Drew Pearson: Dez Bryant is Cowboys’ most influential player
By Mike Dyce
The Dallas Cowboys are trying to get a deal done with wide receiver Dez Bryant before he hits free agency in 2015. Bryant has been called out for his sideline demeanor and attitude, but his teammates have defended it as raw emotion.
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Not only is Bryant one of the Cowboys’ best players, according to former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, who also wore the No. 88, Bryant is the most influential.
“I think he’s on his way,” Pearson said recently on the NFL Network, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s really improved the last two years, his numbers have improved, and just his overall game, his overall leadership responsibility with the football team.
“He is the most influential player on that team right now. He’s kind of like Michael Irvin was to the team in the 90s. Dez can be that type of leader on the field and off the field for the Cowboys.”
Pearson isn’t the only one comparing Bryant to Michael Irvin. Head coach Jason Garrett, who was Irvin’s teammate with the Cowboys, also made the comparison.
“I have a great fondness for Michael Irvin. I had the good fortune of playing with Michael for eight years,” Garrett told NFL.com. “Michael Irvin set the pace and the tempo for our team all throughout the 90s. He worked harder than anybody else. And Dez Bryant has a lot of those same traits.”