2014 Is Dez Bryant’s Biggest Year
By Kerrie Wong
2014 will be Dez Bryant’s biggest year. I don’t mean in terms of production. Though most likely, Dez will have a very productive year for the Dallas Cowboys. However it is impossible to predict production because there are many variable that contributes to it. 2014 will be Dez’s biggest year in terms of his career. It is a contract year for him, so he’s obviously looking to get paid. However it is also his second year since his breakout 2012 season. They say a draft class can only truly be judged three years after it. This rule can also be applied to breakout players. When a player breaks out, I usually wait for two more years of production before judging them. Dez Bryant is no different, and this year I’ll finally put my faith in him.
I know a lot of you already bought into Dez. It would be crazy for you not to have. With me though, I’m a skeptic. I usually wait until a player constantly shows a high level of production for three years. I know a lot of people will give me a hard time for not buying into Dez yet. However, I believe we are way too quick in evaluating players and as a result we overrate them. We’ve seen many one hit wonders in the NFL, and I’m just cautious of that. For example, remember RG3 last year? He had a phenomenal rookie season. NFL network named him the 15th best player in their Top 100 that year, which was way too high for my liking. Do they really believe that RG3 is the 5th best quarterback in the league? If you tried to claim that now, you would look quite silly. RG3 did not look anything like his rookie season and struggled in his sophomore year. He is a classic example of overrating a breakout player. One season is just too small of a sample size to properly rate a player.
If you can be productive for three straight years, you’re almost certain to put up a solid NFL career. That’s my three year rule. Remember Miles Austin 2009 season? He was dominant that year. In 2010 he slowed down a bit. However that’s normal. When you have a breakout season, it’s hard to replicate it. This is mainly because teams are now adjusting to you and giving extra attention. The good players can bounce back from that though. They’ll be able to improve their game and overcome this extra attention. Miles’ third year was plagued with injury, and he never looked to be the same player again. This is why it has to be three years. The first year is the breakout year. The second year will most likely be a slump because of teams adjusting and game planning. The third year is the most important one though, that’s the year they can prove if they are for real or not.
This year will be Dez’s third year for me. I’m excited for him, because I know he can be an absolute monster. I guess already bought into him a bit. However, if he has a great year in 2014, there will be no doubt in my mind that he’ll be a star for the rest of his career. This is a big year for Dez because it will prove if he is for real or not.