Lately it seems that Miles Austin and hamstring injuries go together like burgers and fries, doesn’t it? So far this off-season, Austin has been a disappointment and will miss the rest of the preseason.
On Saturday, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked about his star receiver returning to the lineup. Jones didn’t sound very optimistic and said:
“He’s not one of the ones I’m thinking will be back. I wouldn’t dis-count it, but he’s not one of the ones that I have coming back.”
Austin has been dealing with chronic hamstring problems dating back to last season. It was those hamstring problems that kept him out during the 2011 preseason and continued to plague him during the regular season. At that time, Austin attributed the hamstring injuries to the lockout and not being in football shape.
At the start of this year’s training camp, Austin said he felt great and was ready to return to the form of his 2009 breakout year, but then the hamstring injuries struck again. Austin’s injuries, however, have led to the emergence of Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree and rookie receiver Cole Beasley.
There’s no denying it; Austin is the most experienced receiver on the team and needs to be on the field. He brings an understanding of the game and a level of trust from quarterback Tony Romo that the other receivers don’t have yet. Plain and simple, the Cowboys need Austin to get healthy and stay healthy.
Should Austin not get healthy and return to form, I can’t imagine Jones continuing to pay a receiver that isn’t making catches. I truly believe that if Austin turns in another mediocre performance, like he did last season, his days as a Cowboys wide receiver are numbered.
Jesus Flores is a Dallas Cowboys writer for www.RantSports.com
Follow Jesus on Twitter @SSgtFlo1
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With this many hamstring problems with the whole team, I would start questioning the conditioning coach or maybe they have been doing something too much on their own. This has been ridiculous! And, when Miles is healthy enough to come back, it will take a while for him and Romo to be on the same page again. They struggled last season with that. Maybe Miles just doesn’t want to put up with this team anymore and is hoping to get cut. Would be an expensive cut. Maybe they can trade him for some offensive linemen! lol!
You know, the most productive I have seen Romo in the passing game was when he spread the ball around to everybody. He had games where 7 different receivers (WR, TE, RB, FB and their backups were involved) caught the ball.