Dez Bryant Out to Prove Doubters Wrong

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is out to prove all of his doubters wrong. 

This is what Bryant told The Dallas Morning News‘ Jon Machota on Sept. 16:

“Dez Bryant’s X is quickly becoming one of the most popular touchdown celebrations in the NFL. After every score, the Dallas Cowboys’ star receiver looks at the crowd, pauses and makes an X by crossing his arms.

“‘The X is for all of the defenses,’ Bryant said recently during an interview with NFL Network’s Michael Silver. ‘I’m the guy to watch.’ 

“Silver followed up by asking Bryant what he’s X-ing out.

“‘All of the bad, all of the negativity that ever came — that approached me,’ Bryant said. ‘People don’t understand me; they paint their own pictures of me. I look at them as they’re just negative, they want to bring me down — I’ll show them. The biggest joy I can ever get is me proving a doubter wrong. I love it. I love it.’

“Bryant believes he’s already proved a lot of people wrong. Growing up around family members who did drugs and a mother he had to visit in jail, Bryant understands the odds were stacked against him. 

“‘We knew even when we drafted Dez that there /4/be some weaknesses, but there was no wickedness,’ former Cowboys star receiver Michael Irvin said recently on the NFL Network. ‘He is a good kid, he has a good heart and Dez wears it on his sleeve.’

“One of Irvin’s co-workers at the NFL Network, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp, has become a fan of how Bryant ‘plays the game with a purpose.’

“‘I love how he ferociously goes after the ball,’ Sapp said. ‘It doesn’t matter, when he catches it is he is getting ready to run. He is running like a like a running back trying to get a third-and-1. He plays the game like it is supposed to be played, like it is your last chance to ever touch a football.'”

Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant: ‘I’m too rough to be a diva.’ http://t.co/FTqyrCcndy pic.twitter.com/sIhJmrkpcC

— theScore (@theScore) September 14, 2014

Bryant, who caught 10 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in Dallas’ 26-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 14, also praised Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray‘s value to the team, per David Helman of the Cowboys’ official website:

“Given the clinic DeMarco was putting on in the trenches, it’s a bit surprising to see just how productive a day Dez Bryant had. 

“It was relatively quiet, because just one of his receptions went for more than 20 yards, but there’s no denying the impact his 10-catch, 103-yard, one-touchdown day in the Cowboys’ 26-10 win against Tennessee.

“It’s a testament to Murray’s day that Bryant played second fiddle in the win — not that he’s complaining.

“‘DeMarco is turning straight beast mode, man, straight beast mode. I know he’s going to keep doing that,’ Bryant said. ‘When he runs the bal like that, all the running backs, it just makes our jobs that much easier.’

“Sunday’s effort gave Bryant 11 career 100-yard games, tying him with Terrell Owens for ninth in franchise history. His 10 receptions also gave him 100 for his career, which is the fastest a Cowboys receiver has reached that milestone. 

“If Murray continues to pulverize defenses the way he did the Titans, he’ll open the field for Bryant to reach plenty more milestones in the future.

“‘When you’ve got my boy doing what he’s doing, you’ve got to be there to back him up,’ Bryant said. ‘I feel like that’s exactly what I was doing.'”  

The 25-year-old Bryant has caught for 4,262 yards and 41 touchdowns on 307 receptions in 61 career regular-season games through Sept. 17, per ESPN stats. 

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