USAToday: Rookie focus: Dez Bryant's breakout spoiled by injury

[WoodysGirl]

By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY

The rookie season of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant abruptly ended when he fractured his right ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 38-35 overtime victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

As unfortunate as the injury was for Bryant and the Cowboys, his impact through almost 12 full games points to him as a rising star and suggests Dallas made a smart decision when it traded up to take him 24th overall. Many teams rated his talent higher than that but passed because of concerns about his character due to an unstable background.

Bryant, assigned uniform number 88 with the hope that he would follow in the footsteps of Cowboys greats Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin, wore it well. He finished with 45 catches for 561 yards and six touchdowns. He also averaged 14.3 yards with two scores on 15 punt returns. He brought back 12 kicks for 293 yards, a 24.4-yard average.

Read the profile of Dez: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...z-bryant_N.htm