Dez Bryant: The New King of England
Succession of the British throne is normally determined by royal bloodline. But the good people of England may just make an exception when it comes to Dallas Cowboys’ wide recevier Dez Bryant. Especially after his brilliant performance at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. The fifth-year wide out made himself the King of England as his Cowboys defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17, to the delight of his new lords and ladies.
The young recevier certainly made a splash in the United Kingdom, playing a career game across the pond. Bryant recorded six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. And all of it in second quarter! With the Cowboys coasting on a 24-7 lead by halftime, an exhausted Dez was essentially allowed to rest for the remainder of the game.
In the third and final NFL contest on foreign soil this season, Bryant had his best game of the year so far. While practicing in England last week, the 26-year old recevier said he felt he had a little extra juice. It certainly showed on Sunday. In fact, Bryant recorded the second highest yardage total in a game so far in his young career.
And Bryant needed this big game after last week’s debacle against the Arizona Cardinals. Last Sunday, Bryant and back-up quarterback Brandon Weeden simply could not establish a rhythm as his first eight targets were incomplete. In fact, Bryant didn’t record a single reception until the final two minutes of that game. He ended the day with two catches for 15 yards and a garbage-time score in the 28-17 defeat to the Cardinals.
The fact that Bryant had his normal starting quarterback back under center had a lot to do with his second quarter success against the Jaguars. After missing last week with a back injury, quarterback Tony Romo made a triumphant return on Sunday. Romo completed 20 of his 27 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, two of those scoring passes were to Bryant.
The Cowboys now go into their bye week, where the news about Bryant will certainly be more about his impending expiring contract and the controversy surrounding his newly acquired representation in Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. I wonder how much a King of England is worth nowadays? I think owner and general manager Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ front office are about to find out.
