Dez Bryant has played in 22 straight regular-season games without crossing the 100-yard mark through the air, the longest dry spell of his celebrated career.
Four days away from Sunday's regular-season finale with the Eagles, the Cowboys receiver spoke at length about his frustrating season -- and his utter reluctance to recraft his contract.
"I haven't heard no talks about that, but if it comes -- well, I don't know," Bryant said on taking a pay cut, before adding: "Probably not. Hell, no, man. I believe in me."
Bryant defended his on-field numbers, acknowledging he was "frustrated" with the offensive scheme and saying, per The Dallas Morning News, there were "certain situations I couldn't control."
Said Bryant: "I'm a hell of a football player. I know that. I believe that."
The receiver revealed that he's played through tendonitis since facing the Chiefs in early November, but also acknowledged he allowed in-season distractions to drag down his play.
"I felt like a lot of times I looked damn good," Bryant said, per the team's official website. "Then, I'd get to thinking about certain things and -- you know, it bothers me. That's all I can say."
Said Bryant: "Probably at the time I should have focused on what I could control. I let a lot of things get in the way. I wish I didn't. I feel like that affected, I know for a fact, some of my play."
The reader will determine if any of this self-analysis is valuable from a player none of us expected to verbally agree to a pay cut in late-December.
Bryant hasn't been himself in 2017, but plenty of wideouts on the cusp of 30 find that to be true.
Set to make a whopping $13 million next season, we'll find out soon enough how the Cowboys truly feel about the Dez Bryant Experience going forward.
