AUSTIN (AP) - Troy Aikman never praises rookie receivers in training camp.
Never.
He didn't have anything good to say about Alvin Harper or Kevin Williams
when they arrived from college for their first camps as Dallas Cowboys,
and they've gone on to become stars.
So, either Aikman is softening up, or third-round draft pick Stepfret Williams
of Northeast Louisiana is something special.
"I've said it all along, I think the guy can play," Aikman said.
"We want to reserve a little bit of our
enthusiasm because he is a young player. But we all think that he's going
to do a great job for us."
The Cowboys need someone to emerge at wideout with All-Pro Michael Irvin
suspended from the first five games of the season after pleading no contest
to cocaine possession charges.
Dallas coaches are hoping Williams, who has consistently made the tough
catch in practices and scrimmages, turns out to be a steal from a draft
heavy with receivers.
"The draft was deep in receivers this year and we thought he was one
of those guys in that second echelon who was as good as any of them,"
coach Barry Switzer said. "He's got good speed and he can help on special
teams."
Switzer has said he is counting on Williams to be in a rotation with Kevin
Williams and Deion Sanders at receiver when the season starts. He may also
be a return specialist, although he fumbled a punt in a 35-34 preseason
victory over Oakland on Saturday.
The rookie has gained Aikman's confidence by using his speed (4.3 in the
40-yard dash) to run precise routes. He has quickly grasped the Cowboys'
intricate timing on offense, which frequently calls for the quarterback
to throw to an area on the field and trust that his receivers will be there.
"We ask quite a bit of our receivers in the routes that they are asked
to run and the adjustments that they have to make," Aikman said. "You
can tell he's come from a good college program, where a lot was asked of
him. He's picked things up much quicker than what most guys do."
At a pencil-thin 6-feet and 170 pounds, Williams says he has simply had
to work harder than most to become a pro prospect.
"I feel like other teams were saying that I was too small, but I don't
feel like that's a problem," said Williams, who attributes his work
ethic to growing up in tiny Minden, La., and a father who doubled as his
high school coach.
"He was hard on me," Williams said of his father, Stepfret Williams
Sr.
Williams says there is no shortage of inspiration each day in camp.
"You have to work really hard every day because everyone is so good,"
Williams said. "It's a big step coming out of Northeast Louisiana.
This is the best competition there is."
Williams had only two scholarship offers out of high school.
As a senior at Northeast Louisiana, he caught a school-record 66 passes
for 1,056 yards and 12 touchdowns while earning first-team All-Independent
honors. He finished his college career with 15 school records.
And what about that name?
"All I know is my mom named me after my dad," he said. "We
are probably the only two Stepfrets in the world."