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Miles Austin fulfills Cowboys faith with better numbers than Michael Irvin and Terrell Owens
10:36 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 12, 2010
IRVING * You should have seen the eyes rolling, slight chuckles and curious looks as Jerry Jones spoke in March 2009 inside the St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif.
G.J. McCARTHY/DMN
Miles Austin has been dangerous with the ball in his hands during his first 16 games as a focal point of the Cowboys' passing game. As Jones went over the reasons for cutting Terrell Owens earlier in the month, he mentioned Miles Austin's ability as one of the big ones.
"One of the things in really evaluating where we are * and this is the art of the deal * is deciding if a player like Miles Austin is right here with a Terrell really to what he can do for your offense," Jones said that day.
At the time, Austin had never started a game and had caught just 17 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns in his first three seasons. In his three seasons with the Cowboys, Owens had 235 receptions, 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns.
But now nobody is rolling eyes and chuckling. The only curious looks come when Austin does not put up big numbers.
Sunday's game against Tennessee was the 16th for Austin since he became a focal point of the Cowboys' passing offense, and his statistics are staggering:
107 catches
1,713 yards
12 touchdowns
In a single season, no Cowboys receiver had more yards. Only four have had more in a season in league history. In Cowboys history, only Michael Irvin had more catches (111 in 1995), and only Terrell Owens, Frank Clarke and Bob Hayes had more touchdowns.
"In my mind, he was a young Terrell Owens," Jones said. "I said that then, and I think that this past year is a step in that direction."
On Oct. 11, 2009, Austin caught 10 passes for a franchise-record 250 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the 60-yard game winner in overtime at Kansas City . In Sunday's loss to the Titans – a year minus one day later – Austin caught nine passes for 166 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown.
"If I focus on stats someone can say, 'He only had two catches. He only did this or that,' " Austin said. "But the only thing I can do is make sure no one says, 'This guy's not working as hard as he can or he's being lazy.' No, I'm here at every meeting, working my hardest at practice and every game."
Austin is not exactly sure where the Kansas City game ball is. It might be in his garage. He has only one ball on display at his house: from when he returned a kickoff 93 yards against Seattle in the 2006 playoffs. Two jerseys adorn the walls: No. 14 from his rookie year and a No. 19.
While he has recently signed a six-year, $54 million extension, added an endorsement deal with Under Armour and seen his personal life chronicled in tabloids, he insists he is largely the same guy he was when he came to the Cowboys.
"I kind of do the same things I did," Austin said. "Nothing's really different."
He gets noticed more when he goes to dinner or the movies. He can get better tickets to Mavericks games now than he did before. Last week he spoke to students at an Arlington high school as part of an initiative called Practical Money Skills For Life by Visa, the NFL and NFL Players and will soon start up a foundation that his sister will run.
"I always try to think where I want to be in my life down the road," Austin said. "I just think about short plans, long plans and where I want to see myself in five years, 10 years, 20 years, hopefully 40 years down the road. But I don't look back at what I've done. It's about what I'm going to do."
Where would Miles Austin rank?
In his first 16 games as the focus of the Cowboys' passing game, Miles Austin has compiled numbers that would rank high in several single-season categories:
Rank, player Yards Year
1. MILES AUSTIN 1,713
2. Michael Irvin 1,603 1995
3. Michael Irvin 1,523 1991
4. Michael Irvin 1,396 1992
5. Michael Irvin 1,330 1993
Rank, player Catches Year
1. Michael Irvin 111 1995
2. MILES AUSTIN 107
3. Jason Witten 96 2007
4. Michael Irvin 93 1991
5. Michael Irvin 88 1993
Rank, player TDs Year
1. Terrell Owens 15 2007
2. Frank Clarke 14 1962
3. Bob Hayes 13 1966
(tie) Terrell Owens 13 2006
5. MILES AUSTIN 12
(tie) Bob Hayes 12 1965
(tie) Lance Rentzel 12 1969
Austin's yardage would be the fifth-highest season total in league history behind Jerry Rice (1,848), Isaac Bruce (1,781), Charley Hennigan (1,746) and Marvin Harrison (1,722)]
• • •
10:36 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 12, 2010
IRVING * You should have seen the eyes rolling, slight chuckles and curious looks as Jerry Jones spoke in March 2009 inside the St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif.
G.J. McCARTHY/DMN
Miles Austin has been dangerous with the ball in his hands during his first 16 games as a focal point of the Cowboys' passing game. As Jones went over the reasons for cutting Terrell Owens earlier in the month, he mentioned Miles Austin's ability as one of the big ones.
"One of the things in really evaluating where we are * and this is the art of the deal * is deciding if a player like Miles Austin is right here with a Terrell really to what he can do for your offense," Jones said that day.
At the time, Austin had never started a game and had caught just 17 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns in his first three seasons. In his three seasons with the Cowboys, Owens had 235 receptions, 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns.
But now nobody is rolling eyes and chuckling. The only curious looks come when Austin does not put up big numbers.
Sunday's game against Tennessee was the 16th for Austin since he became a focal point of the Cowboys' passing offense, and his statistics are staggering:
107 catches
1,713 yards
12 touchdowns
In a single season, no Cowboys receiver had more yards. Only four have had more in a season in league history. In Cowboys history, only Michael Irvin had more catches (111 in 1995), and only Terrell Owens, Frank Clarke and Bob Hayes had more touchdowns.
"In my mind, he was a young Terrell Owens," Jones said. "I said that then, and I think that this past year is a step in that direction."
On Oct. 11, 2009, Austin caught 10 passes for a franchise-record 250 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the 60-yard game winner in overtime at Kansas City . In Sunday's loss to the Titans – a year minus one day later – Austin caught nine passes for 166 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown.
"If I focus on stats someone can say, 'He only had two catches. He only did this or that,' " Austin said. "But the only thing I can do is make sure no one says, 'This guy's not working as hard as he can or he's being lazy.' No, I'm here at every meeting, working my hardest at practice and every game."
Austin is not exactly sure where the Kansas City game ball is. It might be in his garage. He has only one ball on display at his house: from when he returned a kickoff 93 yards against Seattle in the 2006 playoffs. Two jerseys adorn the walls: No. 14 from his rookie year and a No. 19.
While he has recently signed a six-year, $54 million extension, added an endorsement deal with Under Armour and seen his personal life chronicled in tabloids, he insists he is largely the same guy he was when he came to the Cowboys.
"I kind of do the same things I did," Austin said. "Nothing's really different."
He gets noticed more when he goes to dinner or the movies. He can get better tickets to Mavericks games now than he did before. Last week he spoke to students at an Arlington high school as part of an initiative called Practical Money Skills For Life by Visa, the NFL and NFL Players and will soon start up a foundation that his sister will run.
"I always try to think where I want to be in my life down the road," Austin said. "I just think about short plans, long plans and where I want to see myself in five years, 10 years, 20 years, hopefully 40 years down the road. But I don't look back at what I've done. It's about what I'm going to do."
Where would Miles Austin rank?
In his first 16 games as the focus of the Cowboys' passing game, Miles Austin has compiled numbers that would rank high in several single-season categories:
Rank, player Yards Year
1. MILES AUSTIN 1,713
2. Michael Irvin 1,603 1995
3. Michael Irvin 1,523 1991
4. Michael Irvin 1,396 1992
5. Michael Irvin 1,330 1993
Rank, player Catches Year
1. Michael Irvin 111 1995
2. MILES AUSTIN 107
3. Jason Witten 96 2007
4. Michael Irvin 93 1991
5. Michael Irvin 88 1993
Rank, player TDs Year
1. Terrell Owens 15 2007
2. Frank Clarke 14 1962
3. Bob Hayes 13 1966
(tie) Terrell Owens 13 2006
5. MILES AUSTIN 12
(tie) Bob Hayes 12 1965
(tie) Lance Rentzel 12 1969
Austin's yardage would be the fifth-highest season total in league history behind Jerry Rice (1,848), Isaac Bruce (1,781), Charley Hennigan (1,746) and Marvin Harrison (1,722)]
• • •
