These Elevators are Going Through the Roof

Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com

Miles Austin overcame big odds to become a big-play threat for the Dallas Cowboys.

He was an undrafted free agent from Monmouth (N.J.) University, who battled just to make the Cowboys roster in 2006. Entering this season, Austin had caught 18 passes in three years, and he was behind Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton on the depth chart. Yet, Austin continued to be one of the Cowboys' hardest workers, a trait owner Jerry Jones admired.

"You can't outwork Miles Austin," Jones told Sporting News last month, after the Cowboys' victory against the Falcons. "He's strong, can break tackles and can really stretch the field. Sometimes guys who aren't the top draft choices make a huge impact. They're hungry."

Austin has feasted on opponents with a spectacular three-game stretch -- 21 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns. It is no coincidence the Cowboys (5-2) are riding a three-game winning streak heading into Sunday night's NFC East showdown against the Eagles (5-2). Now entrenched as a starter, Austin believes his rapport with quarterback Tony Romo will continue to blossom.

"I think we're communicating more," Austin said. "Tony is throwing me more balls. We're talking about different routes, he's getting the ball to me, and we're making plays."

Here are some other NFL elevators -- players lifting their teams by lifting their games:

Eagles TE Brent Celek. With more receiving yards (447) than Tony Gonzalez (393), and more touchdowns (three) than Antonio Gates (two), Celek has provided Donovan McNabb with a consistent target, both in the middle of the field and in the red zone.

A fifth-round pick in 2007, Celek replaced L. J. Smith as the Eagles' starter this season and already has 10 more catches than he had last season. Eagles coach Andy Reid sees similarities between Celek and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

"They are both very physical players, and they both make tough catches," Reid said. "I had a chance to coach Witten in the Pro Bowl this past year. I have a lot of respect for him. He has a great attitude like Brent does, so there are some similarities there. I really just think that Brent is doing what he did in college (Cincinnati). He was a tough guy to bring down. He had good yards after the catch in college. He has natural core strength."

Broncos OLB Elvis Dumervil. He dropped from a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2007 to five in 2008. But with the Broncos' switch to a 3-4 scheme, Dumervil already has 10 sacks while making a successful transition from defensive end to linebacker. Broncos coordinator Mike Nolan has found that many players enjoy making the move from defensive end to linebacker because it gives them more versatility as a pass rusher.

"It entails some things they haven't done in the past, like pass coverage," Nolan said. "But it's also an exciting position for a lot of guys. They see the opportunity to rush the passer, be a little bit more versatile than they are in the 4-3. They might not have to take on those big tackles every down."

Vikings WR Sidney Rice. He put up more than 100 receiving yards in Weeks 6 and 7, the first two 100-yard games of his career. This has been a breakout season for Rice, a second-round pick in 2007 who has benefited from the arrival of Brett Favre. Following Rice's six-catch, 176-yard performance against the Ravens, Favre said his young receiver was learning how to maximize his talents.

"The guy's got nearly a 50-inch vertical," Favre said. "He uses it to his advantage. Sidney's not going to really outrun anybody. I mean that with all due respect. But what he lacks in speed he makes up for in a lot of areas."

Texans QB Matt Schaub. He leads the league in passing yards and is tied with Drew Brees and Favre for the league lead in touchdown passes (16). That's lofty company for Schaub, one of seven quarterbacks with a passer rating above 100 (100.5). This is the kind of play the Texans hoped for when they traded for him before the 2007 season. Until this season, he had been plagued by injuries and was limited to 11 games in each of the past two years.

Keeping Schaub healthy will be crucial to the Texans (5-3), who have the best record in team history through eight games and hope to make the playoffs for the first time. The stage is set for a quarterback duel Sunday, when Schaub travels to Indianapolis to face Peyton Manning and the Colts.

This story appears in Nov. 4's edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today.

Senior writer Clifton Brown covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.

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