The stats so far this year say he is. While Ranking 10th in the league in yards with 999 and a lowly 27th in catches (59), he ranks right up there in every other meaningful receiving statistic. Let's review.

Touchdowns

Tied for 2nd

1               Vernon Davis                    SF            11         

2              Miles Austin                       DAL        10          

2              Larry Fitzgerald                  ARI         10          

4              Marques Colston             NO         9             

4              Brandon Marshall            DEN       9             

4              Randy Moss                       NE          9             

4              Visanthe Shiancoe           MIN       9             

4              Reggie Wayne                   IND        9             

9              Dallas Clark                         IND        8             

9              Andre Johnson                  HOU      8             

Per catch average (Players with at least 30 catches)

4th overall

1              DeSean Jackson                PHI         18.9

2              Robert Meachem            NO         18.2

3              Hakeem Nicks                   NYG       18

4              Miles Austin                       DAL        17.2

5              Vincent Jackson                SD           17.1

6              Devery Henderson          NO         17

7              Kenny Britt                         TEN        16.9

8              Pierre Garcon                    IND        16.6

9              Mike Wallace                     PIT          16.6

10           Jerricho Cotchery             NYJ         16.4

20+ yard receptions

Tied for 1st

1              Miles Austin                       DAL        17

1              Marques Colston             NO         17

1              Reggie Wayne                   IND        17

2              Randy Moss                       NE          16

2              Santonio Holmes              PIT          16

2              Andre Johnson                 HOU      16

2              Antonio Gates                   SD           16

3              DeSean Jackson                  PHI         15

3              Sidney Rice                         MIN       15

3              Donald Driver                    GB          14

40+ yard receptions

Tied for 3rd

1              DeSean Jackson               PHI         9

2              Andre Johnson                 HOU      7

3              Miles Austin                       DAL        6

3              Randy Moss                       NE          6

3              Sidney Rice                         MIN       6

4              Steve Smith                        CAR        5

5              Marques Colston             NO         4

5              Donald Driver                    GB          4

5              Vincent Jackson                SD           4

5              Jerricho Cotchery             NYJ         4

Now do these stats prove he is an elite receiver? Maybe. They do show that he is a big play receiver. Considering that he has done this in 9 starts so far this season is even more impressive. Add to this 74.1% of his catches go for 1st downs and you have a budding star. So much is said about the lead time to develop receivers in this league and you really don't know what you have until the 3rd or 4th year. Well this is Austin's 4th year.  I think we know what he is now.

Now for the real question. What is Austin worth? He is signed to a 1 year restricted free agent deal worth $1.545 million. We already have a big ticket receiver in Roy Williams. Can the Cowboys afford to pay Austin #1 receiver money? Ones usually bank between 10 & 12 mil a year. I don't see the Cowboys being able to pay that kind of money. Would Austin take a good ole boy discount? Would the Cowboys consider franchising him and trading him for picks? Does Roy Williams have any trade value? Would the Cowboys even consider taking the cap hit that would come with Roy not being on the team next year?

These are all tough questions, but the bottom line is this is a good problem to have.  With all the doom and gloom lately I thought it might be nice to focus on our own little gem at receiver.

Let’s take a look at the possible position battles based on the rookies added and see where we stand. There may be some errors here as dallascowboys.com still had some players listed on the roster who are long gone like Tank Johnson, Zach Thomas and Killa Davis. Just let me know if I missed some and I will get them fixed.

I offered a few of my thoughts on the batlles, but the real reason for the post is to start up some conversation. So fire away.

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When your legacy is on the line at the beginning of your NFL career, the last thing you need to be worried about is starting. Or for that matter, making a significant contribution. Lets go back the presalary cap days when it was the exception rather then the rule that a rookie quarterback would be expected to start. Now it seems to be the rule.

 

Rookies need to understand that accepting a cap similar to the NBA actually works in their favor. If they are not as pressured to come in before they are ready, they can take the time to learn the system and develop physically in order to compete on this level. It is when guys like Brady and Romo have the chance sit back and learn is when you start to see talent developed properly.

 

Perhaps some of those first round busts would not have been by taking the pressure off and easing them into the system. In todays would of fantastic rookie salaries, no team can afford to live by the Landry 3-year rule. Ask some 1st round bust if they would rather have the salary they got when drafted or take less and have the ability to sign an even richer contract sooner.

 

Lets take a success like Demarcus Ware as the other side of the coin. Under a rookie cap scenario he would still be a millionaire for being drafted 11th overall, but he would have had the opportunity to sign a new deal last year that would have dwarfed the deal he signed as a rookie. He would have resigned last year for Dwight Freeney money.

Bottom line is it’s a win win situation for everyone by limiting rookie salaries.

I dont know if anyone else saw that the league is trying to suspend former Cowboy Ryan Fowler. This is disturbing news that has come directly from the testamony from a former Plano drug dealer who committed suicide thiis past weekend

Fowler is the second former Cowboy to be implicated after Matt Lehr's name was brought up. I have heard that he dropped six or seven current NFL players names during his testamony both to law enforcement and directly to the NFL.

Thankfully this has been isolated to former 2nd and 3rd string Cowboys. My fear is that is a big name current Cowboy implicated. We have enough of a circus going on here without this type of cheating issue casting doubt on our current squad.

It has been suggested in the past that if I did not want to read negative doom and gloom speculation, then perhaps I should read fairy tales instead of blogs. Well I gave it a shot and if I read another story about Tony Romo dating Cinderella, I think i am going to puke.

Lets take a look at some of the ideas I developed in Never Never Land...

TO will come to the Cowboys and be a model Citizen....

Tank Johnson will come to the Cowboys and be a model citizen...

Wade Phillips will come to the Cowboys and improve the team...

Parcells will restock this team and leave a winner when he leaves...

Jerry will not totally blow this draft...

Marion Barber will be a stud running back in this league...

The sky is not and will not be falling.

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So after the first weekend of rookie minicamps, what do we know?

So far it seems that the Cowboys scouts have pulled gems out of the rubble. First we get news that Mendenhall is robbed at gunpoint after pulling a hammie in his rookie camp and Fred Davis is not smart enough to set his own alarm clock or order a wake up call.

These type of setbacks are not usually an indication of a picks worth on the grand scheme of things, BUT...

How many rookies coming in to the leauge can you name that have had early adversity have gone on to star in this league? Not to sound Terryesque and claim the sky is falling for these youngsters after the first NFL weekend for them, but I have to say that I am pleased that from the player positions we drafted, the other guy we didnt draft has had issues. Its not like we would have moved up for Fred Davis, but Mendenhall was within  our  grasp. The more time passes and the more spin I hear has me glad we went with Felix.

I think Mendenhall is this years Blair Thomas. I just cant see him turning out to be all that considering all the mitigating factors in his career. One good game against USC does not a hall of fame career make.