In the wake of the Dallas Cowboys’ last-minute loss to the Detroit Lions, there were two things that everyone was talking about: Dez Bryant’s “meltdown” and Lions QB Matthew Stafford’s ballsy sneak into the end zone to cap a huge fourth-quarter comeback. Now we have the audio for both.
While nearly every media person took the chance to admonish Bryant’s animated sideline performance in the third quarter — announcer Brian Billick said that Bryant needed to “grow up”— the newly released audio shows that Bryant was being positive in his demonstrative nature.
The sideline audio shows Bryant slamming his helmet down on the ground before talking to Tony Romo, saying that “We’re the best in the NFL.” He’s obviously frustrated with what had happened on the field, but the audio shows that he wasn’t being negative about it. That’s hard to tell without the audio, but it also explains much of why Bryant’s teammates had his back after the game.
There’s still no audio to accompany his sideline conversation with Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware following Stafford’s winning touchdown with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Ware told the Fort Worth Star Telegram that that exchange was more heated. Maybe not the most professional time to vent, but he also had to watch the Lions carve up the Cowboys’ defense for 80 yards in less than a minute.
As for Stafford, there is new video capturing his primal screaming as he leads the Lions on their last-minute drive. Appreciate the Dallas native’s descent from composed quarterback to practically losing his mind as he tries to get his team up to the line to clock the ball on the 1-yard line only to pull an audible without telling anyone. It's a great combination of controlled chaos and thinking on your toes.
Dez Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys are facing a firestorm of criticism over his behavior on the sidelines.
