Here's why Dez Bryant is the real problem for the Dallas Cowboys

[TonyRomo17]

Dez needs Romo, simple as that

 

[AdamJT13]

You are the one with some real puzzlers in this thread and you were the one attacking.

If by "attacking" you mean pointing out inaccurate or twisted stats, then I was "attacking." But YOU were the one engaged in an unprovoked personal attack.

The show is the Lombardi/Wright show. They were jointly discussing Dez's stats and shortcomings. Lombardi knows his **** as well as anyone.

Had you even bothered to read the article, you would know that the only stat I cited that was even mentioned on the show was the one Wright stated about Dez's catch rate -- you know, the one that Lombardi contradicted and that you agreed was incorrect.

EVERYTHING else I cited was by Andrew Lynch, who wrote the article.

So, to recap, I noted that Wright was wrong -- AS LOMBARDI IMPLICITLY STATED (and which you admitted) -- and I noted that Lynch twisted some stats and was wrong about others. And yet, YOU attacked me and accused me of disagreeing with Lombardi, even though I never mentioned Lombardi, never mentioned anything Lombardi said and never disagreed with anything Lombardi said.

Again, you should at least TRY to understand what's going on before unleashing your personal attacks.

 

[iRepDatStar]

11-2 problems

 

[T-RO]

BUT....BUT....I am baffled how easily people forget all of the plays Dez has made that NO ONE ELSE on this team could come close to making. All of the TDs he has caught in the redzone with multiple defenders draped all over him....are you kidding me?

Absolutely. Dez has a unique skill set--that can help us score and convert long third downs. He can be a serious weapon at the end of a game when you need someone to soar above a crowd.

I do believe we need a top wide receiver opposite Dez, and would love to see Cole used as pure slot receiver.

 

[BlueStar22]

The 2 or 3 games prior to last week, people were saying Dez was back to 2014 form...

 

[T-RO]

I'm not always impressed with former football players opinions, but when a former quarterback talks about the technique or performance of a current quarterback...I'm 100% dialed in and ready to listen.

When Chris Carter, hall-of-fame receiver talks about current NFL receivers...I'm all ears.

This is what he says about Dez:
-The player can be effectively covered with one DB
-Dez doesn't have top speed
-He really takes Dez to task for not having refined his craft--running routes

Chris also makes a fair criticism: Witten can't stretch the field and I think we fans haven't really been open to thinking about Witten in this offense.

 

[mugsybows]

Lombardi said we wouldn't even be the best team in the CFL on cowherd and he was fired From the Browns. Move along

 

[noshame]

He got paid. Yes. To be fair though, he also lost his QB. There's a trust with Romo that is impossible to be matched by Prescott
based solely on time together. Not hatin' on Dak at all here. They just aren't going to be on the same page very often until next
season. I expect they will spend time working together in the offseason.

I think you got it a bit backwards there mate

 

[jwooten15]

Dak is still scanning the field..

Showing a still image of him looking at Dez while he is reading the defense doesn't mean he has stopped reading the defense and is just locked on Dez.

That's the first interception, so...

If he saw all other targets and still chose to throw the ball to Dez, we have an even bigger problem there.

 

[CATCH17]

That's the first interception, so...

If he saw all other targets and still chose to throw the ball to Dez, we have an even bigger problem there.

On that play he did look at Dez the entire time.

That his fault. Not Dez's.

 

[T-RO]

Lombardi said we wouldn't even be the best team in the CFL on cowherd and he was fired From the Browns. Move along

Lombardi never said that.

Fired by the Browns? LOL...he was hired right after by the Patriots.

The man currently working for Bellichick. He worked under another hall-of-fame coach Bill Walsh...and is VERY well respected.

 

[Rogerthat12]

By Andrew LynchDec 14, 2016 at 4:29p ET


For a team that didn't suffer its second loss of the season until December, the Dallas Cowboys sure have a lot of drama.



Between a rough schedule for the remainder of the year, the shine coming off of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, and the very real possibility that the Cowboys could tumble down the standings before the playoffs, one might even argue that Dallas is on the verge of disaster. And in this week's episode of the "Make Me Smarter" football podcast, NFL insider Michael
Lombardi argues that Dez Bryant is the major reason for the Cowboys' relative struggles of late.





Nick Wright: Let me give the audience a stat, because this is jarring. The least-efficient quarterback-to-wide receiver combo in football this year is Dak Prescott to Dez Bryant. 80 targets, only 38 completions.



Lombardi: I think the narrative here is completely wrong. ... I was a bartender in college, and the guy that you're bartending with says to the owner, "Watch that other guy, he's stealing." But the guy who says that is the guy stealing.



This is the narrative: "Watch Dak, he's not playing good," right? But Dez is the guy who's not playing good. Let's be real honest here, Dez is the problem. The shift in the narrative is on someone else. ... I mean, look at the numbers. Dez is 12th out of the 13 [receivers] on the Cowboys in completion percentage. He's had 80 targets and has had 38 catches.



It's ridiculous. He's a No. 1 — paid like a No. 1 receiver in the NFL — and behaving like a 2 and a 3. I mean, Beasley's outplaying him. Terrance Williams is outplaying him. So for me, it starts with Dez.



And here's why Dez is a difficult guy for anybody who plays quarterback, okay? Dez is a guy who plays fast when he knows where he's going. When there's a little bit of hesitation in Dez's game, like let's just take the two slants. The one that was intercepted, he did an outside release technique, kind of a funky one because Janoris Jenkins lured him into making that release, and he wasn't comfortable with what he did. And he got all tangled up and tried to get back inside, and that was the interception.



Was that Dak's fault? I'd say no, that was more the receiver's fault on the release. But most of America is going to say, "Well, the quarterback threw a bad ball." Then he makes the right release, and he fumbles. ...



When you watch the Cowboys, encourage Dez Bryant to start making some plays.

It's worth noting, of course, that Bryant has battled injury for most of this season. Still, Lombardi's criticisms have nothing to do with effort or health. Bryant's technique is off, which in turn is throwing off Prescott, and that has the Cowboys in serious trouble headed into the final weeks of the season.



Just how poorly has Bryant played this year? Bryant is on pace for the worst full season of his career in catch percentage and receptions per game, as well as his worst season in total yards and receptions since his rookie campaign in 2010. The one bright side: Bryant's 16.9 yards per reception would be a career best.



Between Dallas' defensive woes and the potential for weather to be a factor in the playoffs, the Cowboys can't afford many mistakes if they truly are Super Bowl contenders. Yet if Jerry Jones' team is going to get back on track before the postseason, it won't be thanks to a quarterback change. These Cowboys need their top receiver to play like he's actually elite.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...ntroversy-change-super-bowl-contenders-121416

The real problem revealed:

 

[jwooten15]

On that play he did look at Dez the entire time.

That his fault. Not Dez's.

Oh yeah, totally agree. That's all Dak.

The problem I'm afraid of is that Dez's personality is effecting Dak's decisions. After the first game, Dak said all the "right things", when he said that he would continue to read the defense, and throw it to whoever was open. That he would not go out of his way to get Dez the ball.

But for whatever reason, he's stopped doing that, to a certain degree. I understand wanting to give Dez an opportunity to go "get it", but Dak needs to pick and choose when to do that.

Honestly, we don't know what has slowed the offense down so much recently, but over-targeting any WR not named Brown, Jones, or Green will lead to problems. Those three guys always get open and always go hard. Dez does not.

 

[bayeslife]

What happened on this play and what was the down and distance?

It's a still frame, it's got all the information you could ever need, silly.

 

[jwooten15]

The real problem revealed:

Can't EVER trust a monkey..

 

[jwooten15]

What happened on this play and what was the down and distance?

I believe it's the first inteception

 

[CATCH17]

Oh yeah, totally agree. That's all Dak.

The problem I'm afraid of is that Dez's personality is effecting Dak's decisions. After the first game, Dak said all the "right things", when he said that he would continue to read the defense, and throw it to whoever was open. That he would not go out of his way to get Dez the ball.

Dez's personality has always pointed to the complete opposite.


Maybe this should just be chalked up to Dak making a pre-snap decision that he was going to go to Dez based on the defenses alignment.

 

[jwooten15]

Dez's personality has always pointed to the complete opposite.


Maybe this should just be chalked up to Dak making a pre-snap decision that he was going to go to Dez based on the defenses alignment.

That's probably closer to the truth. Rookie problems.

 

[tyke1doe]

I'm not always impressed with former football players opinions, but when a former quarterback talks about the technique or performance of a current quarterback...I'm 100% dialed in and ready to listen.

When Chris Carter, hall-of-fame receiver talks about current NFL receivers...I'm all ears.

This is what he says about Dez:
-The player can be effectively covered with one DB
-Dez doesn't have top speed
-He really takes Dez to task for not having refined his craft--running routes

Chris also makes a fair criticism: Witten can't stretch the field and I think we fans haven't really been open to thinking about Witten in this offense.

I agree on his assessment of Dez. As for Witten, has he ever been able to stretch the field? No one has ever confused him with Tony Gonzalez or Shannon Sharpe have they?

 

[tyke1doe]

Lombardi said we wouldn't even be the best team in the CFL on cowherd and he was fired From the Browns. Move along

If he was fired from the Browns, you most definitely should listen to his opinion.