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2010-2011 Pre-Season: Finally Getting It
Wright
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- August 22,
2010
At 10:00 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
The image of Alexander Wright is still vivid in my mind. He was a
blazing fast sprinter-turned-wide receiver out of Auburn selected by
the Cowboys in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
Jimmy Johnson, on that day, was playing the part of Al Davis – known
throughout NFL lore for his ongoing love affair with supersonic
sprinters that lack enough experience with grid iron go routes.
Jimmy – for the most part – was a prolific talent evaluator, and
there was no reason in his mind to eliminate the possibility of
steering Wright in the right direction with a pleasant playbook and
some pass route polish:
“Hey – the Los Angeles Rams got it right with Ron Brown, the
Pittsburgh Steelers got it right with Louis Lipps, and the Chicago
Bears got it right with Willie Gault. The Cowboys had 'Bullet' Bob
Hayes before, and we can certainly roll
the dice with Alexander Wright in the passing game and on special
teams.”
The Cowboys fulfilled half of the productivity equation with Wright
delivering two exhilarating kick returns for touchdowns. He even won
the NFL’s “Fastest Man” competition twice. His participation in the
passing game, however, was a blur – not because of his raw speed but
because of his raw playing ability.
Wright gave it his best shot and – without being put through a
compulsory Cowboys finishing school – he was finished. He delivered
one good year to Jeff Hostetler and the Los Angeles Raiders, and he
quietly closed the door on his career with the St. Louis Rams in
1996.
Move the calendar forward to 2010, and Jerry Jones recently decided
to dust off his own Al Davis costume for another chance to get it
right with Wright, errr, Williams. Free agent Teddy Williams – that
is.
Williams is a 22-year-old former track star from the San Antonio
area who has not played organized football for over five years –
last playing in his high school senior year before breaking his
ankle and ending his career.
He is another speedster, and he is being given an opportunity to
catch on as a defensive back. Combine his excellent size at 6 foot 3
inches and 198 pounds with his 4.3ish speed and – if miraculously
coached well enough – he could be another solution for defending
taller wideouts, as well as the increasingly more athletic tight
ends starting to show up on game day rosters.
Williams is coming at this scenario from the opposite end of the
field and that may be just enough to go right where Wright went
wrong.
Today’s NFL, however, requires so much more of walk-ons. Williams is
certainly an intriguing specimen – with a great size and speed
combination, but he must consistently display a variety of skills if
he is to even make it onto the Cowboys’ practice squad.
Can Williams be more than just a defensive back? Can he execute on
special teams? Can he also play free safety in a pinch?
Free safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was going to make the team before his
off-season surgery – potentially being part of the defensive
secondary, as well as returning kicks and punts. Does Williams have
enough of a multi-faceted skill set to survive heated competition from
other bubble players in Cletis Gordon, Jamar Wall, Bryan McCann,
Barry Church, and Danny McCray?
We shall see. We always do.
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