(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag. "Click here" to email questions now.)

BRANDON DUBOIS - MILTON, NY: Miles Austin has proved to be a big play threat over the last couple of games. Can he consistently be the same receiver when he is double covered?

Nick: No, he can't be. No receiver can be the same if he's covered that way. That's why you have Roy Williams and Jason Witten. If you've got those guys and they're doubling Miles Austin, then this offense will be in good shape.

Rob: Will he beat double teams to get 150 yards each week? No, but that's OK. He doesn't need consistent big numbers as long as he's forcing safeties to make a decision on how to cover him. If it means one-on-one coverage for Jason Witten and Roy Williams, as well as fewer eight-man fronts for the running game, the whole offense benefits.

Josh: You could expect the numbers to go down, of course, if teams actually are going to shade a safety toward Austin's side and double him. But can he still make plays in that situation? That's where we'll really learn how much he's progressed, whether he can still make plays with two guys on him. The big thing about that is how it opens it up for other guys.

SEGARO BOZART - SAUGUS, CA: I've paid attention to Bobby Carpenter the last few games and he seems to be covering really well, as Wade Phillips pointed out Monday. What do you think?

Nick: I think our expectations are so low for him that when he doesn't make mistakes, we think he's playing pretty well. And he might be playing well, but it's too bad that he gets judged that way. It does seem like he's playing well in the nickel and dime defense. But you still see some plays that make you scratch your head at times.

Rob: Watching the game again, Carpenter did do a nice job on Tony Gonzalez. He didn't catch any passes on Carpenter and had trouble getting off the jam a couple of times. This is the best position for Carpenter because he is good in space and athletic enough to help cover tight ends. Gerald Sensabaugh is an obvious upgrade there too.

Josh: I think he's been good in the dime when he's come in on third downs. He's fast and he can cover. There are still parts of the game that don't really suit him, like when he was brought in on the goal line against the Falcons, when Michael Turner ran right at him and he was pushed backwards. For his role, he's been fine.

Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS