sbk92
2
- Messages
- 12,134
- Reaction score
- 6
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING – As November draws to a close, let's review some of the bouquets that have been tossed in Dez Bryant's direction.
You've had a Hall of Fame receiver gush about his talent and potential. Coaches praise his passion and feel for the position, teammates marvel at the ability they see every day in practice and opponents grapple with the harsh reality of defending him for years to come.
The wow factor is in play. Bryant isn't your typical first-year receiver. He's in the conversation for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, a conversation that experienced an awkward pause when he failed to catch a pass on Thanksgiving.
Bryant appreciates the kind words. But the ones that mean the most have come from his best friend, Cordero King.
"Just keep doing your job," King's text read after Bryant caught three passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in the win over the New York Giants. "All of the negative that was said and done before, you're making them think differently of you. They have to eat those words."
A tumultuous junior season at Oklahoma State when he played in just three games because of an NCAA suspension has been put behind him. Bryant has scored more touchdowns (eight) than any other rookie in the league. Tampa Bay's Mike Williams is the only first-year player with more receiving yards than Bryant's 547.
Bryant doesn't let the ball come to him. He pounces on it in mid-flight. Interim coach Jason Garrett calls the rookie a natural when it comes to releasing off the line of scrimmage, catching the ball and running after the catch.
One of the traits quarterback Jon Kitna loves about Bryant is that the rookie believes "he can score a touchdown every time he touches the ball." His performance against the Giants earlier this month was the first of what will be a flood of 100-yard games. It marked the fifth consecutive game in which Bryant had more receiving yards than the week before.
But Bryant isn't immune from the transition that frustrates every rookie receiver. He has caught only three passes for 8 yards in the two games since his breakout performance. He was shut out by the New Orleans defense in a 30-27 loss to the Saints.
A pass to Bryant in the first quarter was intercepted by defensive end Will Smith. Bryant and Kitna failed to connect on a slant in the third quarter. Bryant took the pattern inside while Kitna threw the ball outside on a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter. Moments earlier, an illegal shift penalty on Bryant wiped out a 15-yard gain by Marion Barber.
"They were playing different coverages," Garrett said. "Sometimes he was by himself, and sometimes they were rolling the coverage to him."
The Saints' defense confused Bryant. Kitna took the blame on one third-down incompletion, saying he read it wrong while the rookie picked up the coverage.
But press coverage forces the receiver to convert some routes while staying the same on others. Bryant has yet to grasp all of these nuances.
Still, the faith the Cowboys have in Bryant was evident in the final 42 seconds of Thursday's loss to New Orleans.
Down by three points, Kitna went to Bryant on three consecutive plays. The Saints blitzed on first down, and the quarterback missed Bryant with the hot read. A bubble screen to Bryant on second down was tipped incomplete. Cornerback Jabari Greer jumped the route on third down, and Kitna's pass again fell incomplete.
Bryant refused to talk to the media after the game. But a few days earlier, he spoke about what he needed to do to improve.
"As long as I keep doing the little things right," Bryant said. "Getting a little more film in, pay more attention to the depth of my route and listen to the veteran guys; I feel like those things can make a difference."
Bryant doesn't pay much attention to the rookie of the year race, but concedes "just to be in the running makes me feel good." He does know that St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford, considered the leading candidate at this point, has done "an amazing job."
Kitna and Bryant formed a relationship before Tony Romo was hurt. The veteran quarterback would go to Bryant and let him know how Romo saw the coverage to help the rookie with his comprehension.
Now, Kitna talks about the trust he has in Bryant. He likes his demeanor and demonstrative ways.
"When I say demonstrative, I think a lot of people think that's a bad thing," Kitna said. "I don't. I think it's a great thing.
"Michael Irvin was demonstrative, and he's one of the best who ever played."
Irvin is the Hall of Fame receiver who sees a lot of himself in Bryant. There are similarities.
"The other part about Dez that can't go unnoticed is he has a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for the game," Garrett said. "At practice, nobody catches more balls than Dez Bryant. He has the trainers throwing to him, the backup quarterback, the coaches.
"He loves to play the game. When you have that passion, that enthusiasm and then you're in an environment where there is some teaching going on, you can grow and develop."
Passion comparable to another player who wore the No. 88 for the Cowboys?
"Absolutely," Garrett said. "Again, we resist comparisons, but when people love to play football like those two guys, it's nice to make those connections."
-
A look at what the top candidates have done in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
Jahvid Best RB Detroit - 757 yards (rush./rec.), 5 TDs
Sam Bradford QB St. Louis - 228-of-376, 2,158 yds., 14 TDs, 9 Int
Dez Bryant WR Dallas - 44 receptions, 547 yards, 6 TDs*
Mike Williams WR Tampa Bay - 43 receptions, 681 yards, 6 TDs
* Bryant has returned two punts for touchdowns for a total of 8
How Dez Bryant's statistics stack up to the first 11 games for a couple of receivers who wore No. 88 for the Cowboys before him:
Drew Pearson 1973 10-114-0
Michael Irvin 1988 22-433-2
Dez Bryant 2010 44-547-6
dmoore@dallasnews.com
IRVING – As November draws to a close, let's review some of the bouquets that have been tossed in Dez Bryant's direction.
You've had a Hall of Fame receiver gush about his talent and potential. Coaches praise his passion and feel for the position, teammates marvel at the ability they see every day in practice and opponents grapple with the harsh reality of defending him for years to come.
The wow factor is in play. Bryant isn't your typical first-year receiver. He's in the conversation for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, a conversation that experienced an awkward pause when he failed to catch a pass on Thanksgiving.
Bryant appreciates the kind words. But the ones that mean the most have come from his best friend, Cordero King.
"Just keep doing your job," King's text read after Bryant caught three passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in the win over the New York Giants. "All of the negative that was said and done before, you're making them think differently of you. They have to eat those words."
A tumultuous junior season at Oklahoma State when he played in just three games because of an NCAA suspension has been put behind him. Bryant has scored more touchdowns (eight) than any other rookie in the league. Tampa Bay's Mike Williams is the only first-year player with more receiving yards than Bryant's 547.
Bryant doesn't let the ball come to him. He pounces on it in mid-flight. Interim coach Jason Garrett calls the rookie a natural when it comes to releasing off the line of scrimmage, catching the ball and running after the catch.
One of the traits quarterback Jon Kitna loves about Bryant is that the rookie believes "he can score a touchdown every time he touches the ball." His performance against the Giants earlier this month was the first of what will be a flood of 100-yard games. It marked the fifth consecutive game in which Bryant had more receiving yards than the week before.
But Bryant isn't immune from the transition that frustrates every rookie receiver. He has caught only three passes for 8 yards in the two games since his breakout performance. He was shut out by the New Orleans defense in a 30-27 loss to the Saints.
A pass to Bryant in the first quarter was intercepted by defensive end Will Smith. Bryant and Kitna failed to connect on a slant in the third quarter. Bryant took the pattern inside while Kitna threw the ball outside on a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter. Moments earlier, an illegal shift penalty on Bryant wiped out a 15-yard gain by Marion Barber.
"They were playing different coverages," Garrett said. "Sometimes he was by himself, and sometimes they were rolling the coverage to him."
The Saints' defense confused Bryant. Kitna took the blame on one third-down incompletion, saying he read it wrong while the rookie picked up the coverage.
But press coverage forces the receiver to convert some routes while staying the same on others. Bryant has yet to grasp all of these nuances.
Still, the faith the Cowboys have in Bryant was evident in the final 42 seconds of Thursday's loss to New Orleans.
Down by three points, Kitna went to Bryant on three consecutive plays. The Saints blitzed on first down, and the quarterback missed Bryant with the hot read. A bubble screen to Bryant on second down was tipped incomplete. Cornerback Jabari Greer jumped the route on third down, and Kitna's pass again fell incomplete.
Bryant refused to talk to the media after the game. But a few days earlier, he spoke about what he needed to do to improve.
"As long as I keep doing the little things right," Bryant said. "Getting a little more film in, pay more attention to the depth of my route and listen to the veteran guys; I feel like those things can make a difference."
Bryant doesn't pay much attention to the rookie of the year race, but concedes "just to be in the running makes me feel good." He does know that St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford, considered the leading candidate at this point, has done "an amazing job."
Kitna and Bryant formed a relationship before Tony Romo was hurt. The veteran quarterback would go to Bryant and let him know how Romo saw the coverage to help the rookie with his comprehension.
Now, Kitna talks about the trust he has in Bryant. He likes his demeanor and demonstrative ways.
"When I say demonstrative, I think a lot of people think that's a bad thing," Kitna said. "I don't. I think it's a great thing.
"Michael Irvin was demonstrative, and he's one of the best who ever played."
Irvin is the Hall of Fame receiver who sees a lot of himself in Bryant. There are similarities.
"The other part about Dez that can't go unnoticed is he has a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for the game," Garrett said. "At practice, nobody catches more balls than Dez Bryant. He has the trainers throwing to him, the backup quarterback, the coaches.
"He loves to play the game. When you have that passion, that enthusiasm and then you're in an environment where there is some teaching going on, you can grow and develop."
Passion comparable to another player who wore the No. 88 for the Cowboys?
"Absolutely," Garrett said. "Again, we resist comparisons, but when people love to play football like those two guys, it's nice to make those connections."
-
A look at what the top candidates have done in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
Jahvid Best RB Detroit - 757 yards (rush./rec.), 5 TDs
Sam Bradford QB St. Louis - 228-of-376, 2,158 yds., 14 TDs, 9 Int
Dez Bryant WR Dallas - 44 receptions, 547 yards, 6 TDs*
Mike Williams WR Tampa Bay - 43 receptions, 681 yards, 6 TDs
* Bryant has returned two punts for touchdowns for a total of 8
How Dez Bryant's statistics stack up to the first 11 games for a couple of receivers who wore No. 88 for the Cowboys before him:
Drew Pearson 1973 10-114-0
Michael Irvin 1988 22-433-2
Dez Bryant 2010 44-547-6