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A patient Dez Bryant craves more opportunities against Washington
11:35 PM CT
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas - Dez Bryant did not catch a pass in the last 58 minutes and 56 seconds, a span of 73 plays, Sunday against the New York Giants. He finished with one catch for 8 yards. And just so you know, the Cowboys are 1-7 when Bryant doesn’t catch more than one pass.
When Bryant returned to his suburban home after the Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 loss, even his 6-year-old son wanted to know what happened.
Here’s the answer: Jason Garrett has a rigid offensive philosophy, and Scott Linehan let the Giants’ defense dictate where rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw the ball.
Bryant must get more involved this week against Washington, or the Cowboys’ offense will continue to have problems scoring points.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said. “I’ll be waiting. As soon as I touch it, I’m going to do something with it.
“Whatever the coaches give me, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to get too involved and get my emotions too high or too low. I’m going to stay prepared and stay ready at any moment.”
When it works, Garrett’s offense functions beautifully. It attacks with the run and with the pass and gets so many players involved that the defense can’t figure out how to slow it down.
But this offense revolves around the individual talents of its players. The Cowboys aren’t using rub routes or picks to free their receivers, like other teams do. Guys either win their one-on-one battles or they don’t.
Garrett’s philosophy is to take what the defense gives. Sometimes, though, an offense needs to take what it wants. Otherwise, it winds up with tight end Jason Witten and slot receiver Cole Beasley getting targeted 26 times, while Bryant sees just five passes directed his way.
Witten and Beasley combined for 17 catches, but they averaged just 7.7 yards per catch. Every defensive coordinator in the NFL will take that. Witten and Beasley are good players who collect first downs, but they don’t punish defenses.
Of the 75 plays the Cowboys ran against New York, only one gained more than 20 yards.
“When we’re better running the football,” Linehan said, “we’ll get looks that make it favorable for the receivers.”
Linehan has the autonomy to do whatever he wants with the Cowboys’ offense because of the trust Garrett has in him. So when a defense is shutting down the Cowboys’ vaunted running game the way the Giants did on Sunday, holding rookie Ezekiel Elliott to 51 yards on 20 carries, he must get Bryant involved in the offense.
Bryant has 59 career touchdowns. Only Witten (60) has more among the team, but he’s in his 14th season, while Bryant’s starting his seventh.
“We’re certainly focused on that, but it’s not the focus,” Linehan said. “We have to continue to work hard at the overall plan and and having everybody involved, obviously, Dez will be a huge part of that going forward. We’re fairly aware of Dez’s ability to catch and jump and do all of those things.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers find a way to get Antonio Brown the ball; he had eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Washington in Week 1. The Cincinnati Bengals figure out how to get A.J. Green the ball. The Arizona Cardinals make Larry Fitzgerald a priority in their offense. Bryant isn’t double-teamed any more frequently than these players.
In the third quarter last Sunday, the Cowboys ran 17 plays on three possessions. Prescott threw nine passes, but none to Bryant. And when the Cowboys did throw him the ball, they were deep balls, which have a low completion percentage. No hitches. No drags. No slants.
They used him in the slot fewer than 10 times against the Giants, but one of those incompletions was an apparent touchdown in the corner of the end zone that was overturned by replay.
“We missed a big one that would’ve been with the overturned touchdown, and I think things would’ve felt different,” Linehan said. “We certainly want to involve him in the mainframe of our offense and the passing game more than we [were] able to do last week.”
Then do it. No one knows how long Bryant will remain patient.
“I just know how the game go,” Bryant said when asked about his level of frustration. “Of course you want passes and all that stuff, but it's more than me. Would I love to feel it? Of course I would. But at the same time I know my time is coming and we have a long way to go.”
______________________________________
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
11:35 PM CT
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas - Dez Bryant did not catch a pass in the last 58 minutes and 56 seconds, a span of 73 plays, Sunday against the New York Giants. He finished with one catch for 8 yards. And just so you know, the Cowboys are 1-7 when Bryant doesn’t catch more than one pass.
When Bryant returned to his suburban home after the Dallas Cowboys' 20-19 loss, even his 6-year-old son wanted to know what happened.
Here’s the answer: Jason Garrett has a rigid offensive philosophy, and Scott Linehan let the Giants’ defense dictate where rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw the ball.
Bryant must get more involved this week against Washington, or the Cowboys’ offense will continue to have problems scoring points.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said. “I’ll be waiting. As soon as I touch it, I’m going to do something with it.
“Whatever the coaches give me, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to get too involved and get my emotions too high or too low. I’m going to stay prepared and stay ready at any moment.”
When it works, Garrett’s offense functions beautifully. It attacks with the run and with the pass and gets so many players involved that the defense can’t figure out how to slow it down.
But this offense revolves around the individual talents of its players. The Cowboys aren’t using rub routes or picks to free their receivers, like other teams do. Guys either win their one-on-one battles or they don’t.
Garrett’s philosophy is to take what the defense gives. Sometimes, though, an offense needs to take what it wants. Otherwise, it winds up with tight end Jason Witten and slot receiver Cole Beasley getting targeted 26 times, while Bryant sees just five passes directed his way.
Witten and Beasley combined for 17 catches, but they averaged just 7.7 yards per catch. Every defensive coordinator in the NFL will take that. Witten and Beasley are good players who collect first downs, but they don’t punish defenses.
Of the 75 plays the Cowboys ran against New York, only one gained more than 20 yards.
“When we’re better running the football,” Linehan said, “we’ll get looks that make it favorable for the receivers.”
Linehan has the autonomy to do whatever he wants with the Cowboys’ offense because of the trust Garrett has in him. So when a defense is shutting down the Cowboys’ vaunted running game the way the Giants did on Sunday, holding rookie Ezekiel Elliott to 51 yards on 20 carries, he must get Bryant involved in the offense.
Bryant has 59 career touchdowns. Only Witten (60) has more among the team, but he’s in his 14th season, while Bryant’s starting his seventh.
“We’re certainly focused on that, but it’s not the focus,” Linehan said. “We have to continue to work hard at the overall plan and and having everybody involved, obviously, Dez will be a huge part of that going forward. We’re fairly aware of Dez’s ability to catch and jump and do all of those things.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers find a way to get Antonio Brown the ball; he had eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Washington in Week 1. The Cincinnati Bengals figure out how to get A.J. Green the ball. The Arizona Cardinals make Larry Fitzgerald a priority in their offense. Bryant isn’t double-teamed any more frequently than these players.
In the third quarter last Sunday, the Cowboys ran 17 plays on three possessions. Prescott threw nine passes, but none to Bryant. And when the Cowboys did throw him the ball, they were deep balls, which have a low completion percentage. No hitches. No drags. No slants.
They used him in the slot fewer than 10 times against the Giants, but one of those incompletions was an apparent touchdown in the corner of the end zone that was overturned by replay.
“We missed a big one that would’ve been with the overturned touchdown, and I think things would’ve felt different,” Linehan said. “We certainly want to involve him in the mainframe of our offense and the passing game more than we [were] able to do last week.”
Then do it. No one knows how long Bryant will remain patient.
“I just know how the game go,” Bryant said when asked about his level of frustration. “Of course you want passes and all that stuff, but it's more than me. Would I love to feel it? Of course I would. But at the same time I know my time is coming and we have a long way to go.”
______________________________________
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
“I’m just following the game plan,” Bryant said.
