Columnists: Todd Archer

Todd Archer

E-mail

OXNARD, Calif. – Somewhere in Miles Austin's Dallas home there is an easel, a lot of brushes and paints of all colors.

During his rookie year, before the football world at large knew who he was, Austin tested his artistic skills almost on a whim. He never had an art class but just took to it. He hasn't done it for some time, but "if I'm hanging around the house, I'll set a base coat and do a little something," Austin said.

He's "more of a shapes guy" but will look at everything, and the first artists he mentions as favorites are Vincent van Gogh and Andy Warhol. Hardly similar in their styles, van Gogh and Warhol offer a hint into Austin's ascension into Pro Bowl wide receiver and paparazzi-followed celebrity.

Van Gogh was an art salesman, preacher and bookstore clerk before he turned to art. He made 900 paintings and sold one while he was alive. His fame grew after he died. Warhol was the pop-art scion of the 1960s who uttered a popular quote that has since been altered for those with short attention spans:

"In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes."

As he starts his fifth season with the Cowboys and first full season as a starter, Austin is out to prove he has the staying power of a Pablo Picasso or Jackson Pollock.

Austin is one of 99 receivers/ends/flankers/split ends who have made the Pro Bowl once. His focus for 2010 is proving his staying power.

"I don't set standards statistically to myself to measure myself by," Austin said. "That's everyone else's job. I measure myself by effort. Did I train as hard as I can? Yes. Am I working as hard as I can? Yes, I am."

Austin's rise to prominence has hardly been paint-by-numbers. His is not the story of the high school star turned college star turned first-round draft pick. As an undrafted wide receiver from a small school, his tale is one that many fans can relate to, much like Tony Romo's. He never saw himself as an NFL receiver growing up.

Now Austin can no longer sneak into practice unnoticed. The applause and cheers for him approach the levels directed at Romo, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten. His relationship with Kim Kardashian has added to the attention. During Sunday's practice, he even heard some not-so-kind words from the fans after some dropped passes, a sign that their expectations have risen.

Since training camp started, his Twitter following has grown by some 11,000 people to more than 32,000.

But as far as wide receivers coach Ray Sherman is concerned, Austin's focus is unchanged.

"I can tell by the work ethic on the field the way he practices he's not let it go to his head," Sherman said. "One thing with him: He has the ability to separate his personal life from the football life. If we felt that was a problem, we would've addressed it. So far with the way he's worked and practiced and the way he goes about his business, it's not been a factor at all."

Austin just seems to smile through it all, be it the newfound interest in his life off the field or the success on it. He missed the first two weeks of the voluntary off-season program to work out in Los Angeles. When he returned, he was seven pounds lighter. The day after the Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant in the first round, Austin was at Valley Ranch working out.

No other players were at the facility, the lights in the locker room and weight room were off, but Austin was there on a weekend, working.

He was setting a different kind of base coat, getting ready to show he can do it again.

Following up

Miles Austin last season became the Cowboys' seventh Pro Bowl receiver. Here's how the other six fared in the season after they were first honored:

*Made Pro Bowl that season