Dez Bryant - A Man With No Position

[Stash]

I'm interested to see what Dez might do in an offense that DOESN'T stop throwing to him for unknown reasons when he is enjoying a clear mismatch against his man.. So many times over the years he'd be killing his man for a quarter only to have the ball go elsewhere for the next two quarters while we lost the game. That KC game a few years back still sticks in my craw. Another year we went 8-8 when 9-7 would have won the division or gotten us a wild-card but the coaching staff (and to some extent Romo) decided that after Dez torched his man for 100+ yards and 2 TDs in the first quarter we would just stop throwing to him the rest of the game.. Must have been in the interest of fairness? I could run down a dozen such games.. but I'm pretty sure the folks here know them as well as I do..

Sure we do.

It's called "The Garrett Effect".

And we give thanks each and every day that it is now over, and someone else's problem to deal with.

 

[Stash]

They stopped throwing to him b/c he wasn't open. When he left Dallas, he was getting no separation from DBs. He got a "prove it" deal in New Orleans, and all he proved was that our decision to cut him was the right one.

How was that "proven"? Because he got frickin' hurt? The lengths people will go...

He's still a distraction with his damm twitter account. Nobody is signing that guy.

Bet?

 

[kskboys]

Whatup dude.. long time no holla. Um diggin it here in Fort Worth.. paid $1.81 for gas yesterday.. HALF of what a gallon goes for in Cali. I love Texas!!!
But I digress!
Yes, quickness is a skill but it was never the one that "separated" Dez .. pun intended. Plus I don't think it will have diminished all that much by age 30 .. again assuming he's healthy and has been training properly. The bottom line is that putting a beast like that in the slot on a consistent basis is going to cause problems for DCs. Big problems. I think it would be irresponsible of the Cowboys NOT to kick the tires on Dez. Bring him to the first coupla minicamps.. see what he's got.. If he's got nothin left, cut him loose. If he's still capable of bullying a 185 pound cornerback, which I suspect he is, sign him and let him do it for us..

Dude!!!!!!!!!!!! Ronnie, my man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ecstatic that you made the trip over!!

I have no problem w/ bringing Dez in. However, since he'd lost a bit of spring last time we saw him play, I'm afraid he's going to need his quickness if he wants to play. Funny thing is, Dez always had that quickness, but for some reason didn't use it. I still can't figure that one out!!!

 

[RonnieT24]

They stopped throwing to him b/c he wasn't open. When he left Dallas, he was getting no separation from DBs. He got a "prove it" deal in New Orleans, and all he proved was that our decision to cut him was the right one. He's still a distraction with his damm twitter account. Nobody is signing that guy.

We'll see. Won't we..

Your Dez-hate is showing.. Go back and watch any highlight reel of Dez and you will see that he was seldom "open" when doing is best work. He was a beast who made 50/50 balls into 80/20 balls in his favor. The reason for his slide in Dallas was Dak's lack of ball placement on such balls. I always said that I could cover Dez if you throw the ball 6 feet in the air.. however if you throw it 11 feet in the air there's nothing I can do about it but hope he drops it. That describes 90+% of DBs in the NFL. Most of them can run with Dez, in fact most of them are faster.. But very few of them can jump with him and almost none have the physical strength to deny him position he's trying to get to. If the ball is well placed it's going to be a catch more often than not. And the Twitter argument is specious at best. If can ball nobody will care what he says on Twitter.

 

[Kwyn]

Right now we don't owe him anything just let him walk.

I’m good with that as long as we have a good replacement.

we’re thin at LB and finding a guy who can start for us and perform at the same level as Lee is not going to be a snap of the fingers. He’s still good enough that you can’t just replace him with a training camp body

 

[RonnieT24]

Dude!!!!!!!!!!!! Ronnie, my man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ecstatic that you made the trip over!!

I have no problem w/ bringing Dez in. However, since he'd lost a bit of spring last time we saw him play, I'm afraid he's going to need his quickness if he wants to play. Funny thing is, Dez always had that quickness, but for some reason didn't use it. I still can't figure that one out!!!

I think the nagging leg injuries were responsible for any loss of hops. With two years off that should be all the way back. It would only stay gone if you just sit on the couch.. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Dez didn't do that. I can explain his not using his quickness all the time quite easily.. There were two factors.. one he didn't need to.. Once he and Romo got in sync on the jump ball and the back shoulder he had no reason to exert the enormous amount of energy required to make 225 pounds accelerate, stop/start and change direction. He would only have been able to play about half the snaps if he did that. The second reason is not quite so positive.. again, Dez was reputedly not the brightest bulb.. which I think rendered him indecisive at times. Indecisiveness is what makes guys who have blazing speed not play at blazing speed.. They're too busy thinking.. The good news is that in a reduced role Dez would be more likely to fully grasp his responsibilities and thus more likely to play fast. But that's pure conjecture on my part, obviously.

 

[Kwyn]

And? Has no player returned from this injury?

Sure, many do, but it’s beyond rare that they ever come back to their orevious level of capability.

Also, age is a massive hindrance in recovery as we all know just from simple injuries we sustain. Dez had already begun decline even before his injury.

Dez is only now claiming to be physically able to play and it’s been 18 months since his injury. It hasn’t been easy for him at all.

The information below is a medical white paper by SAGE Journals which is an academic publishing organization.

This was geared toward running backs, but I think it’s likely that WR and CB would be the closest comparable positions to the comments below

Results:

• 78 Achilles tendon ruptures were identified in professional football players during the 2010-2015 NFL seasons.
• 58% of these injuries occurred during the preseason.
• Of those that suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, 26% did not ever return to play in the NFL.
• Players who did return to play in the NFL took an average of 9 months to recover after the date of injury.
• Across all positions, there was a net decrease in power ratings by 22% and a net decrease in approximate value by 23% over 3 years following player return after Achilles tendon rupture.
• Across all positions, running backs saw the biggest decrease in production with a 78% decrease over 3 years post-injury in both power ratings and approximate value.

 

[Kwyn]

His gifts were strength, hops and hands. None of which he would have lost by this age especially with two years off from football. If anything he will be MORE explosive with the time away to heal up.

Achilles ruptures don’t work like that. You don’t gain explosion with a rebuilt, level III tear. You just don’t.

 

[Stash]

Sure, many do, but it’s beyond rare that they ever come back to their orevious level of capability.

I'm not asking him to. I'm looking for a role-playing 4th WR and red zone specialist. Heck, maybe I'd even have him return punts as long as he held up. Not like this team has anyone doing anything there, right?

Also, age is a massive hindrance in recovery as we all know just from simple injuries we sustain. Dez had already begun decline even before his injury.

Dez is only now claiming to be physically able to play and it’s been 18 months since his injury. It hasn’t been easy for him at all.

No, but that "18 months" is that much more time to fully recover, right?

The information below is a medical white paper by SAGE Journals which is an academic publishing organization.

This was geared toward running backs, but I think it’s likely that WR and CB would be the closest comparable positions to the comments below

Results:

• 78 Achilles tendon ruptures were identified in professional football players during the 2010-2015 NFL seasons.
• 58% of these injuries occurred during the preseason.
• Of those that suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, 26% did not ever return to play in the NFL.
• Players who did return to play in the NFL took an average of 9 months to recover after the date of injury.
• Across all positions, there was a net decrease in power ratings by 22% and a net decrease in approximate value by 23% over 3 years following player return after Achilles tendon rupture.
• Across all positions, running backs saw the biggest decrease in production with a 78% decrease over 3 years post-injury in both power ratings and approximate value.

Here's Dez's best contemporary and comparison - Demaryius Thomas:

Same draft.
Same body type.
Same skill set.
Same big contracts.
Same injury.
Same expectations.
Only Thomas came back from his achilles injury in a few months time to play in 2019. And Thomas is even older.
Dez has had even more time to recover and recuperate.

 

[RonnieT24]

I'm not asking him to. I'm looking for a role-playing 4th WR and red zone specialist. Heck, maybe I'd even have him return punts as long as he held up. Not like this team has anyone doing anything there, right?



No, but that "18 months" is that much more time to fully recover, right?



Here's Dez's best contemporary and comparison - Demaryius Thomas:

Same draft.
Same body type.
Same skill set.
Same big contracts.
Same injury.
Same expectations.
Only Thomas came back from his achilles injury in a few months time to play in 2019. And Thomas is even older.
Dez has had even more time to recover and recuperate.

A couple of comps off the top of my head are Dominique Wilkins and Kobe Bryant (R.I.P.).. both explosive leapers whose sports places a similar demand on that part of the body as does playing wide receiver.. Both returned to elite level athleticism within two years. I know Pup (Kevin Smith) never fully regained his form after his achilles tear but his problems were more mental than physical IMHO. He became more handsy after the injury because he didn't trust his catchup speed anymore even though he was always right there with his man..

 

[Kwyn]

Here's Dez's best contemporary and comparison - Demaryius Thomas:

Same draft.
Same body type.
Same skill set.
Same big contracts.
Same injury.
Same expectations.
Only Thomas came back from his achilles injury in a few months time to play in 2019. And Thomas is even older.
Dez has had even more time to recover and recuperate.

Never said it was impossible, just exceedingly rare.

Thomas was a rare recovery and you left out the most important part which makes it an *unfair* comparison

Thomas was 24 years old when he had his tear after his rookie season.

Dez was 30 and had already played in 113 games over 8 seasons when he suffered his tear.

Time waits for no man.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Dez and those fervently believing he can make a meaningful contribution are, in my opinion, wishing

I would love to be wrong. I really would. I loved Dez’s competitive spirit and in his prime he was a beast. Now, I’m afraid, he’s gotten a bit long in the tooth, and not just his age, to play in the NFL

 

[Stash]

A couple of comps off the top of my head are Dominique Wilkins and Kobe Bryant (R.I.P.).. both explosive leapers whose sports places a similar demand on that part of the body as does playing wide receiver.. Both returned to elite level athleticism within two years. I know Pup (Kevin Smith) never fully regained his form after his achilles tear but his problems were more mental than physical IMHO. He became more handsy after the injury because he didn't trust his catchup speed anymore even though he was always right there with his man..

And Pup had his decades ago now, sports medicine and dealing with achilles injuries has evolved 100-fold since then. As I mentioned, Thomas tore his at the end of the season (if not playoffs) and returned to play the next season.

And for the record? Thomas came back from two of them!

 

[Stash]

Never said it was impossible, just exceedingly rare.

Thomas was a rare recovery and you left out the most important part which makes it an *unfair* comparison

Thomas was 24 years old when he had his tear after his rookie season.

Actually, I was doing you a favor.

Thomas came back from two of them. One at the end of the 2018 season, to then play in 2019.

Dez was 30 and had already played in 113 games over 8 seasons when he suffered his tear.

Time waits for no man.

Again, see above, you may want to rethink this statement?

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Dez and those fervently believing he can make a meaningful contribution are, in my opinion, wishing

I would love to be wrong. I really would. I loved Dez’s competitive spirit and in his prime he was a beast. Now, I’m afraid, he’s gotten a bit long in the tooth, and not just his age, to play in the NFL

Your opinion is duly noted. We'll see how this plays out.

 

[Hennessy_King]

Reads like a clear double standard then.

Lee "played poorly" at the position they put him in at strongside linebacker. But when put back at his actual weakside position, he played better than any of them. If there's blame to be placed for the situations, blame the team for paying the wrong people and playing them in the wrong roles, not the players for being who they are.

well i blame marinelli for all of our defensive woes if it makes you feel any better. would rather spend the money on an impact d lineman or secondary player

 

[zerofill]

Inside scoop is... Dez is coming in for QB. He has been with Tom House for over a year.

















yeah jk...obviously

 

[Stash]

well i blame marinelli for all of our defensive woes if it makes you feel any better. would rather spend the money on an impact d lineman or secondary player

Fair enough.

 

[Kwyn]

And Pup had his decades ago now, sports medicine and dealing with achilles injuries has evolved 100-fold since then. As I mentioned, Thomas tore his at the end of the season (if not playoffs) and returned to play the next season.

And for the record? Thomas came back from two of them!

No doubt, Thomas had an amazing recovery. I’d the medical and the drills show Dez had the same freakish recovery then perhaps there’s a shot

 

[Hook'em#11]

The Twitter clip of him running a couple of routes was pretty embarrassing.

Where are your routes? Let's compare. yeah?

 

[Redball Express]

The Twitter clip of him running a couple of routes was pretty embarrassing.

Did not see that.

 

[Stash]

No doubt, Thomas had an amazing recovery. I’d the medical and the drills show Dez had the same freakish recovery then perhaps there’s a shot

Just hoping that they give the guy a chance to show what - if anything - he has left. If he doesn't? Or if McCarthy doesn't think he's a good fit? Fine, move on. But investigate what might be an opportunity to improve the team.