Arch Stanton
it was the grave marked unknown right beside
- Messages
- 6,474
- Reaction score
- 0
Dallas blessed to get Bryant
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 4/25/2010**2:22 AM
Last Modified: 4/25/2010**2:33 AM
THE DALLAS Cowboys, who believe they were just a player or two away from the Super Bowl last season, may have found that player in Dez Bryant.
Bryant, the sensational but somewhat troubled wide receiver from Oklahoma State, could be the final piece of what the Cowboys need to reach the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium next February.
Dallas may have pulled off the steal of the NFL draft if Bryant, a fabulous talent but with baggage, will grow up and match his on-the-field magic with personal responsibility.
Certainly, there is the strong potential that Bryant makes the Cowboys significantly better.
"We have had people say that he is the best player in the draft," said Dallas owner Jerry Jones at a press conference. "We didn't have him rated as the best player in the draft, but I'm saying with that kind of talent."
There seems to be a universal opinion among draft experts that Bryant oozes with the kind of ability that can make him an all-pro.
The negatives, the things that could derail his career, may have been overplayed by some NFL personnel execs.
Lying to NCAA investigators, and tardiness to practice as a freshman at OSU, probably doesn't rank among the usual NFL character issues such as drugs, assaults and assorted felonies.
Yes, he should not have lied to the NCAA. But, no one has alleged Bryant may have used poor judgment in any Georgia college bars.
Yet, it was those character questions that made it possible for the Cowboys to grab him so late in the first round.
In hindsight, it might have been a blessing in disguise for both the Cowboys, who need another serious receiving threat, and for Bryant, who ends up on a team with a pro bowl quarterback.
Bryant goes to a team where he can be a piece of the Super Bowl puzzle from his first day as a pro.
The Cowboys have what every receiver covets — a pro bowl quarterback with Tony Romo.
In addition, the Cowboys have pro bowlers in wide receiver Miles Austin and tight end Jason Witten. Running back Felix Jones, from Tulsa, may be on the verge of a breakout season.
In other words, Bryant can work his way onto this team without having to be the go-to guy. No pressure. Just fit in. Do the right things, both on the field and as a person.
If Bryant arrives with the kind of determination to prove his detractors wrong, as he has said, then Dallas may have pulled off quite a coup by trading up three slots to get Bryant.
"We thought this guy could make a difference," said Dallas coach Wade Phillips. "He's a playmaker."
When Bryant is on, and that was often the past two years, he was nearly untouchable. There are players currently in the NFL that couldn't cover him.
There are future NFL players that he ran past.
Some suggested Jones was determined to get Bryant because he regrets not drafting Randy Moss when he had the chance 12 years ago. Moss also had off-the-field concerns.
But, Moss came into the league, determined to prove his critics wrong, and has gone on to be one of the best players in the league over the last decade.
"I didn't need the encouragement of the revisit of the Randy Moss decision or anything I regretted there to get us to this point with Dez Bryant," Jones said.
Instead, the Cowboys targeted Bryant because they felt he could fall within range. Dallas had him rated among the three players it considered "exceptional."
The other two were long gone by the time Dallas started evaluating what was left in the draft for them in the first round.
"We saw it coming so we didn't have to hesitate or be apprehensive about it," Jones said. "We felt pretty strongly that we should go on in there and get him."
In the end, all of the rumors, all of the skepticism, worked for Dallas.
"I know it impacted where he was taken because he is a better player than that," Jones said.
And, Jones was sold on Bryant after meeting with him and thoroughly checking him out with others.
"Good person, good person, conscientious," Jones said. "Those kinds of things."
What no one had to do was convince them what type of player he could be.
"He has a chance to be a game changer," said Jones. "We wouldn't have drafted him if we hadn't felt good that he could be a real significant player for the Cowboys. And, I do mean the word significant because he does have that potential."
In the final analysis, NFL teams want players. It is a bonus if they are model citizens. But, the reality is almost everyone has some negatives. Some more than others.
Bryant's downside cost him some money. But, it may have helped the Cowboys hit the jackpot.
Read John Klein's blog at
tulsaworld.com/sportsextra
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...id=203&articleid=20100425_203_B3_THEDAL426662
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 4/25/2010**2:22 AM
Last Modified: 4/25/2010**2:33 AM
THE DALLAS Cowboys, who believe they were just a player or two away from the Super Bowl last season, may have found that player in Dez Bryant.
Bryant, the sensational but somewhat troubled wide receiver from Oklahoma State, could be the final piece of what the Cowboys need to reach the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium next February.
Dallas may have pulled off the steal of the NFL draft if Bryant, a fabulous talent but with baggage, will grow up and match his on-the-field magic with personal responsibility.
Certainly, there is the strong potential that Bryant makes the Cowboys significantly better.
"We have had people say that he is the best player in the draft," said Dallas owner Jerry Jones at a press conference. "We didn't have him rated as the best player in the draft, but I'm saying with that kind of talent."
There seems to be a universal opinion among draft experts that Bryant oozes with the kind of ability that can make him an all-pro.
The negatives, the things that could derail his career, may have been overplayed by some NFL personnel execs.
Lying to NCAA investigators, and tardiness to practice as a freshman at OSU, probably doesn't rank among the usual NFL character issues such as drugs, assaults and assorted felonies.
Yes, he should not have lied to the NCAA. But, no one has alleged Bryant may have used poor judgment in any Georgia college bars.
Yet, it was those character questions that made it possible for the Cowboys to grab him so late in the first round.
In hindsight, it might have been a blessing in disguise for both the Cowboys, who need another serious receiving threat, and for Bryant, who ends up on a team with a pro bowl quarterback.
Bryant goes to a team where he can be a piece of the Super Bowl puzzle from his first day as a pro.
The Cowboys have what every receiver covets — a pro bowl quarterback with Tony Romo.
In addition, the Cowboys have pro bowlers in wide receiver Miles Austin and tight end Jason Witten. Running back Felix Jones, from Tulsa, may be on the verge of a breakout season.
In other words, Bryant can work his way onto this team without having to be the go-to guy. No pressure. Just fit in. Do the right things, both on the field and as a person.
If Bryant arrives with the kind of determination to prove his detractors wrong, as he has said, then Dallas may have pulled off quite a coup by trading up three slots to get Bryant.
"We thought this guy could make a difference," said Dallas coach Wade Phillips. "He's a playmaker."
When Bryant is on, and that was often the past two years, he was nearly untouchable. There are players currently in the NFL that couldn't cover him.
There are future NFL players that he ran past.
Some suggested Jones was determined to get Bryant because he regrets not drafting Randy Moss when he had the chance 12 years ago. Moss also had off-the-field concerns.
But, Moss came into the league, determined to prove his critics wrong, and has gone on to be one of the best players in the league over the last decade.
"I didn't need the encouragement of the revisit of the Randy Moss decision or anything I regretted there to get us to this point with Dez Bryant," Jones said.
Instead, the Cowboys targeted Bryant because they felt he could fall within range. Dallas had him rated among the three players it considered "exceptional."
The other two were long gone by the time Dallas started evaluating what was left in the draft for them in the first round.
"We saw it coming so we didn't have to hesitate or be apprehensive about it," Jones said. "We felt pretty strongly that we should go on in there and get him."
In the end, all of the rumors, all of the skepticism, worked for Dallas.
"I know it impacted where he was taken because he is a better player than that," Jones said.
And, Jones was sold on Bryant after meeting with him and thoroughly checking him out with others.
"Good person, good person, conscientious," Jones said. "Those kinds of things."
What no one had to do was convince them what type of player he could be.
"He has a chance to be a game changer," said Jones. "We wouldn't have drafted him if we hadn't felt good that he could be a real significant player for the Cowboys. And, I do mean the word significant because he does have that potential."
In the final analysis, NFL teams want players. It is a bonus if they are model citizens. But, the reality is almost everyone has some negatives. Some more than others.
Bryant's downside cost him some money. But, it may have helped the Cowboys hit the jackpot.
Read John Klein's blog at
tulsaworld.com/sportsextra
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...id=203&articleid=20100425_203_B3_THEDAL426662
