Getting Dez Bryant the ball was obviously an emphasis for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Bryant was targeted three times on the game's opening possession and 16 times total. He finished with nine receptions for 86 yards.
"You just know what an exceptional player he is, what a problem he is for the defense," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday morning on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "What sometimes is so obvious for our fans and for everyone to say we've got to do more, is just as obvious to our staff and obvious to our players. Now, getting that done is different. And the defense has a lot to say about it."
Entering Sunday, Bryant had been targeted 13 times in the previous two games combined. Lining him up in the slot on a few occasions made it difficult for the Giants to double him on every passing play. Jones credited part of that successful game plan to having Miles Austin back on the field.
On the game-winning drive, Bryant was targeted four times. He made three catches, including a pair that moved the chains on third down.
Bryant, however, didn't have a flawless game. The team's leading receiver dropped a pass that led to an interception in the first quarter and he fumbled a fourth-quarter reception that caused the Cowboys to lose 20 yards and face third-and-30.
"He's violent when he's got the ball and he's violent going after the ball," Jones said. "Consequently, he does need to have that ball in closer, he needs to have it fundamentally closer to his body. I don't know how much of that we'll really be able to coach out of him.
"You'd like to say, 'Hey, just take the ball and go straight up field rather than try to take it across.' Of course, right about the time that comes out of your mouth, he goes lateral across that field and breaks it for about 40 yards, so a lot of this is a natural physical way he plays football and you're not going to coach it out of him."
