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DAL WR Dez Bryant's Prospects? (1 Viewer)

Do the Cowboys let Austin walk next year?
I think Jerry Jones has a man crush on Austin. You're right in that we don't know for sure, but my money is on him staying put.
He's not going anywhere.
i think a big reason many are excited about the cowboys passing game, and romo's prospects, is because of bryant AND austin together (& witten, of course)... subtract austin out of the equation, and they aren't nearly as scary (would that make williams a starter again?)...
 
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I'd like to see Dez Bryant signed to a contract and attending all OTAs / mini-camps / practices before I jump on the band wagon. If he holds out, I'd have trouble taking him ahead of the "top 36" or so WRs who are more proven and will generate some production.

For fantasy purposes, I am always a big believer in waiting on a QB until the 7th+ round a la The Perfect Draft, but this year Rivers or Romo might be hard to pass up in the late 3rd or early 4th if he's still there. Romo has been QB2, QB9 and QB6 the past 3 years. Rivers or Romo in the 3rd/4th is a little higher than I prefer to take a QB (rather grab 2qb in rounds 7-11 and get value) but I consistently waste either my 3rd or 4th round pick on a player who doesn't crack my starting lineup.

Dez Bryant, maybe worth a shot in the dark as a 3rd/4th WR in the 9th or 10th round of your fantasy draft.

 
A question.

If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?

 
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did teams pass on Randy Moss?
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did 26 teams pass on Dan Marino in the 1983 Draft? Clearly he had the goods over most others and it was proven almost immediately. In 1983, Marino took over for Woodley by the 5th or 6th week, I was at the Kansas City game where Marino came out in the 2nd half and took charge. The next week they played the Raiders, then the following week he got the start agianst Buffalo and threw the lights out but lost. From that point on he had a marvelous rookie year and Miami lost to Seattle at home in round 1 of the playoffs. In 1984 they would dismantle Seattle in the playoffs on their way to meet San Fran. This moment in history brought to you by Viagra
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Outside of the top few picks, which were all talented players at more vital positions, the teams that passed on Dez will regret it. I hate to keep likening it to the Randy Moss situation but it is. Bryant's "character" issues are overblown. He has nothing in his past thats compares with the likes of Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Santonio Holmes or Terrell Owens. Yet all of those players are/were elite WR's who made a huge impact on the game, despite more serious character issues. You have your guys like McDaniels who think they are smarter than everyone by taking D. Thomas instead. Thomas is a good prospect no doubt, but he isn't Dez. That was a straight up ego pick. I also believe the New England front office has lost a lot of their magic in recent years. They continue to rely on their old strategies that made them successful in the past, but I think that they are being passed by. Look at what they did in the draft, and tell me if you would have preferred that or a scenario in which they took Bryant and traded back into the 1st for Jahvid Best. They needed difference makers, and they passed on one of the biggest ones in the draft at a position of need. Are Devin McCourtney and Taylor Price going to be bringing the Lombardi back to New England?
 
lord_helmet said:
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did teams pass on Randy Moss?
Moss' college career had numerous off-field issues - misdemeanor battery, marijuana use, failed drug tests, losing his scholarship, etc. So he fell, despite his college numbers simply being off the charts. Two years, 3500 yards, 50 TDs, etc. Bryant had one uber year in college. His 40 times that I've seen are nowhere near Moss-like. His off-field issues are more stupid than criminal. There are similarities, yes. So you're saying that Bryant is like Moss?
 
There are similarities, yes. So you're saying that Bryant is like Moss?
Only in the way that teams passed on them both due to non-football issues. Bryant has already expressed a desire to punish those teams, I'm a believer that he can do it.I don't care much about 40 times.
 
Carter_Can_Fly said:
I think the sky is the limit with Bryant. It would be a bold move, but I would take Bryant in a dynasty format ahead of Austin. Everyone is gushing over Austin who is coming off a tremendous year. I think part of the gushing for Austin is he came out of no where to have such a good year. Sure, Austin passes the eye ball test and has some great football in front of him. But I think Bryant will be the more heavily targeted WR as early as next year. I think Bryant is a day 1 starter this year and has stud status written all over him as early as next year.
Not to rain on the "Dez Bryant to the HOF parade" here, but there are still quite a few things that a rookie WR must master before he just steps into the starting lineup, esp on a contending team. Beating press coverage, route-running, and let's not forget learning the playbook and blocking, are just a few of the nuances of the game this kid will have to adjust to. Where I'm going with this is that over the long-term the potential for being very good, maybe even elite, is there, but I would place a very heavy bet to say that he is not a starter from Day 1. I believe it will take at least a few games for Dez to pick things up and gain enough trust from others that he knows what he is doing at all times out there. He will not be handed a starting gig, as this situatio will be similar in some respects to Felix's situation when he came in. Clearly more talented than the incumbent but still relegated to second team status.......How long? Over/under @ 5 weeks, esp if Dallas is winning
 
lord_helmet said:
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did teams pass on Randy Moss?
Moss' college career had numerous off-field issues - misdemeanor battery, marijuana use, failed drug tests, losing his scholarship, etc. So he fell, despite his college numbers simply being off the charts. Two years, 3500 yards, 50 TDs, etc. Bryant had one uber year in college. His 40 times that I've seen are nowhere near Moss-like. His off-field issues are more stupid than criminal. There are similarities, yes. So you're saying that Bryant is like Moss?
Here are the similarities. Dallas passed on Randy Moss and I think Jerry Jones even made a comment about his off field issues like Dallas was above all that stuff. So it's ironic that many years later they find themselves in the same position but this time they decide to not pass but to move up and go get him. Dez Bryant is not Randy Moss but he has a lot of intangibles that everyone is looking at. 1. The simple eyeball test, even folks that don't follow a lot of football can look at this guy and see the potential when you watch him practice. I remeber when Roddy WHite was coming up thru the ranks and fans from here would report back from the practices and say that White was head and shoulders above everyone else. Bryant has some of those traits. 2. He is going to a team fully loaded at the skill positions already. How can defenses design gameplans to stop Bryant at this point? Witten. Austin, and the RBs are going to be the focus for most defenses so everytime Bryant is on the field he will likely be matched up against the opposition's DB2, DB3(Nickel), DB4(dime)...he can just fly down the field or more likely find a soft spot 10-15 yds down the seam or across the middle and look out once he gets the ball in his hands. 3. Great QB. Romo has finished top10 3 years in a row so he has an established QB to throw him the ball, how many gifted WRs get that when they first come into the league? And he has an owner that truly believes in him and will do everything in his power to help Dez succeed. I have gained a lot of respect for Jerry Jones over the years. I might not agree with everything he does or the way he does it, but JJ is a fierce competitor. When owners like Ralph Wilson are taking their sleep meds and turning in for the night at 7:00, JJ is working hard and trying to make the Cowboys the best team in the NFL. You can't ask for more than that.
 
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Expecting too much from a rookie, any rookie, is not a good MO. The biggest dangers to Dez Bryant as I see it are too big expectations from day 1 (draft position should help with that a little though) and the extreme media attention.

 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
The Pats may not have wanted him, but they made sure the Ravens didn't get him by making the trade with the Cowboys.
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Hi Sylira,That's a totally fair and a good question. You got some good answers already it looks like. One tangent point - I hear a lot of folks saying "his character issues are overblown". That may very well be true. I've been a long time proponent of saying that many players unfairly get a bad rap. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are two of my favorite players. I truly believe that both of their "bad attitude" reputations are overblown. It's a human nature thing to start looking more closely at something once you detect something. I can build a boat and if it has a bad spot on the gelcoat, the owner suddenly raises his standards and starts looking more closely at the rest of the boat. An issue on the upholstery that might not have been an issue otherwise, becomes an issue after he finds the gelcoat problem. It's the same with Randy Moss. Once he does one bad thing, the next thing he does gets way more scrutiny. It's not a bad thing - it's just human nature.So I can easily see how Bryant's character stuff can be overblown.BUT, I will say this - most of the people (myself included) don't have a fraction of the real life knowledge of the situation on these players that these teams do. As we saw with Jeff Ireland, these players get a microscope put on them. If you ask me who I think has a better grasp of Dez Bryant's character - An NFL GM or the average football fan, I'm going to go with the GM. Just because he's got knowledge of the situation most of us don't have. So while the answer you'll get when you ask why did GMs pass on Bryant will be people shouting Randy Moss or Dan Marino, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the GMs here. But the flip side to that is you could make the case that Denver was really the only team that went with another WR. Should be fun to see how this plays out.If you asked for my gut feel, I feel the character thing was overblown and that he'll be good this year with the chance to be very good in years 2 and 3. I do not see him having anything like a Randy Moss type rookie year as many seem to.J
 
Here are the similarities. Dallas passed on Randy Moss and I think Jerry Jones even made a comment about his off field issues like Dallas was above all that stuff. So it's ironic that many years later they find themselves in the same position but this time they decide to not pass but to move up and go get him. Dez Bryant is not Randy Moss but he has a lot of intangibles that everyone is looking at. 1. The simple eyeball test, even folks that don't follow a lot of football can look at this guy and see the potential when you watch him practice. I remeber when Roddy WHite was coming up thru the ranks and fans from here would report back from the practices and say that White was head and shoulders above everyone else. Bryant has some of those traits. 2. He is going to a team fully loaded at the skill positions already. How can defenses design gameplans to stop Bryant at this point? Witten. Austin, and the RBs are going to be the focus for most defenses so everytime Bryant is on the field he will likely be matched up against the opposition's DB2, DB3(Nickel), DB4(dime)...he can just fly down the field or more likely find a soft spot 10-15 yds down the seam or across the middle and look out once he gets the ball in his hands. 3. Great QB. Romo has finished top10 3 years in a row so he has an established QB to throw him the ball, how many gifted WRs get that when they first come into the league? And he has an owner that truly believes in him and will do everything in his power to help Dez succeed. I have gained a lot of respect for Jerry Jones over the years. I might not agree with everything he does or the way he does it, but JJ is a fierce competitor. When owners like Ralph Wilson are taking their sleep meds and turning in for the night at 7:00, JJ is working hard and trying to make the Cowboys the best team in the NFL. You can't ask for more than that.
1. Agreed. He looks really, really good.2. This one I always go back and forth on - Bryant will not draw the top corner often, but there are so many mouths to feed. Will he get the number of targets to post elite numbers? I dunno.3. Very good point. Romo has shown he can make his number 1 receiver a star, and even 1 and 1a (last year). I guess it does go back to intangibles, and is Bryant going to be mature enough to succeed. I would have bet against Moss, so I'm not even going to try to guess. The Cowboys are sure a media fishbowl.
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Hi Sylira,That's a totally fair and a good question. You got some good answers already it looks like. One tangent point - I hear a lot of folks saying "his character issues are overblown". That may very well be true. I've been a long time proponent of saying that many players unfairly get a bad rap. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are two of my favorite players. I truly believe that both of their "bad attitude" reputations are overblown. It's a human nature thing to start looking more closely at something once you detect something. I can build a boat and if it has a bad spot on the gelcoat, the owner suddenly raises his standards and starts looking more closely at the rest of the boat. An issue on the upholstery that might not have been an issue otherwise, becomes an issue after he finds the gelcoat problem. It's the same with Randy Moss. Once he does one bad thing, the next thing he does gets way more scrutiny. It's not a bad thing - it's just human nature.So I can easily see how Bryant's character stuff can be overblown.BUT, I will say this - most of the people (myself included) don't have a fraction of the real life knowledge of the situation on these players that these teams do. As we saw with Jeff Ireland, these players get a microscope put on them. If you ask me who I think has a better grasp of Dez Bryant's character - An NFL GM or the average football fan, I'm going to go with the GM. Just because he's got knowledge of the situation most of us don't have. So while the answer you'll get when you ask why did GMs pass on Bryant will be people shouting Randy Moss or Dan Marino, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the GMs here. But the flip side to that is you could make the case that Denver was really the only team that went with another WR. Should be fun to see how this plays out.If you asked for my gut feel, I feel the character thing was overblown and that he'll be good this year with the chance to be very good in years 2 and 3. I do not see him having anything like a Randy Moss type rookie year as many seem to.J
:shrug: Thanks, a very reasoned analysis. I like the offseason here, you can get some really good discussion without too much heat.
 
My thought is that he's going to hit the rookie wall, hard.

I think he might very well start out like a house on fire. I could see the team getting him involved early, giving other teams something to think about. However, when the team is coming down the stretch, and they Boys are angling for the division title (as most expect they will be), I can see a scenario where Romo is going to the guys he trusts, Witten and Austin. They don't need to forcefeed the rookie, they have plenty of weapons.

Leaving aside the possibility that his physical condition may not be what it should be, he might just wear down, and tire during the season. He hasn't practiced with a football team in a long time, a lot longer than most rookies.

I think in a redraft, I might be waiting for a big week 2 or 3, than try and sell high. And if this kid does have a big 1st month of the season, the hype would be off the charts. I may be completely off on this, I don't have much in the way of evidence to support my theory, just a thought.

 
I see people are going nuts over Bryant. Anyone going to put some predictions down for how he'll do in 2010?
I posted on the previous page, but somewhere in the 50 reception range, perhaps 750 yds, and 5 Tds. You can find dozens of WRs with similar numbers and far less of a price tag. Those are just 2010 numbers, not dynasty.
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Hi Sylira,That's a totally fair and a good question. You got some good answers already it looks like. One tangent point - I hear a lot of folks saying "his character issues are overblown". That may very well be true. I've been a long time proponent of saying that many players unfairly get a bad rap. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are two of my favorite players. I truly believe that both of their "bad attitude" reputations are overblown. It's a human nature thing to start looking more closely at something once you detect something. I can build a boat and if it has a bad spot on the gelcoat, the owner suddenly raises his standards and starts looking more closely at the rest of the boat. An issue on the upholstery that might not have been an issue otherwise, becomes an issue after he finds the gelcoat problem. It's the same with Randy Moss. Once he does one bad thing, the next thing he does gets way more scrutiny. It's not a bad thing - it's just human nature.So I can easily see how Bryant's character stuff can be overblown.BUT, I will say this - most of the people (myself included) don't have a fraction of the real life knowledge of the situation on these players that these teams do. As we saw with Jeff Ireland, these players get a microscope put on them. If you ask me who I think has a better grasp of Dez Bryant's character - An NFL GM or the average football fan, I'm going to go with the GM. Just because he's got knowledge of the situation most of us don't have. So while the answer you'll get when you ask why did GMs pass on Bryant will be people shouting Randy Moss or Dan Marino, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the GMs here. But the flip side to that is you could make the case that Denver was really the only team that went with another WR. Should be fun to see how this plays out.If you asked for my gut feel, I feel the character thing was overblown and that he'll be good this year with the chance to be very good in years 2 and 3. I do not see him having anything like a Randy Moss type rookie year as many seem to.J
I think it was a combination-some GMs loved his talent, but did not want to tie their careers to the scenario if Bryant flames out.On the other end, Some GMs were on board, but could not get the Owner to sign off on the deal. At this time, Bryant was coming off a questionable workout, lost season to the NCAA, and Big Ben stories were on the front page of every paper. No Owner wants the negative publicity. Most Owners want safe first round picks, and Bryant was/is far from it.In Dallas, The Owner is the GM. Jones brought Bryant in on pre-draft visits, dinners, etc...He loved Bryant, and was willing to do whatever it took to land him, with ghosts of bypassing Moss haunting him. It's a perfect marriage, and enough support-Irvin, Deion, Jones, Dalrymple, to keep this kid on the straight and narrow.He's a stud, I took him 1.1 in my rook draft.
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did 26 teams pass on Dan Marino in the 1983 Draft? Clearly he had the goods over most others and it was proven almost immediately. In 1983, Marino took over for Woodley by the 5th or 6th week, I was at the Kansas City game where Marino came out in the 2nd half and took charge. The next week they played the Raiders, then the following week he got the start agianst Buffalo and threw the lights out but lost. From that point on he had a marvelous rookie year and Miami lost to Seattle at home in round 1 of the playoffs. In 1984 they would dismantle Seattle in the playoffs on their way to meet San Fran. This moment in history brought to you by Viagra
Unfounded rumors before the 1983 draft that Marino used marijuana and/or cocaine is widely considered the reason for his sliding in the draft.
 
Sylira21 said:
A question.If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Why did 26 teams pass on Dan Marino in the 1983 Draft? Clearly he had the goods over most others and it was proven almost immediately. In 1983, Marino took over for Woodley by the 5th or 6th week, I was at the Kansas City game where Marino came out in the 2nd half and took charge. The next week they played the Raiders, then the following week he got the start agianst Buffalo and threw the lights out but lost. From that point on he had a marvelous rookie year and Miami lost to Seattle at home in round 1 of the playoffs. In 1984 they would dismantle Seattle in the playoffs on their way to meet San Fran. This moment in history brought to you by Viagra
Unfounded rumors before the 1983 draft that Marino used marijuana and/or cocaine is widely considered the reason for his sliding in the draft.
Correct, I was going to mention that. But still he had far superior skills to most.
 
I see people are going nuts over Bryant. Anyone going to put some predictions down for how he'll do in 2010?
This season will not be a big stats year for him because he will be the third passing option as the year goes on I think he will become the #1 option. What he will do for the Cowboys this year will far outway what his numbers say. After this season he will be a 80-1200-10 guy every year. He will be a stud barring injury. Teams that passed on him will be shaking their heads in shame, Denver being the biggest.
 
I'm like many who think 2010 won't be that big, but watchout for 2011 and beyond.

First, very few rookies have big years. It just takes time to adjust to the NFL game. And given how few college games he played, he's got a lot to learn. How long will it take for him to learn EXACTLY where to be on every play when Romo expects him to be there? How long will it take him to learn all the route adjustments that WRs must make, depending on the defense? How long will it take to consistently make the same reads as Romo? And then how long will it take Romo to trust him when he already has establised trust with Austin and Witten?

The guy is a physical freak. There is no doubting that. He will be returning punts. Possibly kickoffs too. Dallas will get him touches these ways in his rookie year. I don't think he'll be in the base offense at the start of the season. Maybe by year end. Probably in 3rd down packages. If he exceeds 45 catches this season, I'll be surprised. I think he'll be more in the 35-40 catch range in 2010. But come 2011, watch out! He may well be co #1 with Austin and Witten.

 
If he's as good as advertised it won't take him years to produce. He's in a situation where he could produce big numbers fairly soon. Most elite rookie wrs don't end up in top 5 passing offenses, so its hard to compare him to rookie seasons from other elite prospects like Calvin/aj/fit as they all were drafted into horrendous offenses their rookie years.

Moss is a similar situation as far as an elite talent getting drafted by a high powered passing offense and he produced right away. Dez is no moss but is still an elite prospect and his rookie season could be more towards that end then the fit/cj/aj prospects who went to bad passing offenses their rookie seasons.

Roy is more a jake reed type and wont be an obstacle in the way of dez getting targets. Roy could easily end up being released if dez looks good in pre season activities.

 
His prospects is that the sky is the limit. Just don't give the media anything even remotely negative to work with.
How do you see him fitting into the DAL offense?J
I see him being the deep threat and Miles Austin worked more underneath on slants and things like that. I think Miles Austin runs like a RB in the open field and is much tougher to tackle.Dez Bryant has speed and great hands and will wow us with some amazing catches. In the Dallas offense, I don't think he'll be your typical rookie WR where they struggle but I don't see him posting Randy Moss numbers either. There's too much talent in Witten and Austin for that to happen.
 
His prospects is that the sky is the limit. Just don't give the media anything even remotely negative to work with.
How do you see him fitting into the DAL offense?J
I see him being the deep threat and Miles Austin worked more underneath on slants and things like that. I think Miles Austin runs like a RB in the open field and is much tougher to tackle.Dez Bryant has speed and great hands and will wow us with some amazing catches. In the Dallas offense, I don't think he'll be your typical rookie WR where they struggle but I don't see him posting Randy Moss numbers either. There's too much talent in Witten and Austin for that to happen.
Uhhhhh....Miles Austin is quite a bit faster than Dez Bryant and is certainly a deep threat. Bryant should be able to handle the entire route tree as well, but I don't see him being the better deep threat of the two as you are intimating here.
 
His prospects is that the sky is the limit. Just don't give the media anything even remotely negative to work with.
How do you see him fitting into the DAL offense?J
I see him being the deep threat and Miles Austin worked more underneath on slants and things like that. I think Miles Austin runs like a RB in the open field and is much tougher to tackle.Dez Bryant has speed and great hands and will wow us with some amazing catches. In the Dallas offense, I don't think he'll be your typical rookie WR where they struggle but I don't see him posting Randy Moss numbers either. There's too much talent in Witten and Austin for that to happen.
Uhhhhh....Miles Austin is quite a bit faster than Dez Bryant and is certainly a deep threat. Bryant should be able to handle the entire route tree as well, but I don't see him being the better deep threat of the two as you are intimating here.
That's cool if you have a difference of opinion not sure you needed the "Uhhhhh" to precede your point though.I didn't mention who was faster between Austin and Bryant. I'm sure out of the tons of pass routes they'll both run during the course of the year, they'll both have deep routes and underneath routes.What I'm saying is I think Miles Austin's strength is catching the ball on the run and somebody in the secondary having to bring him down. Once he has the ball, he's extremely tough to bring down because of his leg strength. I've heard an opposing DB compare him to Michael Turner to bring down. That doesn't mean he can't go deep and score a TD, he's done that too.When I envision the Cowboys offense, personally I see Bryant being worked downfield. Will he ever catch an 8 yard pass, most definately but I think he'll be most dangerous on routes 20 yards or longer, we'll see. If you don't think he'll be an effective deep threat and more of an underneath guy for the Cowboys, I respect your opinion and we'll see how it works out.
 
In a rookie draft for a NON-PPR league, would you take him with the 1st pick? I think he is in a good situation as others have pointed out, solid QB, other good WR/TE, so he could surprise some people.

 
Iwannabeacowboybaby! said:
kremenull said:
Iwannabeacowboybaby! said:
His prospects is that the sky is the limit. Just don't give the media anything even remotely negative to work with.
How do you see him fitting into the DAL offense?J
I see him being the deep threat and Miles Austin worked more underneath on slants and things like that. I think Miles Austin runs like a RB in the open field and is much tougher to tackle.Dez Bryant has speed and great hands and will wow us with some amazing catches. In the Dallas offense, I don't think he'll be your typical rookie WR where they struggle but I don't see him posting Randy Moss numbers either. There's too much talent in Witten and Austin for that to happen.
Uhhhhh....Miles Austin is quite a bit faster than Dez Bryant and is certainly a deep threat. Bryant should be able to handle the entire route tree as well, but I don't see him being the better deep threat of the two as you are intimating here.
That's cool if you have a difference of opinion not sure you needed the "Uhhhhh" to precede your point though.I didn't mention who was faster between Austin and Bryant. I'm sure out of the tons of pass routes they'll both run during the course of the year, they'll both have deep routes and underneath routes.What I'm saying is I think Miles Austin's strength is catching the ball on the run and somebody in the secondary having to bring him down. Once he has the ball, he's extremely tough to bring down because of his leg strength. I've heard an opposing DB compare him to Michael Turner to bring down. That doesn't mean he can't go deep and score a TD, he's done that too.When I envision the Cowboys offense, personally I see Bryant being worked downfield. Will he ever catch an 8 yard pass, most definately but I think he'll be most dangerous on routes 20 yards or longer, we'll see. If you don't think he'll be an effective deep threat and more of an underneath guy for the Cowboys, I respect your opinion and we'll see how it works out.
Dez and Austin are actually pretty similar in many ways. They are both big, strong receivers who are absolute loads to bring down. Both will be able to run the whole route tree. They should be close to interchangeable once Dez gets up to speed. Thats the fun part if you're a Cowboys' fan. Defenses won't be able to defend the whole field against WRs and a TE who can attack anywhere on the field. They will be able to create all kinds of matchup problems. In theory, at least.
 
Dez and Austin are actually pretty similar in many ways. They are both big, strong receivers who are absolute loads to bring down. Both will be able to run the whole route tree. They should be close to interchangeable once Dez gets up to speed. Thats the fun part if you're a Cowboys' fan. Defenses won't be able to defend the whole field against WRs and a TE who can attack anywhere on the field. They will be able to create all kinds of matchup problems. In theory, at least.
I agree but there are differences.Austin is the faster of the two and has more experience.Bryant is a little bigger, has better body control, bigger and better hands and he can play at a higher elevation. Austin is strong and will fight for the ball but he doesn't catch balls at their highest peak like Bryant does. Bryant has that unique skill set like Fitzgerald and Moss that allows him to catch deep balls over defenders who have good coverage.
 
In a rookie draft for a NON-PPR league, would you take him with the 1st pick? I think he is in a good situation as others have pointed out, solid QB, other good WR/TE, so he could surprise some people.
I would have a hard time not taking Matthews at that spot. A runningback that is going to a situation where he should get a heavy work load. It just seems like a safer pick. I would take Bryant after that though.Now I guess if you are already set at RB and need help at WR I might do it.
 
I really hope Dez can make the transition to the NFL. If he does fail, I doubt it's due to lack of athletic ability.

Picture 1

Picture 2
reeediculous....almost look like thats photoshopped. WOW
The leap is a great pic but a little misleading. I'm not sure how accurate it is but his vertical was reported at 38". http://lufkindailynews.com/sports/article_...1cc4c03286.html That's nothing special among WRs. http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#...r-vertical-jumpAnd yes, what you do on the field is different than what you do when they're testing you. I guess I'm just saying he's a great athlete, but the vertical is nothing freakish if these numbers are to be trusted.

J

 
I really hope Dez can make the transition to the NFL. If he does fail, I doubt it's due to lack of athletic ability.

Picture 1

Picture 2
reeediculous....almost look like thats photoshopped. WOW
The leap is a great pic but a little misleading. I'm not sure how accurate it is but his vertical was reported at 38". http://lufkindailynews.com/sports/article_...1cc4c03286.html That's nothing special among WRs. http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#...r-vertical-jumpAnd yes, what you do on the field is different than what you do when they're testing you. I guess I'm just saying he's a great athlete, but the vertical is nothing freakish if these numbers are to be trusted.

J
Good point Joe. I think Bryant is one of the best examples of a guy's performance on the field blowing his combine numbers out of the water. To be honest, I wouldn't have cared if he ran a 4.7 40 and had a 30 inch vertical. What I see on the field is all I need to know with him.

 
I really hope Dez can make the transition to the NFL. If he does fail, I doubt it's due to lack of athletic ability.

Picture 1

Picture 2
reeediculous....almost look like thats photoshopped. WOW
The leap is a great pic but a little misleading. I'm not sure how accurate it is but his vertical was reported at 38". http://lufkindailynews.com/sports/article_...1cc4c03286.html That's nothing special among WRs. http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#...r-vertical-jumpAnd yes, what you do on the field is different than what you do when they're testing you. I guess I'm just saying he's a great athlete, but the vertical is nothing freakish if these numbers are to be trusted.

J
Good point Joe. I think Bryant is one of the best examples of a guy's performance on the field blowing his combine numbers out of the water. To be honest, I wouldn't have cared if he ran a 4.7 40 and had a 30 inch vertical. What I see on the field is all I need to know with him.
-Agreed J. Rice 4.70 forty at NFL combine -Boldin ran a 4.70 forty at the NFL combine

-Fitz a 4.53

Etc etc

 
I really hope Dez can make the transition to the NFL. If he does fail, I doubt it's due to lack of athletic ability.

Picture 1

Picture 2
reeediculous....almost look like thats photoshopped. WOW
The leap is a great pic but a little misleading. I'm not sure how accurate it is but his vertical was reported at 38". http://lufkindailynews.com/sports/article_...1cc4c03286.html That's nothing special among WRs. http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers#...r-vertical-jumpAnd yes, what you do on the field is different than what you do when they're testing you. I guess I'm just saying he's a great athlete, but the vertical is nothing freakish if these numbers are to be trusted.

J
Good point Joe. I think Bryant is one of the best examples of a guy's performance on the field blowing his combine numbers out of the water. To be honest, I wouldn't have cared if he ran a 4.7 40 and had a 30 inch vertical. What I see on the field is all I need to know with him.
True and let's not forget that the guy's tested broad jump is very impressive, especially for his size. Also a WR is not going to be standing still or just leaping straight up when they are going up for a pass so that could explain the variance as well.
 
I think Dez is the best WR since Moss to come out of the Draft. He has the hands and athleticism to dominate DB's as early as his second year and maybe even this year. He is on the perfect team. I am definitely drinking the Dez kool-aid. I moved up to third in our Rookie draft so I could draft him in our Dynasty League. I think I will have a stud WR for the next 10 years.

 
I think Dez is the best WR since Moss to come out of the Draft. He has the hands and athleticism to dominate DB's as early as his second year and maybe even this year. He is on the perfect team. I am definitely drinking the Dez kool-aid. I moved up to third in our Rookie draft so I could draft him in our Dynasty League. I think I will have a stud WR for the next 10 years.
Wow that's some high praise considering that Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald are all guys who came out after Moss. But I do like Dez!!
 
I think Dez is the best WR since Moss to come out of the Draft. He has the hands and athleticism to dominate DB's as early as his second year and maybe even this year. He is on the perfect team. I am definitely drinking the Dez kool-aid. I moved up to third in our Rookie draft so I could draft him in our Dynasty League. I think I will have a stud WR for the next 10 years.
Wow that's some high praise considering that Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald are all guys who came out after Moss. But I do like Dez!!
You are correct Stitch. I used Moss because of his incredible rookie season. But I do agree with you.
 
I think Dez is the best WR since Moss to come out of the Draft. He has the hands and athleticism to dominate DB's as early as his second year and maybe even this year. He is on the perfect team. I am definitely drinking the Dez kool-aid. I moved up to third in our Rookie draft so I could draft him in our Dynasty League. I think I will have a stud WR for the next 10 years.
Wow that's some high praise considering that Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald are all guys who came out after Moss. But I do like Dez!!
You are correct Stitch. I used Moss because of his incredible rookie season. But I do agree with you.
I hear ya man! I think Moss is in a league all his own. The speed, leaping ability, hands, body control...the guy, imho, is the best WR I've ever seen. For me nobody really even comes close. "Throw it up dawg!!"
 
I surprised about all of the ultra-positive praise for Dez. This is pretty incredible for a guy who played 3 games last year. I see a guy with decent height (6-2), good bulk (220), but average speed. He can make the circus catch and should be a factor in the red zone. However I do not understand the comparisons to Moss (physically or statistically). I would bet the farm he doesn't touch 1000 yards or 10 tds this season. He is in a Andre Johnson mold without the great speed. What does that equate to: Dwayne Bowe or Larry Fitzgerald? Time will tell.

 
A question.

If Dez Bryant is such a can't miss prospect, guaranteed pro bowl by 2012 (that's the take-away I'm getting from reading the posts in this thread) then how did 23 teams let him get by them, and why did New England trade this pick away?
Hi Sylira,That's a totally fair and a good question. You got some good answers already it looks like.

One tangent point - I hear a lot of folks saying "his character issues are overblown". That may very well be true. I've been a long time proponent of saying that many players unfairly get a bad rap. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are two of my favorite players. I truly believe that both of their "bad attitude" reputations are overblown. It's a human nature thing to start looking more closely at something once you detect something. I can build a boat and if it has a bad spot on the gelcoat, the owner suddenly raises his standards and starts looking more closely at the rest of the boat. An issue on the upholstery that might not have been an issue otherwise, becomes an issue after he finds the gelcoat problem. It's the same with Randy Moss. Once he does one bad thing, the next thing he does gets way more scrutiny. It's not a bad thing - it's just human nature.

So I can easily see how Bryant's character stuff can be overblown.

BUT, I will say this - most of the people (myself included) don't have a fraction of the real life knowledge of the situation on these players that these teams do. As we saw with Jeff Ireland, these players get a microscope put on them. If you ask me who I think has a better grasp of Dez Bryant's character - An NFL GM or the average football fan, I'm going to go with the GM. Just because he's got knowledge of the situation most of us don't have.

So while the answer you'll get when you ask why did GMs pass on Bryant will be people shouting Randy Moss or Dan Marino, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the GMs here. But the flip side to that is you could make the case that Denver was really the only team that went with another WR. Should be fun to see how this plays out.

If you asked for my gut feel, I feel the character thing was overblown and that he'll be good this year with the chance to be very good in years 2 and 3. I do not see him having anything like a Randy Moss type rookie year as many seem to.

J
That's not really going to far out on a limb there Joe, he only had the greatest WR rookie season of all time. Keep in mind Tony Romo's favorite target is Jason Witten (and that is not going to change over night) and that Miles Austin emerged as a Pro Bowl wide receiver, you can pretty much gaurantee that Dez Bryant isn't going to have Randy Moss type numbers.

 
I surprised about all of the ultra-positive praise for Dez. This is pretty incredible for a guy who played 3 games last year. I see a guy with decent height (6-2), good bulk (220), but average speed. He can make the circus catch and should be a factor in the red zone. However I do not understand the comparisons to Moss (physically or statistically). I would bet the farm he doesn't touch 1000 yards or 10 tds this season. He is in a Andre Johnson mold without the great speed. What does that equate to: Dwayne Bowe or Larry Fitzgerald? Time will tell.
From a raw athletic standpoint he's one of the best WRs that I've seen in the past 5+ years. He might be better than Calvin because although he lacks Calvin's elite deep speed, he's a lot quicker and he has better functional strength. Put me in the camp that thinks he's a can't-miss star if he stays healthy and works hard.
 
Pro Bowl cornerback Mike Jenkins introduced himself to the Cowboys' first-round pick by talking a little trash. "I'm going to be on you," Jenkins told Dez Bryant. The rookie's response: "I want you to be." At that moment, Jenkins had a good feeling that the franchise made a wise move to trade up to take Bryant with the 24th overall pick. "I like the fire," Jenkins said. After one day of OTAs, Jenkins loves Bryant's talent. Press coverage is Jenkins' forte. Bryant had no problem beating it, getting off a jam and getting a step on Jenkins on a go route. The throw was slightly overthrown, but that just put Bryant in position to do what he does best: Go up to catch the ball. "I heard a lot of hype about him coming in, and I definitely agree with him being the first pick," Jenkins said. "The guy is going to be a great receiver in this league." Jenkins said Roy Williams, who had a good workout, has never looked better. Jenkins obviously thinks highly of Pro Bowler Miles Austin. But he believes Bryant can be the best of the bunch. Said Jenkins: "I think he has all the ability to be the best receiver we have." Pretty good first impression, huh?
From ESPN Dallas about yesterday's first day of OTAs where Bryant got a taste of pro bowl corners.
 
From the Dallas Morning News:

IRVING – If Dez Bryant is all that, if he lives up to the legacy of the receivers who wore No. 88 before him, the wonder and excitement he displayed in his early days on the job will become an endearing sidebar. Dez Bryant has,'the ability to be a top receiver in the league,' according to Pro Bowl cornerback Mike Jenkins. Monday's moment came in his first conversation with quarterback Tony Romo. "One time, he was explaining the play to me," Bryant said. "I really didn't care about the play. "I was excited that he was talking to me." The first day of organized team activities was a dream come true for Bryant. The Cowboys' dream came true 3 ½ weeks ago when they took the talented receiver from Oklahoma State in the first round of the draft. He's so good that club officials search the nooks and crannies of Valley Ranch for the lamp of anointing oil that former coach Bill Parcells hid on his way out of town. Bryant caught passes from Romo for the first time. He ran routes against Pro Bowl cornerbacks Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins. He was told by Roy Williams, the receiver Bryant will replace sooner rather than later, that anything the rookie needs, just ask. The Cowboys' 6-3 lightning rod then went out and was arguably more impressive than Bryant. Williams' juggling, one-handed catch on a deep ball after he was bumped by cornerback Cletis Gordon prompted owner Jerry Jones to walk over to a row of camera operators to make sure they captured the play. "Roy came out on fire today," Jenkins said. "That's the best I've seen Roy since he got here. "He looked like a No. 1 receiver." Jenkins had high praise for Bryant as well. It probably had something to do with the play when Bryant jumped high over Jenkins, twisted and made a beautiful catch on a ball thrown slightly behind him. "I definitely agree with that pick," Jenkins said. "He's going to push everybody. He's going to push Miles [Austin]. He's going to push Roy to be a better receiver, and that's going to make him better because he's trying to catch up to those guys. "He came out today with the right composure." This practice was a lot quicker, a lot faster than what Bryant went through with the other rookies to open the month. One of the first veterans who came up to him Monday was Williams. Williams declared last week that he intended to keep his starting job. He punctuated his comments by saying he's a bad man and there "ain't no such thing" as him sitting on the bench. But Williams is also a gracious man. He went out of his way to make Bryant comfortable. "He told me if I need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Bryant said. "He'll help me. "I feel like Roy and I have a great relationship. For him to say that made my day a lot better. Like I told him, I look up to guys like him." Williams and the other receivers told the rookie how deep to run his routes. They told him how the corners would defend certain plays. Bryant learned from all of them. When asked if he was uncomfortable that his presence led to the absence of Patrick Crayton, Bryant responded that he wished Crayton was there so he could learn from him. Bryant isn't just saying this to sound good. He's serious. In the rookie mini-camp there was a time or two Bryant didn't look early enough when the skinny post was thrown. Head coach Wade Phillips said the receiver's timing was impeccable on that play Monday. It was also pretty good the time he skied over Jenkins to haul in a Romo pass. "He has a feel for going and getting the ball at its highest point," Romo said. And what did Newman and Jenkins have to say? "Good job," Bryant said. "They told me good job. "To hear that from them, two Pro Bowl corners, that's exciting. That's very exciting for me. It's a great privilege for me to be able to go up against some guys like that." All that, and Romo talked to him. It was quite a day. "He has the ability to be a top receiver in the league," Jenkins said. "They [the coaches] are treating him like it. They're not treating him like a rookie because they know what kind of player he is."
 
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I also think Bryant is tremendously talented, but for those of you who are saying that he'll have a huge season, I'd curious to see your overall projections for the Cowboys' offense. This isn't :hijacked: , I'm just curious to see if you think the entire offense will be that much better/more productive or if you expect Bryant to replace Williams/Crayton's output almost entirely. Or both.

 
I also think Bryant is tremendously talented, but for those of you who are saying that he'll have a huge season, I'd curious to see your overall projections for the Cowboys' offense. This isn't :mellow: , I'm just curious to see if you think the entire offense will be that much better/more productive or if you expect Bryant to replace Williams/Crayton's output almost entirely. Or both.
Therein lies the question. Realisticly, its tough to project more total yardage than the Cowboys scored last year. They were #2 in the NFL behind only the Saints. Set a franchise record for yards. Points, however, they were only 14th in the NFL. Obviously some room for improvement in this category.How Dez fits into this offense is really a major question. My initial thoughts were that he'd be WR3/4 in 2010 while learning the ropes. He'd get touches as the punt and/or kick returner. But his role on offense would be less than full time.

But if he's already giving Newman and Jenkins trouble in his first practice, then he may very well have the goods to play offense in 2010. Its obviously extremely early, and hyperbole is the norm this time of year. But just about every comment coming out of Dallas is saying this guy has the goods.

Whats compounding the confusion is that Roy Williams has apparently gotten the message and is in the best shape of his life. He apparently looked much, much better working with Romo than he did a year ago. And you've got the continued development of Martellus Bennett. And Felix. Crayton is the only one who's pouting and looking like the odd man out.

Dallas could become something like the Saints last year. Romo (Brees) goes nuts. But no receiver is off the charts in terms of numbers. Brees just spread the ball around all year long. Yes, Colston was the top receiver. But he was hardly elite. I could very easily see Romo doing the same. Austin and Witten come back to earth some. But Dez (taking Crayton's spot), Williams, Bennett, etc. all make material jumps in productivity over last year.

I could see this happening. But I could also see Austin/Witten carrying the load again with Dez not being ready and Roy being Roy.

Thats really the challenge for projecting this team this year. Do they stay the same or possibly regress? Or do they evolve into the Saints?

 

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