Terrance Williams disappearing from offense
In the first five games of the season, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams had five touchdowns and had 15 catches. He looked every bit the No. 2 receiver needed opposite Dez Bryant.
In the past seven games he has one touchdown and has 14 catches, looking nothing like the No. 2 receiver the Cowboys need opposite Bryant.
"I think some of that has to do with opportunity," coach Jason Garrett said. "Other guys have stepped up. Cole Beasley has made a number of the plays the last couple of weeks. We have seen [Lance] Dunbar and [Gavin] Escobar and some of those other guys make plays. Obviously, we’re getting the ball to [ Jason Witten] and to Dez as much as we can. We’re trying to run the football, so sometimes a certain player doesn’t get as many opportunities. But the biggest thing for those guys is to stay ready and take advantage of the opportunities when you get them."
Some of Williams’ early season success came when things broke down. He caught a 43-yard touchdown against the Houston Texans after Tony Romo spun away from J.J. Watt. He made a crucial first down on third-and-20 against the Seattle Seahawks.
But just once in the past seven games has he had more than two catches in a game. He was held without a catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"Tony (Romo) goes through a lot of stuff that he’s got to call and see, and so it’s kind of like one of those things where I can’t fault him," Williams said. "I just got to be ready whenever he decides to look my way. I have to be ready. I can’t wait till stuff getting bad for him to start throwing me the ball. I need to be ready whenever he looks at me all of the quarters."
Williams fractured the tip of his left index finger against the New York Giants and wore a splint in the Thanksgiving loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, catching two passes for 38 yards. One attempt his way was intercepted when Romo’s pass was too far inside with Williams expecting the throw close to the sideline. Garrett said he didn’t believe Williams saw the pass.
"It just reassures me now that I have to look the ball all the way through," Williams said of his finger injury. "If I take my eyes off the ball for a split second I’ll probably drop it, because it kind of prevents me from looking at the defense and then trying to catch the ball at the same time."
Maybe it is just a coincidence that the Dallas third-down success has collapsed as Williams has disappeared from the offense. After completing nearly 55 percent of their third-down tries in the first seven games, the Cowboys have converted just 34 percent in the past five games.
"You can go back and show me some statistics where it correlates I’m sure, but I think for the most part when we’re good on third down it’s because we’re throwing it to different guys," Garrett said. "We’re doing a variety of things. We’re in manageable third downs. Terrance is a part of it, but (Cole Beasley) is a part of it. (Witten) is a part of it. Dez is a part of it. DeMarco (Murray) and Dunbar, all these guys are a part of it. It starts with protection, giving the quarterback places to throw the football. Hopefully you’re in manageable third downs and you convert. Terrance is a big part of that, but the other guys are, too ... It’s not like it’s Joe Washington, Ronnie Harmon go into the game, this is the [not] only guy who makes a third down for us. We’re good when they’re all catching it."
