Dez Bryant led the NFL in touchdown receptions last year with 16. This season, the combination of a foot injury and poor play from backup quarterbacks has resulted in him catching just two all year and none in the past three games.
That doesn’t mean Todd Bowles wants the New York Jets to prepare for the two-time Pro Bowler any differently.
Earlier this week, Jets safety Calvin Pryor said Bryant hasn’t looked as explosive since injuring his foot early in the season.
“I think he’s not looked the same since he had his foot injury, but he’s still a playmaker as well,” Pryor said, per Ohm Youngmmisuk of ESPN.com. “Any time you have an injury, it’s kind of hard to bounce back, but he’s still doing what he does. Darrelle Revis is going to have to cover him, with the help of us guys. It’s going to be a tough matchup, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
While Pryor’s assessment wasn’t exactly trash talk, Bowles joked that the defensive back is still “learning” about what he should and shouldn’t say. The Jets coach also compared Bryant to LeBron James.
“Dez Bryant being slow is like LeBron (James) being slow,” Bowles said. “You going to get something from him, something out of him. He is a great player. You never slow down. You will just find different ways to beat people. So we are expecting the best Dez Bryant we are going to see.”
Bryant’s lack of focus has seemingly affected him more than his foot injury. He dropped what should have been a touchdown on a slant route against the Packers last weekend, and he seems disinterested with Matt Cassel under center. Let’s also not forget about the sideline outburst he had after not getting the ball on 3rd down the week before.
Bryant is still more than capable of making big plays, but he has to want it. If he continues to play the way he has the past several weeks, he won’t be a tough cover for Revis or anyone else.
