LONDON -- Fact: Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant's five catches for 35 yards in the past two games is the lowest two-game total of the Pro Bowler's career.
Also fact: the passionate pass-catcher, who in the past has opined about targets not coming his way, has kept a tight lip and gone about his business.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin isn't surprised by Dez's calm amid a poor two-game stretch.
"What Dez is after," said Irvin after speaking at a fan forum at NFL All Access outside Wembley Stadium, "he's after wins."
The Cowboys have never been 6-3 after nine games in Bryant's five-year career. The best has been 5-4 (2011, 2013) and the worst has been 2-7 (2010).
Irvin says that Bryant has always wanted to be a competitor and, "wants to add to the process as much as he can." However, the three-time Super Bowl champion says Bryant is learning other ways to help out his team without necessarily catching passes.
Said Irvin: "Dez is understanding now that sometimes just being out there, he's added to the process, because everybody has to give coverage, double-coverage, and triple-coverage him, which gives them the ability to run the football."
While DeMarco Murray's streak of 100-yard games to start the season ended last week against the Arizona Cardinals, it had more to do with the Cowboys playing from behind with a backup quarterback than anything deficient with Murray or wrong with Bryant. Out of Bryant's 10 targets last week, he drew two defensive penalties, both against shutdown cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Bryant met with the media on Thursday and addressed his performances against Washington and Arizona.
"Check this out. Look. I can only control what I can control. You know, you watch the same tape that I watch. And I'm going to keep on doing that. And when it comes my way, I'm going to try to make the most out of it."
Irvin says that what's important is for Bryant to understand that the offense works together as a unit, which Bryant does understand.
Said Bryant: "You know, you just got to want it. In order to win, you just got to want to. So, I think our team knows that. We stay together as a team, a family."
The "family" takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time at Wembley Stadium. The Jaguars defense is 25th in yards allowed with 263.4 per game, and 17th in passing touchdowns with 15 through nine games. Though focused on winning, Sunday could be a game for Bryant to get back on track.
