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January 17, 2010
Storybook Season in Progress
By JOE LAPOINTE
IRVING, Tex. — Like many people from North Jersey, Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys sometimes wears a blue Yankees cap because he is a fan of the World Series champions.
Under the iconic NY logo, Austin resembles Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez, both of whom star on baseball’s version of America’s Team.
But Brad Childress, the coach of the Minnesota Vikings, compared Austin to a Yankee from another era: Lou Gehrig. “It’s kind of like the Wally Pipp deal,” Childress said.
The Pipp tale, in brief, tells of how a substitute player, Gehrig, entered a lineup in place of a regular, Pipp, and became a fixture.
Austin and the Cowboys will visit Minnesota on Sunday to play the Vikings in a National Football Conference divisional game for the right to meet Arizona or New Orleans next week for the conference championship.
“It’s an awesome environment,” Austin said of the covered Metrodome, where noise reverberates in an aural pressure cooker. It could be the site of another chapter in his fablelike season.
Austin’s big break came Oct. 11 at Kansas City when he replaced wide receiver Roy Williams, who could not play because of a rib injury.
During the week before the game, Austin — a fourth-year professional — told reporters, “I’m not going to write a book about my first day starting.”
But his performance then and later became a classic ascendance from understudy to star, the sort of career arc that for decades has inspired scriptwriters from Broadway to Hollywood.
Against the Chiefs, Austin caught 10 passes for a team-record 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the regular season, he led his team with 1,320 yards receiving and was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Austin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week and led the Cowboys with seven receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown in a 34-14 victory over Philadelphia.
Williams is among the impressed. “In training camp, no one would’ve thunk it at all,” Williams said. “But he kept working and, all of a sudden, boom-shakka-lakka.”
As is the case with many former Yankees, ex-Cowboys stars never really go away and sometimes make pronouncements like a Greek chorus. One is Troy Aikman, a former quarterback.
Last week, on “The Michael Irvin Show” on ESPN Radio in Dallas, Aikman said of Austin: “Where would they be without him? I’m not sure they’d be in the playoffs.”
Williams said a similar thing in the locker room. He still starts. Patrick Crayton was demoted in a personnel shuffle that began after last season when Terrell Owens was waived.
Unlike Owens, Austin eschews the diva behavior common to some receivers.
“To each his own,” Austin said. “I’m not one to judge. Whatever gets anybody fired up, that’s cool with me.”
Still, there are perks that come with stardom. Austin bought a Maserati and he accepted a ride to Las Vegas on a private plane from quarterback Tony Romo after the Cowboys’ victory on Thanksgiving.
But teammates and family members said Austin’s approach had not changed. He learned perspective as a late bloomer in football who did not play it at Garfield High School until his junior year.
“I’m naturally just a happy person and a hard worker,” Austin said. “You’ve got to deal with stuff. Good things are going to happen; bad things are going to happen.”
And sometimes there are mixed blessings. Austin makes $1.54 million and soon could be a free agent. But he may not be unrestricted unless the league and the players union agree to a collective bargaining agreement by March 1.
His agent, David Dunn, said it was another example of Austin’s quirky career timing.
“Fate brings people to light at different times in their lives,” Dunn said. “He’s here in this moment now.”
If Austin is a restricted free agent, the Cowboys could match offers or accept draft choices as compensation. Last spring, when Austin was a restricted free agent, the Jets rejected him after a tryout.
“The only thing I can do is control what I can control,” Austin said. “Let the rest deal with itself.” It is a philosophy that, along with fate and odd timing, has served him well.
Steve Mucha, the coach at Garfield, said Austin asked for a jersey after the season had started in his junior year.
“We weren’t going to turn the kid away,” Mucha said.
Austin wanted to play in college at Rutgers but settled for Monmouth when it was the only university to offer full financial aid. “Half academic, and half athletic,” Austin said.
In the N.F.L. draft, he was ignored. He was signed as a free agent in part because Bill Parcells, the Dallas coach at the time, had learned about Austin through New Jersey connections.
“I don’t really call it rejection,” Austin said of the draft. “I didn’t go crawl in a hole. I’ve got good things in my life other than just football — my family and friends.”
Kevin Callahan, the Monmouth coach, recalled, “I always said Austin’s best football was in front of him, but I don’t know if I saw him as an All-Pro in his fourth year.”
The Cowboys did not. When Wade Phillips replaced Parcells in 2007, he continued to use Austin mostly as a kick returner and seems as impressed as any opposing coach at his emergence.
“First, they noticed him,” Phillips said of opponents. “Then they said: ‘Wait a minute. We’ve got to worry about this guy.’ Then they said, ‘We’ve got to stop this guy.’ But he’s still made plays.”
Ray Sherman, the Cowboys’ receivers coach, said Austin’s learning curve was steep because he did not face sophisticated defensive coverage in college.
“He was young, he was raw,” Sherman said. “Oh, jeez, he’s a special player. He pays attention to detail and tries to do the right thing.”
Austin’s teachers in Garfield used to call him Smiles Miles. Austin’s mother, Ann, teaches autistic children; his father, Miles Jr., drives a truck. His sister, Jennifer, is a social worker at Garfield High. At Rutgers, she was a Big East javelin champion and called her brother’s sudden success surreal.
“I couldn’t put two and two together,” she said. “I saw Sports Illustrated and said, ‘That’s my brother?’ ”
The extended family has been tightly knit for generations and gathers for periodic reunions. Austin’s grandfather Miles Sr. is a former Baptist pastor and did social work in prisons.
He said the name Miles Austin went back to an ancestor in the 19th century in Georgia and Florida. Miles Sr. is a substitute teacher in Edison, N.J. Sometimes, he brings in his grandson.
“The teachers and students get excited,” he said. “He is a thinker. He’s smart. He’s intelligent. He knows the difference between right and wrong.”
After Austin’s grandfather visited Dallas for last weekend’s game, an airport security screener stopped him at the checkpoint.
“She followed me around that area and said, ‘I’m a Dallas Cowboy fan and Miles is my favorite player,’ ” Miles Sr. said. “It seems that Miles has been very accepted by the Dallas community.”
Storybook Season in Progress
By JOE LAPOINTE
IRVING, Tex. — Like many people from North Jersey, Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys sometimes wears a blue Yankees cap because he is a fan of the World Series champions.
Under the iconic NY logo, Austin resembles Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez, both of whom star on baseball’s version of America’s Team.
But Brad Childress, the coach of the Minnesota Vikings, compared Austin to a Yankee from another era: Lou Gehrig. “It’s kind of like the Wally Pipp deal,” Childress said.
The Pipp tale, in brief, tells of how a substitute player, Gehrig, entered a lineup in place of a regular, Pipp, and became a fixture.
Austin and the Cowboys will visit Minnesota on Sunday to play the Vikings in a National Football Conference divisional game for the right to meet Arizona or New Orleans next week for the conference championship.
“It’s an awesome environment,” Austin said of the covered Metrodome, where noise reverberates in an aural pressure cooker. It could be the site of another chapter in his fablelike season.
Austin’s big break came Oct. 11 at Kansas City when he replaced wide receiver Roy Williams, who could not play because of a rib injury.
During the week before the game, Austin — a fourth-year professional — told reporters, “I’m not going to write a book about my first day starting.”
But his performance then and later became a classic ascendance from understudy to star, the sort of career arc that for decades has inspired scriptwriters from Broadway to Hollywood.
Against the Chiefs, Austin caught 10 passes for a team-record 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the regular season, he led his team with 1,320 yards receiving and was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Austin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week and led the Cowboys with seven receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown in a 34-14 victory over Philadelphia.
Williams is among the impressed. “In training camp, no one would’ve thunk it at all,” Williams said. “But he kept working and, all of a sudden, boom-shakka-lakka.”
As is the case with many former Yankees, ex-Cowboys stars never really go away and sometimes make pronouncements like a Greek chorus. One is Troy Aikman, a former quarterback.
Last week, on “The Michael Irvin Show” on ESPN Radio in Dallas, Aikman said of Austin: “Where would they be without him? I’m not sure they’d be in the playoffs.”
Williams said a similar thing in the locker room. He still starts. Patrick Crayton was demoted in a personnel shuffle that began after last season when Terrell Owens was waived.
Unlike Owens, Austin eschews the diva behavior common to some receivers.
“To each his own,” Austin said. “I’m not one to judge. Whatever gets anybody fired up, that’s cool with me.”
Still, there are perks that come with stardom. Austin bought a Maserati and he accepted a ride to Las Vegas on a private plane from quarterback Tony Romo after the Cowboys’ victory on Thanksgiving.
But teammates and family members said Austin’s approach had not changed. He learned perspective as a late bloomer in football who did not play it at Garfield High School until his junior year.
“I’m naturally just a happy person and a hard worker,” Austin said. “You’ve got to deal with stuff. Good things are going to happen; bad things are going to happen.”
And sometimes there are mixed blessings. Austin makes $1.54 million and soon could be a free agent. But he may not be unrestricted unless the league and the players union agree to a collective bargaining agreement by March 1.
His agent, David Dunn, said it was another example of Austin’s quirky career timing.
“Fate brings people to light at different times in their lives,” Dunn said. “He’s here in this moment now.”
If Austin is a restricted free agent, the Cowboys could match offers or accept draft choices as compensation. Last spring, when Austin was a restricted free agent, the Jets rejected him after a tryout.
“The only thing I can do is control what I can control,” Austin said. “Let the rest deal with itself.” It is a philosophy that, along with fate and odd timing, has served him well.
Steve Mucha, the coach at Garfield, said Austin asked for a jersey after the season had started in his junior year.
“We weren’t going to turn the kid away,” Mucha said.
Austin wanted to play in college at Rutgers but settled for Monmouth when it was the only university to offer full financial aid. “Half academic, and half athletic,” Austin said.
In the N.F.L. draft, he was ignored. He was signed as a free agent in part because Bill Parcells, the Dallas coach at the time, had learned about Austin through New Jersey connections.
“I don’t really call it rejection,” Austin said of the draft. “I didn’t go crawl in a hole. I’ve got good things in my life other than just football — my family and friends.”
Kevin Callahan, the Monmouth coach, recalled, “I always said Austin’s best football was in front of him, but I don’t know if I saw him as an All-Pro in his fourth year.”
The Cowboys did not. When Wade Phillips replaced Parcells in 2007, he continued to use Austin mostly as a kick returner and seems as impressed as any opposing coach at his emergence.
“First, they noticed him,” Phillips said of opponents. “Then they said: ‘Wait a minute. We’ve got to worry about this guy.’ Then they said, ‘We’ve got to stop this guy.’ But he’s still made plays.”
Ray Sherman, the Cowboys’ receivers coach, said Austin’s learning curve was steep because he did not face sophisticated defensive coverage in college.
“He was young, he was raw,” Sherman said. “Oh, jeez, he’s a special player. He pays attention to detail and tries to do the right thing.”
Austin’s teachers in Garfield used to call him Smiles Miles. Austin’s mother, Ann, teaches autistic children; his father, Miles Jr., drives a truck. His sister, Jennifer, is a social worker at Garfield High. At Rutgers, she was a Big East javelin champion and called her brother’s sudden success surreal.
“I couldn’t put two and two together,” she said. “I saw Sports Illustrated and said, ‘That’s my brother?’ ”
The extended family has been tightly knit for generations and gathers for periodic reunions. Austin’s grandfather Miles Sr. is a former Baptist pastor and did social work in prisons.
He said the name Miles Austin went back to an ancestor in the 19th century in Georgia and Florida. Miles Sr. is a substitute teacher in Edison, N.J. Sometimes, he brings in his grandson.
“The teachers and students get excited,” he said. “He is a thinker. He’s smart. He’s intelligent. He knows the difference between right and wrong.”
After Austin’s grandfather visited Dallas for last weekend’s game, an airport security screener stopped him at the checkpoint.
“She followed me around that area and said, ‘I’m a Dallas Cowboy fan and Miles is my favorite player,’ ” Miles Sr. said. “It seems that Miles has been very accepted by the Dallas community.”
