Austin Watkins Jr. Finally Has My Attention

As a fan of the Cleveland Browns, it has become an annual rite of passage for us to fall in love with a wide receiver during training camp and preseason. Do these former Browns ring a bell with any of you?

Isaiah Weston

Davion Davis

D.J. Montgomery

Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi

I could go on but I'm betting that by now, I don't have to. Your reaction to these names were probably - oh yeah, that guy, whatever happened to him? If we could travel back to the not too distant future, these were all guys that we believed would end up being difference makers on our team.

I'm not talking Pro-Bowls or hall of fame careers, but rather guys that had solid chances of making the team and one day might find themselves in a game, making a big catch down the sideline or taking a slant to the house after making a guy miss. Unfortunately, for them and us, those fantasies never turned into reality.

Maybe my expectations have been burned one too many times. Recently though I've been wondering why can't I just consider the possibility of Browns receiver Austin Watkins Jr. making our initial 53 man roster? 

For me over the last few years, I guess that I have matured in my football relationships. I have learned quite a bit by listening to people who are much smarter than I am about the nuances of the game. Watching, listening and reading endless breakdowns of draft prospects coming out, you eventually learn that while everyone does certain things well or possess certain athletic attributes there are most often limitations or question marks with their game.

The NFL is hard and if you don't have the pedigree of a top draft pick, it has the tendency to chew up players and spit them out. Whether it be injuries or lack of opportunities, it seems harder than ever to latch on with a team and really stick in the league. The margins for error are razor thin as there often isn't a whole lot of difference between the guy sixth on the depth chart, versus the guy listed at ninth. 

I mean sure, wide receivers come in many different  flavors of sizes, skills and attributes, however, when it comes down to it, they are all fast, run routes with precision and can catch the ball. It's generally the outliers who can separate themselves just enough from the rest of the pack who seem to make it, either by freak talent or an unmatched desire to be the very best.

I don't think anybody loves good wide receiver play more than me. Combine that with my love for the underdog who flashes the ability to belong, it makes sense to me why I have been scarred from my past. But when it comes to Watkins and his performance so far this camp and preseason, I wonder if my standards have become too high?

For god sake, he barely caught the team bus to make it to the Greenbrier, in West Virginia. Thank goodness he did, it wasn't long before people started to recognize the kid wearing number 80. He showed up and started making plays like this: