Dallas Cowboys: New Cowboys WRs coach Sanjay Lal: Dez Bryant was less consistent in 2017, judging by the tape | SportsDay
New Cowboys WRs coach Sanjay Lal: Dez Bryant was less consistent in 2017, judging by the tape
By Brandon George , Staff Writer Contact Brandon Georgeon TwitterDMN_George
FRISCO - New Cowboys receivers coach Sanjay Lal came to work for Dallas with a plan in place. He said he put together a "point of attack" tape on each of the Cowboys receivers from last year, breaking down their every move.
Lal said he identified each receiver's strengths and deficiencies, homing in on technique.
"You have to coach the minutia or it doesn't help them," Lal said Friday from the opening day of Cowboys rookie minicamp, "so there are a lot of hours spent."
Lal spent a lot of time studying Dez Bryant's routes from 2017, well before the Cowboys released him last month.
What stood out to him about Bryant on tape from 2017?
"I still saw he's physical and violent at the route top," Lal said. "He's still one of the best slant runners in the league.
"Without getting into specifics, I just saw more inconsistencies in his game."
More inconsistencies than in previous years?
"Yeah," Lal said, "I would say so."
Lal said he knew Bryant's game well before he arrived in Dallas, having used him as an example at previous coaching stops.
"I would always pull Dez Bryant cut-ups, 'Here's how you go play violently for a ball, here's how you turn on a back-shoulder fade,'" Lal said. "I have a whole slant cut-up of Dez Bryant, so I've been a great admirer of how he plays the game. I still think he has that."
Asked to detail what inconsistencies he saw in Bryant's game in 2017, Lal declined.
"I really don't want to get into specifics in that, but a general feeling," Lal said.
Earlier this month, just after the draft, Cowboys scouting chief Will McClay told ESPN 103.3 that Bryant showed an inability to win one-on-one down field in 2017, adding "there was inconsistency" in his play. McClay backed off somewhat on those comments in following days in subsequent radio interviews.
But Lal echoed McClay.
Lal also said, like owner Jerry Jones, he believes Bryant still has the skill set to perform at a high level for another team.
Perhaps the most-telling revelation from Lal about Bryant was the timeline for when they first met.
The Cowboys hired Lal as their new receivers coach Jan. 17. The first time he met Bryant was April 13, the day the Cowboys cut their No. 1 receiver.
"I met him on his last day," Lal said. "And he was very, very gracious with me."
Lal also said he saw deficiencies similar to Bryant's while breaking down receiver Terrance Williams' 2017 season.
Williams finished last year with 53 catches for 568 yards but had no touchdowns.
"Kind of the same thing, I saw some flash plays and then I saw some inconsistencies," Lal said. "You can say that for all of our receivers, and you can say that about a lot of receivers in the league. So part of my job that I'm charged with is making them as consistent and precise as they can be."
Slot receiver Cole Beasley struggled last season after forming a strong connection with quarterback Dak Prescott during his rookie year of 2016. Beasley finished last season with only 36 catches for 314 yards and four touchdowns.
Lal said Beasley's 2017 tape didn't show any "fundamental issues, but more style."
Lal said he has a plan in place for Beasley that should help him in 2018.
"I don't want to give it away because we're changing some stuff and he's excited about it and I'm excited about it," Lal said.
So Beasley will be used differently in 2018?
"No," Lal said. "More demeanor of route running, if that makes sense, so we're going to change a few things up."