Dez Bryant: 8-8 Cowboys Didn’t Work Hard Enough

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant says the team didn’t work hard enough during 8-8 seasons.

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The Dallas Cowboys are one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season so far, getting off to a hot run after opening the season with a loss. At 7-3, they look like they’ll finish well above .500 and be in contention for a playoff spot.

The Cowboys have been stuck at 8-8 for three straight seasons, and two more wins would move them past it. Wide receiver Dez Bryant thinks he knows what the difference between this season and those .500 seasons is.

“I’m going to give you my honest opinion,” Bryant told reporters Thursday, via ESPN.com. “The years that we did go 8-8, I think — me, because this is just how I am — I don’t think we worked hard enough.”

Bryant used an anecdote about him starting training and working out for the 2014 season the day after the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that ended the 2013 season.

It seems like a logical explanation for the Cowboys’ success this season. Oft-injured running back DeMarco Murray set a record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games to start the season and at one point look poised to challenge for the 2,000 rushing yard mark.

The offensive line has been dominant as well, and the defense full of spare parts is exceeding expectations. Hard work could very well be the answer.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant says the team didn’t work hard enough during 8-8 seasons.

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