clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Dez Bryant Channels His Inner Quarterback As Cowboys Prepare For Eagles

During training camp and preseason, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant amazed players, coaches and media alike with his incredible skill set. Sure, everyone marveled that, at the time, he looked like the best receiver the team had seen since Michael Irvin. Everyone scribbled notes about his unbelievable ability to make one-handed catches both in traffic and once past the last line of the defense.

But there was one thing that stuck out the most in the 'that dude is cold' category; Dez Bryant was seen several times effortlessly slinging the pigskin 60 to 70 yards downfield. Even head coach Jason Garrett chuckled as Dez would hit the goal posts from the opposite side of the 50 on occasions. Dez's athletic ability  show that he clearly had the physical tools to captain a ship.

This week in practice, the Cowboys are using those unique skills to prepare themselves for the ultimate athlete at the quarterback position (this side of Cam Newton), Michael Vick. According to reports from Eagles Week, the Cowboys have been using Dez to simulate Mike Vick's one-of-a-kind skills so the defense can prepare for a style they have yet to see this season.

"He can throw the ball 60 yards, and it looks like it’s on a frozen rope like Vick’s is too, with that lefty spin," Cowboys inside linebacker Sean Lee said. "...[Bryant's imitation] was dead on. The way he runs. The way he moves. Their play-making ability."...

"There’s nobody who runs like him," Lee said. "He’s honestly one of the best quarterbacks, but also one of the best running backs in the league with how he moves and how fast he is and especially when things break down. It’s like a punt return every time with the way he’s able to shake people. We had Dez at practice to show us some of those looks with what it’s like with a guy with that agility."

-Star Telegram

With the way that his backup Vince Young performed a few weeks ago in Washington, Cowboys fans may wish that Vick emulates a little bit of Dez on Sunday. Rob Ryan's defense will do its best to make Vick disappear in the second half of Monday night, and take the Eagles 2011 season with him.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.