ARLINGTON, Texas — In his third NFL season, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant still struggles to put together a complete game.
No matter how big of a reception or punt return the 23-year-old delivers he has developed a reputation for making a costly drop, running an incorrect route or fumbling in the same game.
In Sunday's 29-24 loss to the New York Giants, Bryant showed his exceptional athleticism on what appeared to be a 37-yard touchdown grab with 10 seconds remaining. Although the play didn't stand because Bryant's hand touched out of bounds first, his elite athletic ability was on full display.
That's the part of Bryant's game that makes him appear worthy of a first-round draft pick. However, there's also the part that makes him appear like he shouldn't be on the field.
In the opening five minutes Sunday, Bryant seemed to run a different route than Tony Romo expected, leading to the quarterback's first of four interceptions on the day. Later in the quarter, Bryant fumbled a punt return, picked it up and then fumbled it again, finally being recovered by the Giants. The combination of turnovers forced Fox analyst and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman to suggest that Bryant be benched.
"I don't think we even have the forum here to talk about how to coach him or correct some of the things that we need to correct in here with the coaches," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said of Bryant while standing in the team's locker room. "But certainly we have to get to a point with him that he can make those plays like he almost made at the end but not make those mistakes."
Bryant said the fumbled punt was the result of trying to do too much and running before he had the ball. On the interception, Bryant said he was off balance as he tried to flatten out his route. He noted that it was not a miscommunication between him and Romo.
When talking about Bryant's errors, Jones said the big plays don't win the games as much as the mistakes lose them.
Asked about that comment, Bryant agreed with the team owner.
"He's absolutely right," Bryant said. "We've just got to eliminate the mistakes. Those are the things that kill you, but we've just got to keep fighting."
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