Larry Brown Sports

The stats have come around for Dez Bryant, but the mistakes have not disappeared. Bryant caught eight passes for 105 yards last week in a loss to the Bears but screwed up on a number of routes, one of which led to an easy interception. On Sunday, he posted an impressive 13-catch, 95-yard stat line with two touchdowns but dropped a crucial two-point that would have tied the game and likely forced overtime. After the game, Bryant accused Ravens cornerback Cary Williams of pass interference on the play.

“I felt like it was a P.I. My opinion,” Bryant said according to USA TODAY. “Not saying I couldn’t catch it, because I feel like I can make difficult catches. But I feel like he put his arm around me. I haven’t seen the play yet. But it wasn’t called.”

When told of Bryant’s gripe, Williams called the third-year receiver out for not accepting responsibility for his mistakes.

“I see it as good defense, man,” Williams said. “Dez is a great player, but it wasn’t pass interference. It’s two players going at it. And the referees let it happen. It is what it is, man. I didn’t get my hand in there early, he just needed to catch the ball. I was able to make the play and he didn’t. Kudos to me.

“You’ve just got to be a man and accept responsibility, give credit where credit is due. If it was me I’d say, you know what, he made the play and I didn’t. Bottom line. Don’t complain and look for a flag, man.”

I don’t know if I’d call it good defense from Williams since he was beat on the play and Bryant should have made the catch, but he’s right about Bryant needing to man up. Romo threw the ball perfectly and it hit Dez in the shoulder pad. He should have made the play but didn’t. These things happen, but blaming the refs when they do just makes a player look even worse.

Dez Bryant had the type of game on Sunday that the Cowboys had been waiting for all season. And then he went out and ruined it all with a couple of terrible plays at the end.

Bryant had a career-high 13 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. The 95 yards were the third-highest of his career, and he matched a career high by catching two touchdowns.

But in the end, those stats didn’t matter as much as one other: a drop on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game at 31.

Bryant also made a boneheaded mental error at the end of the game. Dallas recovered an onside kick to give themselves another shot at winning the game. They got 20 yards on a pass interference penalty and were situated at the Ravens 34. With 26 seconds left, Dallas threw a short slant to Bryant toward the middle of the field. Bryant was taken back a few yards on the tackle from where he caught it, but he started arguing with the referee about where the ball should have been spotted. Instead of Dallas lining up to spike the ball or call timeout, Bryant spent 3-4 seconds yelling at the ref. Tony Romo couldn’t decide whether to run another play, spike the ball, or use the team’s final timeout. 20 seconds after their previous play, he finally decided to call timeout.

The Cowboys went 20 seconds between plays at a time when clock management was critical. They lost a chance to get a closer field goal attempt, and kicker Dan Bailey ended up missing a 51-yard attempt on the next play. They lost 31-29.

Once again, coach Jason Garrett makes a mistake at the end of the game. Dallas looked completely unorganized in the final 26 seconds, and it cost them the game.

Former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson is never shy about his general dislike for Dez Bryant. Although Bryant is only in his third NFL season, Pearson rips him like he’s a draft bust who has no chance of turning it around. Last Season, the Dallas legend blasted Dez for not finishing games. Earlier this week, he basically said Bryant hasn’t earned the right to wear the No. 88.

“He’s not living up to the expectations that were placed on him by wearing that number,” Pearson said according the Midland Reporter-Telegram. “Drew Pearson took it to the Ring of Honor level and Michael Irvin took it way beyond that to the Hall of Fame level.

“When Michael and I had a chance to talk to Dez when he came in his rookie year we told him, ‘Don’t do what Drew Pearson did in it. Don’t do what Michael did in it. Do more than that.’ I know that’s a lot to live up to, but what else is there? You live up to those expectations and people will cherish you for the rest of your life.”

In case you didn’t already think this guy was a dink, perhaps the fact that he went third person will push you over the edge. Pearson then went on to rip the Cowboys offense by lying about his hay day.

“We were never this stagnant,” he said. “Throughout my career we averaged at least 28 points per game and there were seasons we averaged more than 30 points per game.”

Pro Football Talk went back and did a little fact checking on that claim and determined that Dallas averaged more than 28 points per game in only two of Pearson’s 11 seasons. Same thing, right? Bryant may not have come close to fulfilling his potential yet, but he must be sick of hearing about it from Drew Pearson.

Has Dez Bryant finally learned his lesson? Time will tell, but it appears the 23-year-old wide receiver is taking the necessary steps toward turning his life around off the field. As we told you on Sunday, the Cowboys have implemented a set of rules that Bryant must follow during his personal time and hired a security crew to basically tail him around. The team wants him to stay out of trouble, and from the sound of it Bryant is on board with their decision.

“Dez came to light, himself, based on a couple of instances that happened with other NFL players,” Bryant’s advisor David Wells told 103.3′s Ben and Skin Show according to the Dallas Morning News. “He realized that he wanted to make some changes himself. He wanted to put some people around him that could also be there in case something happened, they’d be able to attest to what’s going on with him.

“…He came to me and said, ‘Hey, man, can you help me? I want help. Could we get a group of people that can sit there and advise on what to do with my life? I picture myself to be not only a great football player but a great role model and a father.’ Those are the things he wants to do.”

Wells added that Bryant will not have a strict curfew like the original reports indicated, but instead that he will be accompanied by a “credible” person if he is out late. He also said Dez is “100 percent behind this.” While it’s obvious that some sort of policy has been put into place to assure that Bryant remains on the right track, Jerry Jones denied that the Cowboys have created rules for their former first-round pick on Tuesday. He said they have simply urged him to “conform to good behavior” and make better decisions.

It’s possible that Jones is playing coy because of potential salary cap violations that could arise, but that shouldn’t be a major issue since Dez is reportedly paying for his own security detail. Whether he is or not is really not relevant, as long as the Cowboys can present it that way.

The Cowboys desperately need Dez Bryant to have a big year if they are going to be successful this season, which is why they are going to extreme measures to keep their star wideout from getting into trouble. Now that training camp has ended, the Cowboys have reportedly hired a personal security team for Bryant to enforce a number of rules.

For starters, Dez has a nightly curfew of midnight and must inform team officials in advance if he has to miss it. He is not allowed to drink alcohol or go to any strip clubs, and he can only go to a nightclub if it is approved by the team or a security team is accompanying him. Bryant’s security team will be with him at all times and drive him to practices, games and team functions. He also must attend counseling sessions twice a week.

Simply put, a grown man has been given a babysitter. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says Bryant is open to doing whatever it takes to help the team.

“Oh yeah, very much willing to do anything he can to help himself and help the team,” Jones said according to ESPNDallas.com. “He’s very open-minded and cooperative. He’s doing the right things by his teammates and everybody is counting on him.”

Can you blame the Cowboys for wanting to hold Dez’s hand? As we all know, he was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting his own mother. In addition to that, there was this ridiculous incident from last year and he still has this hanging over his head. Bryant clearly needs assistance in keeping his nose clean. If a personal security team doesn’t help, nothing will.

H/T Black Sports Online

The best way for Dez Bryant to make people forget about his off-the-field issues would be to put together a tremendous season on the field. The former Oklahoma State wideout is entering his third season with the Cowboys, but it feels like he has been in the NFL for a lot longer given all the drama that has followed him. Most recently, Bryant was arrested on a misdemeanor family violence charge for allegedly assaulting his mother. The eventful offseason has landed him in hot water with Jerry Jones.

“I see much improvement in Dez in every respect,” the Cowboys owner said according to the Dallas Morning News. “But he’s screwed around here and got his benefit of the doubt collateral down to nothing. And he’s also very vulnerable. Now you’ve got to act differently when you’re in those shoes. He’s got to gain a bunch of that back. He can do it, and he can do it right on this football field. And I hope he does.”

Bryant has not spoken with the media since the incident and seems very focused during training camp. Tony Romo has openly come out and supported him, and the Cowboys will need him to have a big year if they want to contend in the NFC East. Jones is hoping Dez can put together the big year the team needs and repair his image in the process.

“That’s why he’s got a real opportunity to get his life together because he can make plays like that and if he can do that, he’s got a way to kind of get people to say, ‘Look, he was a young guy, made some mistakes, but look at him go now,’” Jones said. “That’s my dream for him.”

Between his issues with debt, the trouble he got in for sagging his pants at a mall and the incident with his mother, a breakout season where he stays out of trouble could work wonders for Bryant’s career.

He might have assaulted his own mother, but Dez Bryant can rest assured that Tony Romo is still in his corner.

“The one thing I know is that Dez knows I have his back,” Romo told ESPN on Friday. “Dez knows I’ll be there for him. Dez knows that I’m going to stick up for him.”

Bryant turned himself into police on Monday on a family domestic violence charge after allegedly slapping his mother in the face and grabbing her by the hair during an argument at her DeSoto, Texas, home.

“None of us are directly involved in what’s going on in his life,” Romo said. “So everyone, the speculation, the articles and things that are written are just people that are guessing. And they’re going to have their opinions based on it but no one knows exactly the way that Dez grew up, the way that things have shaped his life and his difficulties.”

Bryant could face up to a year in jail if convicted, not to mention a phone call from Roger Goodell. This is the latest on the embattled receiver’s growing rap sheet of incidents that have left the Cowboys planting their faces in their palms. There have been massive jewelry debts, pants-sagging altercations, club fights with Lil Wayne’s entourage (for real). And now this. Keep in mind, however, this is the first time Bryant’s actually been arrested for something.