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

[landroverking]

Talking sports heads.
Dez doesn't know the play book.
Dez doesn't run good routes.
Dez just isn't that smart.
This is what non Cowboys fan and sports talk show hosts say.
Is there any truth here?

 

[plasticman]

I wish that articles like this wouldnt turn posters into a Cowboy player vs. Cowboy player debate.

"It's his fault." ..."No. It's his fault."

It creates a pesrpective that posters have their own personal horses in the race, so to speak, my guy against your gut and if there is something going wrong then it must be your guy.

Hey, if you are a Cowboy fan then they are all your guys!

The issue last Sunday was the Giants needed the game more and they played like it.

The Cowboys are the better team but they haven't developed the killer instinct to play at that level needed to dominate a lesser opponent. They were sloppy and kept the game close enough for the Giants to steal it in the end. That will change with more experience.

In the meantime, they can get back on track in four days.

 

[Wood]

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

the problem here is you have previous GM, scouts, HOF WR coming out and basically saying Dez can be a mess with his routes. At this stage I just think we have to accept Dez for his limitations and hope that he doesn't have one of these perplexing route running games in playoffs.

 

[Wood]

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

so was belichick

 

[xwalker]

That's not correct. There are other QB-WR combinations with a lower catch percentage (including Dak to Brice Butler) and many other receivers with a lower catch percentage between multiple quarterbacks.

Do any starting WRs have a lower catch percentage. I mean guys that have started all of the games in which they were not out injured.

 

[xwalker]

Dez gets separation. His routes are more reserved for routes where the QB has to anticipate the throw. He may not be open mid-route or even 3/4 of the route, but if the QB anticipates, he'll be open. This is really that last frontier that a QB has to go before becoming elite...consistently anticipating throws. This is why Dez was so good with Romo because anticipation is one of Tony's strongsuits. And Tony isn't exactly a precision passer on the deep ball.

I wouldn't confuse Dez with Steve Largent when it comes to running routes...but plenty of top notch receivers are not the best route runners. Calvin Johnson certainly wasn't, but at 6'6" and 240 pounds, he didn't need to be.

Where Dez struggles is in the more little things like hand placement to fight off jams and when the DB is engaged, using his footwork, etc. I can see why the staff is on him about practicing because he gets rusty in those areas without practice time. Probably the thing that stood out to me was the long pass that Dak made to him that Dez caught in the Minny game. He should have walked in for a TD, instead he made a small stutter step and misjudged the ball. He caught it, but he fell over because he lost his balance. That's something that Dez wouldn't do in previous years and it made an easy catch look pretty discombobulated.




YR

If the QB throw to Dez on anticipation it is likely to fail. The INT where he fell down is an example.

 

[xwalker]

So Dez played well with Romo, great chemistry, tore the league up from 2012 to 2014. A new QB comes in, and the "lack" of production is on Dez, not the rookie QB...

Dez got paid between then and now.

 

[Gaede]

Dez is no Irvin, that's for sure.

Would be nice to have someone reliable at that position. Not just Beasely. Who is like 5'2

 

[xwalker]

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

They describe his cut that led to the INT. I tried to explain that he didn't use proper technique when making the cut which caused him to fall.
@FuzzyLumpkins claimed I was imagining it, but it appears that someone else saw a similar problem.

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.

 

[xwalker]

Talking sports heads.
Dez doesn't know the play book.
Dez doesn't run good routes.
Dez just isn't that smart.
This is what non Cowboys fan and sports talk show hosts say.
Is there any truth here?

When Dez was at his peak, his super athletic ability covered up for being a poor route running and not a master of technique. It was similar to how Larry Allen didn't really play with much technique because he didn't have to due to his overwhelming physical ability.

Now Dez has lost a step. Many players that lose a step make up for it because they've learned after years of being in the NFL to master route running and other techniques but Dez can't fall back on that because he has not learned proper route running.

 

[reddyuta]

It wasnt a problem with Romo because Romo had impeccable ball placement and its didnt matter if Dez didnt have any separation,Dak is still a rookie.

 

[xwalker]

Yeah, we need to address WR in the offseason. Seriously address it.

 

[RoboQB]

I think you got it a bit backwards there mate

How so? Maybe you're backwards.

 

[Alexander]

I know the Dez truthers will hate it, but the idea that he is a dominant force, ala Jones or Green, is simply not the case anymore.

We are very close to having a poor WR group in 2017. I know I would not count on him to suddenly shake off his accumulated injuries and be a true WR1.

He might have delivered his best in 2014, sad to say.

 

[xwalker]

Yes, he's dumb as a brick. All you have to do is listen to an interview.

I would not mind if he was just dumb if he didn't demand the ball, throw fits, distract teammates and threaten to hold out when they gave him the franchise tag (considering all that Jerry had done to protect him.

 

[Doomsday101]

Only issue I have is not getting open enough. Yes I know he will at time draw double teams but great WR find ways to g

I know the Dez truthers will hate it, but the idea that he is a dominant force, ala Jones or Green, is simply not the case anymore.

We are very close to having a poor WR group in 2017. I know I would not count on him to suddenly shake off his accumulated injuries and be a true WR1.

He might have delivered his best in 2014, sad to say.

well somehow it is the coaches fault he can't get open. I don't know what the deal is with Dez but Cowboys need him to start making an impact after all that is why they paid him the big buck

 

[xwalker]

The bad data came from Nick Wright and not Lombardi. And it was a bad stat, not shorthand.

Dak and Dez both had a bad game last weekend. Pretty simple. Dez has had several this year, I don't think anybody disputes that. Other than most of the PHI game, Dak really hasn't had a game like last week's where he just didn't play well. Definitely not in MIN, though everybody jumps on that because of the passing yardage.

Dak is a rookie 4th round pick that has won 11 games and lost 2.

Dez is a 7 year veteran that just got a 70M contract.

One is expected to have bad days while the other is expected to dominate.

 

[xwalker]

If you look over the course of Dez's career...he's caught a lot of balls with guys draped over him...and a more modest amount when he's really achieved separation. If he gets wide open it's usually because of a breakdown on defense or a fake in play-action.

Witten can get open and he is slow as molasses.

If Dez would have mastered route running and all techniques related to playing WR in the NFL, he would be able to get open way more often.

 

[xwalker]

Dez got paid and hasnt been the same as he was in 2014, and may never be again.
He was a intense player till he got paid.
Now he just shows up and plays, maybe good maybe bad. not worth the money he is getting.

Couldn't we see that coming. If you had to pick one guy on the team other than Rolando McClain that would be affected by a big contract, it had to be Dez.

 

[Idgit]

Dak is a rookie 4th round pick that has won 11 games and lost 2.

Dez is a 7 year veteran that just got a 70M contract.

One is expected to have bad days while the other is expected to dominate.

I wasn't suggesting anything either way as far as expectations for the players go. For my part, I don't care where they came from or what their contract is. I do care about the production. They had bad days. It happens.

If you're point is that Dak's a better value than Dez, I don't think anybody would dispute that. There's a far stretch between believing that and believing Dez is actually a problem in Dallas.