Dez won’t be a HOFer but you can’t deny that the dude brought it as well.
I entirely understand side conversation but Dez gave our franchise everything he could. For that, I respect the guy.
I'm afraid I can deny it. The moment he signed his new contract his thousand yard seasons were over. I know he was injured a lot and I know the expectation was that his body and physical skills would decline.
However, Dez's technique also declined at a point where it should have increased and more than made up for any decline in physical ability. just like most other great receivers. In his last three seasons in which he played for the Cowboys his combined catch percentage was less than 50%. That was terrible.
Unfortunately, Dez didn't want it bad enough until he didn't have it any more.
I once met a man by the name of Robert Steele. He was the WR that the Cowboys added to their roster after they traded Golden Richards in 1978. You won't see his name on stats because he didn't have any. He didn't have any because he was Drew Pearson's backup. He told me he was lucky to get reps in practice, Pearson absolutely insisted on taking as many of the reps as was physically possible.
Mr. Steele told me that Drew Pearson ran his routes like a surgeon. He would take a tape measure to practice with him. He was always where he had to be on the field. That is dedication to his craft. Dez never had that.