It isn't Occupy Wall Street, but the Cowboys have their own little protest going on these days.
And, unlike the group up in New York, it is pretty clear exactly what the Cowboys are fighting against. They are dead set against throwing the ball to Dez Bryant in the red zone or during the second half of games.
That might seem odd to you, but that's the only impression one can reasonably draw from the concerted effort the Cowboys are making when it comes to coming up with excuses for why Bryant doesn't get more passes thrown his way. Jason Garrett said it is about his conditioning and Jerry Jones pointed to his lack of concentration, but that just wasn't enough to convince the masses that it makes sense to ignore a talented receiver at key moments in the game.
So the Cowboys got back to work. Tony Romo is harping on the defenses that the Cowboys see in the red zone, complaining that opponents are keeping safeties on Bryant's side of the field to thwart them. Romo says that coverage dictates where the ball goes, so you can't possibly blame him for Bryant's lack of catches.
And, just in case you were thinking that the Cowboys weren't overthinking this enough, here comes wide receievers coach Jimmy Robinson to tell us that there's no conspiracy behind Bryant's lack of targets through the first six weeks of the season. It's always interesting when people rush to deny conspiracies that nobody has suggested exist without tongue in cheek, because you know they are trying to explain the inexplicable.
There's definitely truth to everything that the Cowboys have discussed. Well, except for the no conspiracy part. The Masons are definitely behind this.
Seriously, though, you can come up with all the excuses that you want and they don't come close to equaling the intellectual heft of the argument in favor of throwing to Bryant. He's a freakishly talented receiver who can change the course of games by making a single play.
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There are plenty of receivers who get sloppy with routes and take plays off, but who still make a huge impact because they have staggering talent. And defenses always crowd big receivers in the red zone. Yet Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and others still get balls thrown in their direction because their teams understand how to throw the ball in their direction and understand that talented players make things happen despite adverse circumstances.
The Cowboys are working far too hard to come up with reasons why Bryant doesn't get the ball in key spots. If they worked half as hard at getting him the ball, they might find they like the results.
