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Gosselin: Invisible man Gavin Escobar finally shows his worth for Cowboys
G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News
Rick Gosselin rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Published: 19 October 2014 08:57 PM
Updated: 20 October 2014 12:00 PM
Related
ARLINGTON — It’s difficult to remain invisible when you’re 6-6, 260 pounds.
But Gavin Escobar had been the invisible man offensively in the resurgence of the Cowboys this season. For that matter, he’s been virtually invisible since the Cowboys spent a second-round draft choice on him in 2013.
Until Sunday.
This is what the Cowboys envisioned when they selected Escobar with the 47th pick of the 2013 draft, passing up quality defenders at need positions in order to claim a second tight end.
Escobar posted four career highs — catches (three), yards (65), touchdowns (two) and long reception (26 yards) — to help the Cowboys stay atop the NFC East with a 31-21 victory over the New York Giants.
Escobar may have surprised the Giants — and everyone else in the NFL, for that matter. But he didn’t surprise Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox.
“He’s kind of been in the dark because he’s had a great Hall of Famer [Jason Witten] in front of him,” Wilcox said. “But I knew what he could do. We got here the same year, and the two of us have been battling it out ever since.
“He’s been a handful in practice and in the 1-on-1s. He gives us a great look on the scout teams. He’s all over the place. It was just a matter of time. Now everyone else is finding out about him. He’s going to be a force in the future.”
It’s been a long time coming.
The New England Patriots showed the NFL what a dynamic set of tight ends could do in 2011. Rob Gronkowski caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Aaron Hernandez added 79 catches for 910 yards and seven touchdowns on a 13-3 team that captured an AFC championship.
The pass-happy Cowboys hoped they could have that same caliber combo when they drafted Escobar to pair with perennial Pro Bowler Witten. Tight ends generally are faster than linebackers, bigger than safeties and more physical than corners. So the formations and possibilities were endless and the matchups favorable.
The Cowboys envisioned Escobar as a unique weapon — someone who could line up in the flank, in the slot or motion across the formation. They passed up defenders in the second round who would become NFL starters — tackle Jonathan Hankins (Giants), linebacker Jamie Collins (Patriots) and safety D.J. Swearinger (Texans) — to add Escobar to their offensive mix.
But for the first 22 games of his NFL career, Escobar wasn’t in any mix. He caught only nine passes as a rookie. His best game was two catches for 32 yards in that frigid and forgettable blowout loss to the Bears.
It didn’t matter who called the plays in 2013 — offensive coordinator Bill Callahan or head coach Jason Garrett — Escobar wasn’t going to be a factor. Scott Linehan, the new play-caller in 2014, also appeared to have little use for him.
The Cowboys threw only six passes Escobar’s way in the first five games. He caught four of them — a 7-yarder against the Rams, a 6-yarder against the Saints, a 5-yarder against the Titans and a 2-yarder against the Seahawks.
Escobar had been waiting a long time for a game like Sunday when he could finally stretch his legs and contribute some big plays. He caught a 15-yard TD pass in the first quarter to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead and that career-best 26-yarder in the third quarter to put them in front for good, 21-14.
“The first touchdown they really clamped down on Wit,” Escobar said, “so that gave me an opportunity to get open down the middle of the field. On the second one Tony [Romo] did a good job of looking off the safety and then throwing it to me down the seam.”
This offense is shaping up as a real headache for NFL defenses. Romo, NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray, wide receiver Dez Bryant and Witten remain the obvious focal points of the attack, but the depth is heightening the challenge.
Wide receiver Terrance Williams had two long back-breaking catches in the upset of the Seattle Seahawks the previous weekend, and Escobar made the plays that beat the Giants.
“Defenses roll their safeties toward Dez,” Escobar said. “The same with Wit. It leaves guys like me, Terrance, [Cole] Beasley and James [Hanna] with single coverage. When they give you man-to-man [coverage], you have to win your 1-on-1s.”
They are — and the Cowboys are rolling along with a six-game winning streak as a result.
The wait has been long for Escobar but worthwhile for the Cowboys.
G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News
Rick Gosselin rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Published: 19 October 2014 08:57 PM
Updated: 20 October 2014 12:00 PM
Related
ARLINGTON — It’s difficult to remain invisible when you’re 6-6, 260 pounds.
But Gavin Escobar had been the invisible man offensively in the resurgence of the Cowboys this season. For that matter, he’s been virtually invisible since the Cowboys spent a second-round draft choice on him in 2013.
Until Sunday.
This is what the Cowboys envisioned when they selected Escobar with the 47th pick of the 2013 draft, passing up quality defenders at need positions in order to claim a second tight end.
Escobar posted four career highs — catches (three), yards (65), touchdowns (two) and long reception (26 yards) — to help the Cowboys stay atop the NFC East with a 31-21 victory over the New York Giants.
Escobar may have surprised the Giants — and everyone else in the NFL, for that matter. But he didn’t surprise Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox.
“He’s kind of been in the dark because he’s had a great Hall of Famer [Jason Witten] in front of him,” Wilcox said. “But I knew what he could do. We got here the same year, and the two of us have been battling it out ever since.
“He’s been a handful in practice and in the 1-on-1s. He gives us a great look on the scout teams. He’s all over the place. It was just a matter of time. Now everyone else is finding out about him. He’s going to be a force in the future.”
It’s been a long time coming.
The New England Patriots showed the NFL what a dynamic set of tight ends could do in 2011. Rob Gronkowski caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Aaron Hernandez added 79 catches for 910 yards and seven touchdowns on a 13-3 team that captured an AFC championship.
The pass-happy Cowboys hoped they could have that same caliber combo when they drafted Escobar to pair with perennial Pro Bowler Witten. Tight ends generally are faster than linebackers, bigger than safeties and more physical than corners. So the formations and possibilities were endless and the matchups favorable.
The Cowboys envisioned Escobar as a unique weapon — someone who could line up in the flank, in the slot or motion across the formation. They passed up defenders in the second round who would become NFL starters — tackle Jonathan Hankins (Giants), linebacker Jamie Collins (Patriots) and safety D.J. Swearinger (Texans) — to add Escobar to their offensive mix.
But for the first 22 games of his NFL career, Escobar wasn’t in any mix. He caught only nine passes as a rookie. His best game was two catches for 32 yards in that frigid and forgettable blowout loss to the Bears.
It didn’t matter who called the plays in 2013 — offensive coordinator Bill Callahan or head coach Jason Garrett — Escobar wasn’t going to be a factor. Scott Linehan, the new play-caller in 2014, also appeared to have little use for him.
The Cowboys threw only six passes Escobar’s way in the first five games. He caught four of them — a 7-yarder against the Rams, a 6-yarder against the Saints, a 5-yarder against the Titans and a 2-yarder against the Seahawks.
Escobar had been waiting a long time for a game like Sunday when he could finally stretch his legs and contribute some big plays. He caught a 15-yard TD pass in the first quarter to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead and that career-best 26-yarder in the third quarter to put them in front for good, 21-14.
“The first touchdown they really clamped down on Wit,” Escobar said, “so that gave me an opportunity to get open down the middle of the field. On the second one Tony [Romo] did a good job of looking off the safety and then throwing it to me down the seam.”
This offense is shaping up as a real headache for NFL defenses. Romo, NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray, wide receiver Dez Bryant and Witten remain the obvious focal points of the attack, but the depth is heightening the challenge.
Wide receiver Terrance Williams had two long back-breaking catches in the upset of the Seattle Seahawks the previous weekend, and Escobar made the plays that beat the Giants.
“Defenses roll their safeties toward Dez,” Escobar said. “The same with Wit. It leaves guys like me, Terrance, [Cole] Beasley and James [Hanna] with single coverage. When they give you man-to-man [coverage], you have to win your 1-on-1s.”
They are — and the Cowboys are rolling along with a six-game winning streak as a result.
The wait has been long for Escobar but worthwhile for the Cowboys.
