'Dez Watch' About To Become 'Watch Dez'
By Mike Fisher | @fishsports
OXNARD (105.3 THE FAN) -- Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant found his owner and his coach on Wednesday and gave them a hug.
Today marks the start of giving them something even bigger...and it's all the result of both sides avoiding what would've been "Dez Watch,'' as COO Stephen Jones labeled it.
"The Dez Watch is something that wouldn't have been welcomed by Coach Garrett, his teammates, and certainly by Jerry and myself," Stephen said. "We wanted to avoid that. He's a big reason for our success last year, the energy he brings to not only the field during a game, but to a practice field, a workout or meeting. His presence is a big deal. To have him here from Day 1 is a big part of what was pushing us as well. He's a leader on this team and he's a big part of it. We wanted to have him here."
No Dez here would've meant a daily dark cloud. Instead, the team -- which is actually talking about limiting Bryant early in camp because he hasn't been in competitive situations this spring, a silly thought in my view -- gets the full benefit of Dez' "persona,'' as Garrett called it.
"When you have a guy like that with such a presence in some ways you feel his absence more," Garrett said. "I've played with guys throughout my career, we've coached guys on our team throughout our careers where this guy might be a great player but he doesn't quite have that persona or that personality on the field, and when he's not there you miss him but some of the residual impact isn't quite as significant.
Dez is one of those guys who you miss him because of the kind of player he is but also because of his personality and the energy that he brings."
And now, thanks to the deadline-beating five-year, $70-mil deal, they don't have to miss it at all. Instead of "Dez Watch,'' we get to simply "Watch Dez.''
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