Garrett says Cowboys won't shy away from Richard Sherman

Most teams don’t challenge Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman, who has eight interceptions each of the past two seasons.

And this season, teams have completed only seven of 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown against Sherman.

But Jason Garrett indicated the Cowboys won’t be scared to attack him, especially when Dez Bryant is lined up against Sherman. That’s because, philosophically, Garrett said he thinks it makes the game considerably more difficult to give away one half of the field.

Remember, the Cowboys often ran at Houston defensive end J.J. Watt last week, which prevented him from chasing down plays. And when Garrett was a member of the Cowboys, he watched Troy Aikman throw passes to Michael Irvin many times when he was covered by Deion Sanders.

“If you go into that game with these guys, you wouldn’t really snap the ball,” Garrett said of shying away from Sherman.

“They have good players outside, they have good linebackers, they have good rushers, the free safety is fantastic. We have to go play. We have a healthy respect for their team -- all you have to do is put in the tape -- but we have to do what we do.”

Plus, Garrett believes Bryant can handle the challenge Sherman presents. Bryant has caught 32 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns this season.

“Dez has always been explosive and dynamic from minute one since he’s been here, but he’s also matured as a route runner,” Garrett said. “He’s matured in the inventory of routes he can run. Patience during a game -- he’s getting a lot of attention from defenses -- is also an important part of his maturity because it allows him to play well throughout games.

“He’s going to get the best guy or some type of double coverage and the guys that handle it the best and keep playing are typically the best receivers in the league.”