Dez Bryant finally talks: ‘I can’t think of me right now. We got to keep on winning’

At some point in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-17 win against the Oakland Raiders Sunday, a teammate let him know who was the head referee in the game.

So Bryant knew it was the infamous Gene Steratore.

And when asked about Steratore’s final ruling of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr fumbling the ball through the end zone to preserve the win, Bryant melded the past with the present.

"It was clear as day, he let that ball go," Bryant said of Carr. "Just like it was clear on the catch. I caught that. Without a doubt, I snagged that thing."

Bryant was not talking about the two receptions for 59 yards he had against the Raiders, including a one-handed 40-yard grab on the game-winning field goal drive.

He was talking about the catch-non-catch in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. Then Steratore overturned a catch by Bryant, saying he didn't have control as he came to the ground even though he caught it and reached for the end zone for the ball bobbled.

Bryant, nor any Cowboys fan anywhere, will ever forget that play. Bryant says Steratore hasn't forgotten either.

"I know he still thinks about that when he goes to sleep at night," Bryant said. "We got that W tonight, so I guess that replaces that. I guess nothing will replace that."

Nothing will ever replace that playoff loss but Steratore's rulings, which included a favorable fourth-and-1 call with the help of a piece of paper, kept the Cowboys' playoff hopes alive.

And it resulted in Bryant talking to the media for the first time in weeks as he has struggled to come to terms and say the right thing with an admittedly frustrating season that shaped a narrative regarding his decline in play since that fateful playoff game in 2014.

Bryant was injured for much of 2015, suffering a fractured to that required surgery, catching 31 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2016, he caught 50 passes for 796 yards but had eight touchdowns as he missed three games with a knee injury.

But 2017 was supposed to be different as he was finally healthy again. He had a full offseason of training for the first time since before the 2014 season when had the third of three seasons of 88 catches, 1200 yards and 12 touchdowns from 2012-2014.

This season has been anything but a return to greatness. Bryant has 61 catches for 712 yards and six touchdowns. He has 10 dropped passes and has career-low 11.7 yards per catch. He has not a 100-yard day all season, raising questions about his chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott and if he is a declining player at the age of 29.

Bryant has heard the whispers. He said he has avoided the media because he is honest and didn't want to say wrong the thing.

But he blames his decline in production on the increase of double teams on him because of the absence of suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott for the last six games.

He said pointed to his 40-yard catch against the Raiders Sunday as one of the few times he didn't face double coverage and the Cowboys were able to take advantage of it.

"They were doubling me at least 95 percent of the game," Bryant said. "We had to make them pay for it. My mind was right. I expected it."

Said Prescott: "Yeah, we were waiting on that single high in man to man coverage all game long and we got it right then. I was waiting for the safety to go back to a two-high look and he didn't. I took my opportunity with Dez and Dez made a great catch."

It's all the more Bryant believes things are going to change when Elliott returns from his suspension for the final two games.

He said there is no way opponents can double him and stop Elliott.

"Zeke is coming back," Bryant said. "When Zeke gets back double all you want. He is going to run for 350. The whole league is in trouble now."

If truth be told, Bryant struggles predate Elliott's absence over the last six weeks. With a base salary of $13 million in 2017, Bryant is paid to beat double teams like the other top receivers in the league.

But the good news for the Cowboys is that Bryant hasn't let his numbers and declining production impact his attitude. He understands that the Cowboys are a decidedly run-first offense and what matters most to him right now is winning is all that matters.

"It's an understanding of what is going on and what is happening," Bryant said of why he refuses to get frustrated. "They are doubling. That is what most fans don't understand. We are just trying to move on. That is what it is right now. I can't be thinking of me right now. We just got to keep on winning."

Bryant said his focus is to make the most every ball that comes his way. And that's the attitude of the entire receiver corps.

If you get one ball, make something happen with it, Bryant said.

"That is the attitude we are playing with," Bryant said. "That attitude is playing a big factor in the way we are playing football. That is more important than athletic ability. We just want to win. That is the attitude."

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 4:08 AM with the headline "Dez Bryant finally talks: ‘I can’t think of me right now. We got to keep on winning’."