Tag: Dez Bryant

Eric Decker Announces Retirement. Who is Going to Catch Passes for the Patriots?

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Okay, now I’m officially nervous. Eric Decker announced his retirement last night and posted the following message on Instagram.

All training camp and preseason I’ve been saying don’t worry about the receiver depth and that the Patriots will figure out a way to patch everything together for the first month until Julian Edelman returns. Then Malcolm Mitchell got cut. Then Jordan Matthews got cut. Then Kenny Britt got cut. Then Eric Decker retired.

Shit.

People obviously weren’t as high on Decker as I was, but I viewed him as a proven veteran who could catch the ball, no more no less. He definitely struggled in his short stint with the Patriots though as he was dropping lots of passes.

I still think Decker would have been able to right the ship. Maybe he’s not blowing by guys off the line anymore, but you don’t just lose the ability to catch the ball overnight. And for a guy that had four 80+ catch seasons I would have given him the benefit of the doubt. But maybe the Pats saw the writing on the wall. With all the drops it looked like Decker may have been on the outside looking in on Brady’s circle of trust. Once that happens its hard to get back in.

Former players were saying that Decker was thinking too much as he was trying to digest the Patriots playbook and was thinking more about where he was supposed to be rather than just catching the ball. Well it would seem like Belichick was over it and was going to cut Decker, but gave him the option to “go out on his own terms” and retire instead, which is exactly what Decker did.

Well now the Patriots receiving corps looks like this:

  • Chris Hogan
  • Phillip Dorsett
  • Cordarrelle Patterson
  • Braxton Berrios
  • Devin Lucien
  • Riley McCarron
  • Paul Turner (aka Paul Turner the IT Guy, or “something called Paul Turner” as Big Jim Murray nicknamed him)
  • Matthew Slater

That is not exactly confidence inspiring. And no, bringing in Dez Bryant is not the solution here, but hell if I know what that answer is.

Not all these guys are even a lock to make the roster and Doug Kyed over at NESN thinks the Pats might only keep 4 receivers total, which includes special teams captain Matthew Slater, and just try to stay above water until Edelman returns from suspension.

I can’t say I’m okay with the Pats slotting in Matthew Slater as the No. 4 WR as we’ve all seen what Slater can(not) do as a pure receiver.

The Pats may just lean on the deep RB group that they have, but even half of those guys are dealing with injuries. Rex Burkhead has missed some time with a tear in his knee, although reports have said he’ll be able to play through it. First round pick Sony Michel remains sidelined with his own knee injury too. Suddenly the RB depth isn’t what it appeared to be a few weeks ago.

Belichick and co. seem to like what they have at the TE position with Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, and Jacob Hollister has made headlines this preseason for his play. So the Madden expert that I am would not be surprised to see a lot of James White screens and 2 and 3TE sets to start the season for the Patriots.

I honestly doubt the Pats bring in anyone from the FA scrap heap at this point in the season. They’re more likely to see who may be available on the trade block as they did last year with Phillip Dorsett. The hot rumor this past week has the Patriots eyeing Denver’s Demaryius Targaryen, er, Thomas. I would be fine with that if the price is right, plus he’s a big dude at 6’3″, but at $8.5M I can’t see Belichick taking that on as is.

We’ll see what the Patriots do, but either way its time to start battening down the hatches as the regular season kicks off Sunday, Sept. 9th at 1 pm.

Should the Patriots Sign Dez Bryant?

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Image result for dez bryant

Well, would you look at that?

For the second straight day, we’re doing a story on a former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, who, although freakishly talented, is also an extremely volatile and contentious diva that oftentimes forces himself out of what could have been a great situation.

Yesterday, it was Terrell Owens. This time around, we’re talking about a guy who still plays in the NFL; he’s just not currently on any actual roster, and his name is Dez Bryant.

Owens and Bryant are actually eerily similar in a few different ways:

  • Owens is 6’3″, 226 pounds; Dez is 6’2″, 220 pounds.
  • Both finished with exactly 69 receptions during their last season in Dallas.
  • Owens had 81 touchdowns and 592 receptions through his first eight seasons; Dez has 73 touchdowns and 531 receptions.
  • Owens averaged 72.8 yards per game for his career; Dez has averaged exactly 66.

All I’m saying is that it’s surprising for a guy of Dez’s caliber, who has comparable numbers to one of the game’s all-time greats, to still be sitting on his couch this late in the summer.

He apparently turned down a multi-year deal from the Ravens in April, but since then it’s pretty much been radio silence for the 29-year-old. (There’s been rumblings of the Browns being interested as well, but there have been no meetings or workouts scheduled so far. Plus, come on, you really think Dez is going to play for Cleveland? Please.)

With the Patriots currently in dire straits at the wide receiver position – yes, even after signing Eric Decker last week – many have suggested that Dez could perhaps be the solution to the problem.

For all the flak he’s received the past few years for his “declining” level of play, Dez has averaged a more than respectable 13.6 yards per catch and almost six touchdowns over the past three seasons, in two of which he played just nine and 13 games, respectively. Last season, he played in all 16 games, finishing with 69 catches and 838 yards. The guy’s still pretty good, and he’s unquestionably better than most of what Brady has to work with at the moment besides Gronk.

Image result for dez bryant

But is he worth it?

jeff goldblum what GIF by The Late Late Show with James Corden

Think about this: Dez Bryant is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in touchdown receptions, is third in team history in receptions, and is fifth in receiving yards…and the team threw him away this spring like he was yesterday’s newspaper. If he were older or heading toward the end of his career, it would be understandable, but the man hasn’t even reached his 30th birthday yet and is coming off a full season of play.

Again, I’m not doubting that Dez has a lot of gas left in the tank; he’s just also pretty full of hot air.

The whole reason the Cowboys cut Dez this year was because of his attitude. Plain and simple. Is he the first stud receiver with a big mouth and a flair for the dramatic? Absolutely not. But does Dez maybe take it a bit too far sometimes? I’d say so.

For instance, just last week he went on a Twitter tirade against Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, son of team owner Jerry Jones, after the former insinuated that quarterback Dak Prescott’s development was hurt last season by Dez’s selfish attitude and constant complaining about play-calling. Because he was always barking in the ears of teammates and coaches about how HE felt the offense should be run and how unhappy HE was, Jones felt as though Dez was doing more harm than good.

And maybe, JUST MAYBE, he wasn’t wrong:

So, what does Dez do? Fire off a bunch of angry tweets, calling former coaches and teammates nasty names and, of course, complain about the team’s play-calling.

Look, I get that you’re mad, Dez, and I, too, feel as though Jason Garrett is one of the league’s most overrated coaches. And there’s no doubt that the entire Jones family is comprised of a bunch of clowns. But, dude, you’re not doing yourself any favors or attempting to silence the critics about who they think you’ve always been.

Even during his college days at Oklahoma State, he was known for always being late to meetings AND games, and he was cited for lying about working out at Deion Sanders’s house as an amateur (yeah, it was pretty dumb, but still). Tons of teams, the Pats included, passed on him on draft night, and he fell all the way to 27th in the 2010 draft when he should’ve have been a lock to be picked in the top five.

And last season’s transgressions weren’t exactly Dez’s first in the NFL either. It’s obvious that, through it all, he hasn’t learned a damn thing.

More drama is the absolute LAST thing this Patriots team needs right now, even though they could really use his talent on the field. Plus, reports out of camp are saying that guys like Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett are flashing and making a lot of impressive plays, so maybe things aren’t quite as bleak as it seems right now.

Did Belichick take on the notorious Corey Dillon back in 2004 and things went just fine? Yes. Did he also go after an abrasive and thought-to-be-completely-cooked Randy Moss in 2007, only to see him unite with Brady and smash NFL records? Yes.

But is Dez Bryant worth the risk right now for this team? Sorry to say it, but no, he simply isn’t. Hopefully the guy matures as the years go on and finally finds his nirvana, but for right now, I’m gonna take a hard pass.

ICYMI The Dallas Cowboys Doctor is a Damn Cowboy Himself

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I would expect nothing less from the fine people of Texas. This guy definitely walked in wearing a 10 gallon hat and Jerry Jones shouted YOU’RE HIRED before he could even sit down. Jerry probably didn’t even bother to ask if the guy actually went to medical school. Shoot first ask questions later, thats how Jerry built his empire.