Dez Bryant: Great Expectations or Irrational Exuberance?

55 catches, 750 yards and 5 TD’s.

The question is… will off the field stuff start to pop up. He will definitely be an impact player, i believe he will send roy to the bench fairly quickly

But I’m an NFL fan. Besides winning Super Bowls, imagining what if is some of my best fun. 80 catches, 14 tds, Rookie of the Year, and Romo has plenty left over for Austin and Witten. Hell, Roy had 7 tds last year in one of the poorest showings for a WR I ever had expectations for. At some point this season, Dez becomes a starter. That’s my serious prediction. I would be more surprised if Roy produced big.

50 catches for 850 yards and 11TD’s.

He will not be running short patterns as you have Austin and Witten to do that. I see him going deep more often to get the one on one mismatch against the CB so this explains his high reception average in my figures.

Of course Garrett is sort of like that anyway. On Romo he said something like “Yeah, Tony had a pretty good year. He did a little better not making negative plays” and “Felix is a pretty good back”.

I suspect he’d call the Mona Lisa a “nice effort”…

11 yard average on punt returns, and will miss 2 games due injury(hamstring or vicious hit)

A thousand yards is definitely out of reach, but his leaping, contorting and sure hands will make him a massive red zone weapon from the moment he steps foot on the field. 12 TDs, 750ish yards.

On one hand he could be the #2 guy if they swallow their pride on the RW debacle. On the other hand he could be #3. Either way has positives and negatives but I see him outperforming RW hands down. I remember our redzone woes trying to play “go fetch” corner routes with RW, Marty B, etc that just didn’t look very smooth. Dez is a go getter. I see him being utilized in that manner which will bolster his TD’s. Prediction:

45+ rec’s, 750+ yds, 8+ TD’s, ST’s 1 maybe 2 TD’s.

Trying to keep my exuberance within rationality.

Okay, I just wanted to get your attention. It’s not that I don’t think he can reach those numbers, but he just won’t have the on-field time to reach those numbers. I’m thinking that stat line will be the contribution of RoyDez. Both can be significant factors in the red zone (notice I said ‘can’ and not ‘are’).

I think by the end of the season, Dez is on the field more than Roy, but Roy will still get his reps. I haven’t written Roy off, but I don’t think he’ll ever have a season that merits his salary.

Plot out a one-back formation (with or without a shotgun) with Dez in the slot opposite Witten. If the slot defender is playing off, you can run a short out with Roy running a slant in behind. If it’s quick enough, Roy will be in position to block the slot back for Dez. That leaves Roy’s corner to catch Dez after changing directions. With Witten and Austin on the other side of the field, I can see Dez having lots of room if he can shed the corner. It would probably work best on 3rd and medium to long downs. The safeties will be playing off a bit more and would probably slide a bit towards the strong side.

Might also work well if you single Roy on one side with Dez in the slot on the strong side. Run Dez in motion towards Roy. Give Dez a step or two past the OT, snap it and hit him quick. His defender will most likely be behind him and Roy will be there to block the corner. Again, the safeties will most likely have slid to the strong side. Assuming Roy gets a competent block on the corner, all Dez would have to do is shed his defender (which he may be too far from to begin with) and he should have a good gain. Get away from the safety, too, and you’ll have a very long completion that will probably end up as 6.

then Miles, and the 2nd WR will benefit immediately. Really I think that Grizz and company will break down the offensive possibilities on this year’s annual. Dez will probably have an immediate impact on taking double coverage on Miles and improving the return game, later in the year he will have better opportunities to make an impact with rec, and TDs.

but hopefully Bryant can become more productive than both RW and Crayton as the second receiver and make sure Austin isn’t seeing a lot of double coverages.

If Bryant is the real deal that many here believe he is, then our offense will become absolutely unstoppable barring injuries of course.

750 yards, 7 TDs.

All-pupose yards. If he can do that then we have a serious threat.

Dez is going to be a monster for us for years to come, but let’s not forgot how many weapons this team has and how hard it will be for Dez to come in and make a huge impact. Very rarely do rookie WRs do this, and for good reason. If Dez does enough to solidify himself as the starter opposite Roy this season, it will be a success.

These are Percy Harvin’s stats from last year not including rushing yards and Percy was huge for the Vikings. If Dez can put up numbers similar to this I’d be very happy. Like the Vikings last year we have a lot of mouths, I think it’s unrealistic to expect much more.

Roy will continue to falter and Dez will take over for him as the #2 WR by the 3rd or 4th game. Dez catches everything thrown his way and I can see him being a huge threat in the end zone and completely take over Roy’s role. Call me unrealistic, but the way that Roy can’t seem to hold onto a ball, and how Dez always seems to catch the ball and knows how to control his body, Dez will have a huge year and so will Romo.

The only thing holding him back is his poor route running. The post of fly pattern doesn’t exactly take much skill, though.

That’s Roy’s stat-line from his oh-so-mediocre 2009 season.

With all the options at Romo’s disposal, it will be hard for Dez to generate massive numbers… but he should be able to improve on this stat-line if he is getting enough reps. Remember Roy losing time to Ogletree last year? Dez will get those reps and more this year.

There’s a famous line in North Carolina – only Dean Smith could keep Michael Jordon under 20 points. Well, it’s gonna be the same here – only JG can keep Dez under this stat line.

35 rec, 6 TDs recieving, 1 TD run (seems like an end around waiting to happen)

Semper Fi from another DevilDog on here (Ret.) I think the sky’s the limit for Dez, but the way our coaches use rookies, I see him playing a smaller role than if RW wasn’t on the roster with that fat a$$ contract. I have to admit I was excited when we got Roy, though not for the price we paid. But it looks like I was wrong about him and I hope Dez has a killer year!

You know, alot of people on here have been saying Crayton may get let go but I hope if RW continues to struggle, they keep PC and let RW go. Not only does that make much more sense financially, but I’ve always liked Crayton as a clutch player when Romo is in trouble. Unfortunately, JJ’s ego can get in the way of these types of things.

Dez’s chances of having a big year. On one hand having proven talent will probably mean Dez doesn’t play against #1 CBs. But can we really have 3 1,000 yard receivers and a 1,000 yard rusher?

but as the season progresses and he and Romo get use to each other watch out.

Still I think you see Dez getting more and more targets as the season progresses. By week 3-4 you’ll see Dez’s production surpass Roy’s. By seasons end you’ll see Dez’s production sneak up on, or even leapfrog Austin’s, not in seasonal totals, but individual games. I’d like to revisit this after training camp and make a new prediction, but my best guess now is

58 receptions
875 yards
9 WR TD’s possibly 1 or 2 ST TD’s

IMHO (in my homeristic opinion) I think you’ll see Dez’s YPC drop lower than expected because he’ll make some ridiculous grabs, where other receivers wouldn’t be able to come down with them, and then have no room to run after the catch. By year 2, 3 at the latest Dez will surpass Austin as the #1 as far as production goes. Again, I’d like to revisit this after seeing what Dez does in TC.

While I understand all the reasoning behind Dez likely having a moderate rookie season as oppsed to a more phenomenal one statistically, I still lean towards the ladder. My reasoning? JJ. Yes our coaches r a little controlled about plkaying rookies (and even they sound sold on Dez) but Jerry has a point to prove, as far as recievers go he hears all the criticism from RW (SMH) and other bad aquisitions to those he missed on…uumm Randy; now he knows he has a stud and the decision to move up for Dez and not address the O-line or Safety position blah blah blah…I would bet the barn, the trailer and Betsy the Cow that he pressures the coaches to play him. He hinted for Felix to get playing time thro the medis and got his wish; well I believe Dez is next… Which leads me to wager on 75 catches 1200 yds 12 tds…3 special teams tds

Jerry wants to win too much to let the trade get in the way. This year the best player will play no matter the contract. If RW doesn’t produce he’s gone anyway.

That is my conservative estimate

Miles Austin and Jason Witten are miles ahead of him, they’re pro-bowlers.

There’s only so many balls to go around. He’s not going to have monster stats with those guys getting way more looks than him.

What we need out of Dez is a guy at the Z spot that can make defenses pay for selling out to cover WItten and Austin (which Roy couldn’t) and a guy that can make clutch catches when we need him.

If Dez only gets 400 yards but all of them are sticks-moving 3rd down completions, he’s an amazing amazing asset to our team. Football isn’t baseball, stats don’t tell the whole story… context is huge. Where he makes plays is as important as how many he makes. If he can be our guy when Austin and Witten are covered that’s all this team needs to be nearly unstoppable.

i believe that dez will most contribute on chain movers and short outs and hooks and some slants, and given that jj wants to see em more as im sure wade does as well, hes goin to be given the opportunity to show what he can do. i hope romo was watchin those acrobatic catches, because if hes pressured in the pocket he might not always get the ball on the money, and thats where dez jus might create some confidence from romo early. if rw doesnt produce early to jj expectations i see dez takin his spot b4 seasons end as well. i belive that would make jj, wade and romo happy, because its jus a matter of time anyways. 47 catches-700 plus yrds 8 tds- st 2 rtns for tds.

The BTS footage showed that the Patriots initiated the trade with Dallas for the 24th spot, not Dallas. Apparently, the Cowboys weren’t trying too hard to get Dez. It also showed the common Patriot practice of trading down to get additional/future picks (smart but something many Cowboy fans are annoyed by…) before they took the corner they wanted…McCourty.

I wonder who got the better end of the deal? The Patriots prevented the Ravens from taking Dez, got additional an additional pick, and picked McCourty closer to where (even we) had him slotted. Looks good., except I still think the Cowboys fared better in this case. Why? Is McCourty an impact player? The Patriots recent drafts haven’t prevented them from “falling” in talent level to 2 AFC East teams…recent decisions in draft/free agency have come with mixed results.

Are the Cowboys scouting department correct or is NE’s? McCourty was a 2nd rounder on our board. 2 years ago, I would be concerned over this revelation because I trusted the Patriot’s player acquisition department over all other teams…I don’t think that anymore… I like how we let the draft come to us…

And by lite, I also mean without the bonehead plays like dropping the ball before scoring.

Still, 16 games, 62 rec, 912 yards, 2 TD’s is pretty impressive.

How about 16 games, 52 rec, 775 yards, 5 TD’s ?

denver puts their1st no 1 the wr to start or will they do him like dez and put em in at no 3 ?

I think Dez’s greatest impact his first year (other than special teams) will be in the Red Zone. We were horrible there last year, in part because our recievers (esp. RW, Bennett) were not very dependable (or not in sync with the QB). Witten wasn’t his normal TD machine- I assume because defenses were taking him out of the equation. With Dez’s hands and ability to go up for the ball, he doesn’t need to learn the whole route tree- he just has to learn the fade, the slant, and the comeback routes really well and he could become a favorite Romo target where we need help the most.

Where is the upside?
  - increases the risk he asks for “Top 10/15” contract a la crabtree last year
  - raises expectations and thus pressure on Bryant and the coaches
  - risks creating attitude problems with Bryant

Why would you do it if you were a coach?

My head tells me I’m being too optimistic…but my gut tells me this kid really is something special, and not someone to bet against.

If Crayton stays, I think they split time from the slot, with Dez taking the majority of snaps towards the end of the season.

I’ll say 40 rec 600 yds 7 TD (including punt returns) splitting time with PC.

I expect a few big punt returns out of Dez also. As talented as he is at WR, he might be even better as a returner.

Or 48 for 820 if he finds himself occupying a starting spot by mid-season. Of course, the former is probably more tempered and realistic with or without Crayton cutting into the pie. Two key factors: 1.) Obviously, Garrett’s penchant for bringing along young skill players and inserting them into the offense at his own preferred pace. 2.) A more mature Romo having to develop and gradually build that trust with Dez before he trusts him enough to pull the trigger and stick the ball to him in certain key situations.

I’m thinking that if Dez is as good as advertised, even if he takes time to adjust to the pro game, with Austin and Witten commanding all the attention they do and especially if Felix is able to stay healthy, just on sheer talent, Dez will have plenty of opportunities for a dozen or so big plays or 20-40+ yards.

since we haven’t had any really good ones in a while. I see him scoring more on returns than TD receptions.

Hakeem Nicks (29th overall in ’09) caught 47 for 790 and 6TDs
Jeremy Maclin (19th overall) caught 56 for 773 and 4TDs

Other ‘09 first-round WRs’ numbers:

Heyward-Bey (7th overall) caught 9 for 124 and 1TD
Crabtree (10th) 48 for 625 and 2TDs
Percy Harvin (22nd) 60 for 790 and 6TDs
Kenny Britt (29th) 42 for 701 and 3TDs

And like Dez is expected to, most of these guys also contributed substantially to their teams in the special teams department.

I saw him rack himself on a hurdle one night on the track outside the Colvin Recreational Center at OK State. The other two guys with him were making fun of him and how he jumped hurdles in high school. I guess one of them was from Lufkin also.