dez and the coaching staff feel more comfortable with him out wide, but I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him move around more often.
Rowan: It definitely forces the defense to get more creative and think on the run. I think Dez is more comfortable as an outside receiver and that's where he thrives, but if the Cowboys are to get him in more ideal circumstances, he needs to be able to operate from various positions. I'm all for trying putting Dez in motion or in the slot or in a stacked formation to try to exploit more opportunities for single coverage. They have to get him the ball.
