OT: Cowboys knew Bryant would give them problems

[mayoclinic]

Interesting read from Jason Cole at Yahoo sports:

The Dallas Cowboys don't have to teach Dez Bryant much about being a football player. If you watch a handful of practices, you can see the game comes easy to him. Teaching him how to be a man of good judgment? That's the hard part.

"When you're that talented, you're afforded a couple of extra chances," team owner Jerry Jones said Monday. This is the same Jones who spent Tuesday counseling Bryant about the wide receiver's arrest in July for an alleged scuffle with his mother.

"Nothing that has happened is surprising," one Cowboys executive said of Bryant, 23, and his mother Angela, who is all of 37. As an AFC executive recently said: "You run into all sorts of stories in this business. Guys who see their parents get killed or their brothers and sisters are shot. Guys who had to steal to survive as kids. It's ugly. You wonder how some guys make it. When we looked at Dez [during the NFL draft process], I wondered a lot."

Another teammate summed it up: "Don't even waste time talking about his skills. Dez can do anything and he has a great heart … I genuinely like the guy and I don't think he means to do anybody any harm, except when he plays. He loves to be physical. But when he's not on that field at practice or on game day, there's no telling what he's doing. I don't think he has any understanding of consequences and he's a grown man. How do you teach a grown man that kind of stuff?"

Cowboys knew Dez Bryant's personal life would give them problems - Yahoo! Sports

It's an interesting read not only about Bryant, but also for it's implications about different approaches to drafting and team building. The Pats scouted Bryant extensively in 2010 and had him in for a visit, and decided to pass (twice, at 22 and again at 24). A lot of fans and media were disappointed when they passed, and the Cowboys were lauded for aggressively moving up to get a "top 10 talent". The Cowboys understood the risk involved and took the gamble (which admittedly could still pay off). They are willing to give "extra chances" to a gifted player. BB has less tolerance for that - his gambles are usually day 3, and usually on guys like Alfonzo Dennard or Aaron Hernandez with a limited incident in their past, not a chronic history, and he would have no patience for a guy who has "no understanding of consequences". It's a bit reminiscent of the Pats passing on guys like Trumaine Johnson this year in favor of Tavon Wilson. Meanwhile teams like the Cowboys and Jets have plenty of talent but lack leadership and chemistry.

 

[Rob0729]

This all comes down to Jerry Jones passed on Randy Moss because he was afraid of his off the field problems and still regrets that move til this day. The drafting of Dez Bryant is a product of that where he saw another highly talented WR with off the field issues, but he ignored them in fear of him passing on Randy Moss 2.0.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Bill did something similar with Big Bang Clock...after living to regret passing on his all time binky Ed Reed over character concerns. Big Bang didn't screw up off the field once they got a hold of him, however he was resistant to coaching.

Dez isn't the exception to the rule these days when it comes to failure to grasp the concept of consequence. I have a cousin who scoffed at the principle (as you see many younger posters here scoff) through his late teens and early 20's. Did 30 days in Billerica once over nonsense (wouldn't rat on which great buddy stole the lawnmower several of them were caught screwing around with during one Friday night's libations at the local pond) and it impressed him for all of a couple of months. When he got over zealously sentenced to 10-15 over a stupid bar fight (slow night and he got charged with everything from mahem (because another good buddy lent him his steering wheel lock bar for good measure) to hate crime (because the guy he fought with was asian and he had just gotten his head shaved for his landscape job and was wearing another pals borrowed leather jacket with a David Duke button on it for kicks), he finally got it. Been sober and on the straight and narrow ever since serving a 6+ year sentence. Although I imagine if he'd had access to a couple of million back in the day he'd have continued to get off until he did something he couldn't buy his way out of.

 

[mayoclinic]

Bill did something similar with Big Bang Clock...after living to regret passing on his all time binky Ed Reed over character concerns. Big Bang didn't screw up off the field once they got a hold of him, however he was resistant to coaching.

Mo, I don't recall there being "character concerns" on Ed Reed causing teams to pass on him. Can you elaborate? That's an interesting angle.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Bill did something similar with Big Bang Clock...after living to regret passing on his all time binky Ed Reed over character concerns. Big Bang didn't screw up off the field once they got a hold of him, however he was resistant to coaching.

Dez isn't the exception to the rule these days when it comes to failure to grasp the concept of consequence. I have a cousin who scoffed at the principle (as you see many younger posters here scoff) through his late teens and early 20's. Did 30 days in Billerica once over nonsense (wouldn't rat on which great buddy stole the lawnmower several of them were caught screwing around with during one Friday night's libations at the local pond) and it impressed him for all of a couple of months. When he got over zealously sentenced to 10-15 over a stupid bar fight (slow night and he got charged with everything from mahem (because another good buddy lent him his steering wheel lock bar for good measure) to hate crime (because the guy he fought with was asian and he had just gotten his head shaved for his landscape job and was wearing another pals borrowed leather jacket with a David Duke button on it for kicks), he finally got it. Been sober and on the straight and narrow ever since serving a 6+ year sentence. Although I imagine if he'd had access to a couple of million back in the day he'd have continued to get off until he did something he couldn't buy his way out of.

Good post. You meet some people, they're not evil or even particularly stupid but, for some reason to do with personality and upbringing, they just don't get it. I don't work in law enforcement, but my guess is that the jails are full of them.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Mo, I don't recall there being "character concerns" on Ed Reed causing teams to pass on him. Can you elaborate? That's an interesting angle.

ESPN followed that Miami team. The scene I remember is at halftime of the FSU game. They were giving the Canes a tougher than expected game. Reed injured his shoulder in the first half. He's on the training table waiting to take a shot in order to play the 2nd half. One of the backup linemen stumbles by and says something stupid. Like you ok dog? Reed screams at him. F*&k no!! My bleepin shoulder is killing me. I'm gonna take this and be out to finish the game and we're gonna beat those bleepity bleeps. One of the most intense things I've ever seen on those reality shows.

 

[mayoclinic]

ESPN followed that Miami team. The scene I remember is at halftime of the FSU game. They were giving the Canes a tougher than expected game. Reed injured his shoulder in the first half. He's on the training table waiting to take a shot in order to play the 2nd half. One of the backup linemen stumbles by and says something stupid. Like you ok dog? Reed screams at him. F*&k no!! My bleepin shoulder is killing me. I'm gonna take this and be out to finish the game and we're gonna beat those bleepity bleeps. One of the most intense things I've ever seen on those reality shows.

I wouldn't exactly call that a "character concern". I'm curious what Mo was alluding to, and the implication that BB passed on Reed specifically because of character issues.

 

[Patriot Missile]

His mom is only 14 years older than he is. That would of been a red flag to investigate there. How were the mom's parents? Father? Maybe the original line of controversial questioning from the Dolphins was based on interviews from people in the neighborhood?

Sorry to say I'm one of the idiots that was dissapointed we passed on his talent. Looking back I'm glad I don't make the decisions around there. Me too said the reply.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Mo, I don't recall there being "character concerns" on Ed Reed causing teams to pass on him. Can you elaborate? That's an interesting angle.

I can't find any references to it on Google (which is becoming an increasingly useless search engine IMO...) but I recall hearing and reading that multiple times dating back 4-6 years ago. Including around the time he didn't pass on Big Bang. Possibly just an attitude thing on Reed's part (and he still has that... as did many from the U back in the day. His just didn't interfere with his performance.) But back in 2002 Pioli and BB and Kraft were all pretty determined not to draft hardheaded guys or potential trouble makers. Perhaps it was one of those instances where Bill and Scott disagreed and therefore moved on. To Dan Graham. I always had the sense back then that Pioli was a little less forgiving than Bill when it came to those calls. And Ozzie was exponentially more forgiving than either of them.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

my coworker is a cowboys fan. Not a fan of bryant..at all

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Speaking of the Cowboys and their selection prowess, this little nugget was in Bedard's Sunday column...

5. Remember 5-foot-8-inch Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley, who said he doesn’t like to be compared to Wes Welker because he has more speed? He left the team because his “heart isn’t in football right now,” according to the team website.

 

[mayoclinic]

Speaking of the Cowboys and their selection prowess, this little nugget was in Bedard's Sunday column...

:bricks: That's priceless. He obviously has no basis for comparison with Welker whatsoever.