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Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas – The jump from college to pros is wider for wide receivers than most positions. Youngsters like Kevin Ogletree and rookies Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris are still adjusting to the NFL.
Count Dez Bryant among that group, too, despite his moments of brilliance as a first-round pick last year.
New wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson is embracing the challenge of molding a gifted talent like Bryant into an all-around receiver, just the way Miles Austin has developed since arriving in 2006 as an undrafted rookie.
"I'm pleased with his progress," Robinson said. "But there's a lot of progress to make for Dez and for everybody, all the young guys."
Due to injuries and his NCAA suspension in 2009, Bryant has played only 17 football games in nearly two calendar years. He missed last year's entire preseason with a high ankle sprain, as well as the final month of the regular season with a fractured fibula.
Still, he managed 45 catches for 561 yards with eight total touchdowns (six receiving, two punt returns). The lockout then hindered every young receiver's improvement, including Bryant's.
"I think it's uncharted waters because you didn't have an offseason, which is the biggest development step that a young guy can make in the offseason between Year 1 and Year 2," Robinson said. "They develop a lot of confidence from that, and when you don't have that then you're almost kind of starting over again. Especially with the fact that he had an injury and missed a significant amount of time at the end of last season."
Bryant has said he feels much more comfortable this preseason, due largely to being healthy and taking actual practice reps. He needs to be, because Roy Williams' release has moved him into a starter's job opposite Austin. With Austin day-to-day with a sore hamstring, Bryant's actually one of the team's most tenured healthy receivers.
The other aspect of Bryant's acclimation is off the field, ending his reputation for tardiness and maturity. Robinson has said the 22-year-old has been receptive to coaching and has clearly taken steps to become a better professional, though it's a still a work in progress.
"It's all part of coaching, maybe not a football part of coaching necessarily," Robinson said. "It's the professionalism – how do I carry myself, how do I develop work habits? It's like when you go to work for IBM or whoever it might be, there's a certain work ethic that goes along with that."
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas – The jump from college to pros is wider for wide receivers than most positions. Youngsters like Kevin Ogletree and rookies Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris are still adjusting to the NFL.
Count Dez Bryant among that group, too, despite his moments of brilliance as a first-round pick last year.
New wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson is embracing the challenge of molding a gifted talent like Bryant into an all-around receiver, just the way Miles Austin has developed since arriving in 2006 as an undrafted rookie.
"I'm pleased with his progress," Robinson said. "But there's a lot of progress to make for Dez and for everybody, all the young guys."
Due to injuries and his NCAA suspension in 2009, Bryant has played only 17 football games in nearly two calendar years. He missed last year's entire preseason with a high ankle sprain, as well as the final month of the regular season with a fractured fibula.
Still, he managed 45 catches for 561 yards with eight total touchdowns (six receiving, two punt returns). The lockout then hindered every young receiver's improvement, including Bryant's.
"I think it's uncharted waters because you didn't have an offseason, which is the biggest development step that a young guy can make in the offseason between Year 1 and Year 2," Robinson said. "They develop a lot of confidence from that, and when you don't have that then you're almost kind of starting over again. Especially with the fact that he had an injury and missed a significant amount of time at the end of last season."
Bryant has said he feels much more comfortable this preseason, due largely to being healthy and taking actual practice reps. He needs to be, because Roy Williams' release has moved him into a starter's job opposite Austin. With Austin day-to-day with a sore hamstring, Bryant's actually one of the team's most tenured healthy receivers.
The other aspect of Bryant's acclimation is off the field, ending his reputation for tardiness and maturity. Robinson has said the 22-year-old has been receptive to coaching and has clearly taken steps to become a better professional, though it's a still a work in progress.
"It's all part of coaching, maybe not a football part of coaching necessarily," Robinson said. "It's the professionalism – how do I carry myself, how do I develop work habits? It's like when you go to work for IBM or whoever it might be, there's a certain work ethic that goes along with that."
