Cowboys paid heavy price for Galloway's thin resume

Sporting News, The, Feb 28, 2000 by Dan Pompei

Is this the profile of a dominant NFL wide receiver? Has not been to a Pro Bowl in five years. In 72 games, he has been named AFC player of the week one time. Did not make

All-America teams as a senior in college but was second-team all conference.

This year, his team had a 3-6 record in the games he played and a 6-2 record in the games he missed. His quarterback had a 67.2 passer rating with him and a 94.5 passer rating without him.

Over his previous four NFL seasons (in which he missed only one game), there were 15 players in the NFL who had more receptions. Nine had more receiving yards.

Dallas Cowboys, meet Joey Galloway, the player you gave up two first-round picks to acquire.

The Cowboys, who see themselves as a team that is close but doesn't have many chances left, know they overpaid for Galloway. The Redskins, Ravens, Browns and Steelers also were interested in trading for Galloway, but none of them would even consider giving the Seahawks two first-round picks. The next best possibility probably was the Steelers' first-round pick, eighth overall.

Yet you can see what lured Jerry Jones. Galloway has more sizzle than a hot plate of steak fajitas. He is the fastest player in the league (he reportedly has been timed running the 40-yard dash at the speed of light), a magnificent athlete. He also has the best combination of speed, quickness and strength of any receiver in the NFL. Big plays are Galloway's specialty. He goes around and past cornerbacks the way sports cars zip by 18-wheelers on the freeway. He has averaged 15.7 yards per reception for his career--outstanding. He also has averaged one touchdown every 7.6 receptions--magnificent.

And the Cowboys are more focused on what Galloway can become than what he has been. "He's got a lot of career ahead of him, and if he wants it, he can be one of the best who ever played the game," says Steelers receivers coach Bob Bratkowski, who coached Galloway for four years with the Seahawks and would have loved to have coached him again with the Steelers. His is an opinion that is shared by many astute talent evaluators.

But it's that "if he wants it" clause that brings pause. If Galloway had wanted it more up until now, he would have made more plays. He hasn't dominated games the way Michael Irvin has because he has not been as complete a receiver. Chargers defensive coordinator Joe Pascale, who has a healthy respect of Galloway, puts it this way: "He always seemed to be the Seahawks' big-play guy as opposed to their go-to guy."

Why wasn't Galloway more involved in the Seahawks' offense? His supporters would point to the other end of the passes. But the quarterbacks didn't limit Galloway as much as Galloway did. Rick Mirer was effective enough for Galloway to be named rookie of the year by at least one publication. Warren Moon didn't exactly hinder Cris Carter and Jake Reed with the Vikings before he got to the Seahawks. With ion Kitna at quarterback, Derrick Mayes and Sean Dawkins had career years in 1999.

There are only so many ways to get the ball to a receiver who excels at only one thing. Galloway's route running really limits him. His go routes are great. On the others, he isn't very precise. When the ball isn't supposed to come his way, Galloway gets lackadaisical. He also could do a lot better on inside routes.

"He's such a physically talented guy that at times he relied on his ability rather than the disciplines of the position," Bratkowski says. "He wasn't as disciplined in routes as you'd like him to be fundamentally, technique-wise and with regards to consistency."

The Cowboys hope Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith can goad Galloway into becoming more of a professional. But Moon couldn't do it. Moon would yell at Galloway about his sloppy route running, and Galloway would react by pouting. Some go so far as to say Galloway often behaved as if he should have been outfitted with diapers instead of a jockstrap, a pacifier instead of a mouth guard and a bonnet instead of a helmet.

Galloway never developed much chemistry with his quarterbacks. Bratkowski says Galloway didn't run as fast in practice as he did in games. He also says Galloway had a toe injury that prevented him from making cuts at top speed in practice over a few years. Both situations affected his rhythm and timing with Seattle quarterbacks.

There also is an element of toughness that's missing from Galloway's game. He should get better at getting past the jam of a physical defender. You would like to see him make more of an effort to fight for the ball in a crowd. He needs to take blocking responsibilities more seriously. Typically, the man he's assigned to block makes two or three tackles a game. And sending Galloway after a linebacker is like sending a kitten after a Rottweiler.

After making a reception, Galloway goes down too easily. This year, only 12 of his 335 receiving yards--3.6 percent--came after the catch, according to Stats, Inc. In his previous four years, he ranked between 18th and 30th in yards after the catch among NFL wide receivers, embarrassing numbers for a player with Galloway's speed.