But I couldn't agree more.

"They are No. 1 in the NFC East, they've got a game up on everybody. It's right there in front of them," Johnson said of his former team. "The big thing is you've got to have the wide receivers start to make some big plays.

"You can run the Football, you can play defense, you can be conservative, you can protect the ball, but points come out of the passing game. If you're going to score points, your wide receivers have to make some plays."

One day before Johnson made those comments, Wade Phillips and his staff worked well into the night trying to figure out why the Cowboys have converted just 26 percent of their third-down attempts (6 of 23) the last two games after converting 47 percent (25 of 53) during the four-game winning streak that vaulted them to the top of the division.

Do you really need to burn the midnight oil to understand that Miles Austin and Roy Williams are struggling to beat press coverage and two-deep zones?

Or that Austin's explosiveness disappears when he's matched up with a shutdown corner?

In the last two games - the 17-7 loss to the Packers and the 7-6 win over Washington - Austin was kept out of the end zone.

The Packers are seventh in the league in pass defense, the Redskins first.

Suffice it to say, a team with an outstanding secondary always has a chance to beat the Cowboys primarily because Williams does little to draw attention away from the team's real No. 1 wideout, Austin.

"In practice, he makes some phenomenal catches," Phillips said of Williams. "It just hasn't carried over into the games quite as much, although he's made some really good catches.

"We still think Roy's a good receiver and Tony (Romo)'s a good quarterback, so I think they'll work things out."

Johnson is also hopeful.

"I think it's a matter of Roy and (offensive coordinator) Jason (Garrett) getting comfortable with exactly what he does well, what he's really confident in doing," Johnson said. "And you utilize him. I think that can happen, but it takes time."

Here's where Johnson and I part ways.

Today's game will mark Williams' 21st with the Cowboys . Shouldn't Garrett know by now what Williams does best?

The Cowboys have made great strides in a lot of areas since last season. With Mike Jenkins coming into his own at cornerback, the defense is playing its best Football. Rookie kickoff specialist David Buehler and assistant coach Joe DeCamillis have made a huge difference on special teams.

But the offense remains a standout wide receiver away from being special.

torsborn@express-news.net