Throughout Dallas' shocking 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, star wide receiver Dez Bryant, who during the week claimed he can do anything Calvin Johnson could, was seen at various points screaming the ears off any teammates and coaches who were near him.
He may have motivated Johnson with his comments; Johnson nearly broke the single game receiving record when he hauled in 12 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown. Bryant had a nice afternoon as well, catching three passes for 72 yards and two scores, but he paled in comparison to Johnson's historic outing.
His frustration bubbled to the surface and he was yelling often at his quarterback Tony Romo, and coaches. At one point tight end Jason Witten and injured linebacker DeMarcus Ware had to step in and try to calm him down. Bryant wasn't offering any apologies though.
"My passion is always positive," said Bryant. "It's always positive. It's going to remain the same way. I'm not saying anything wrong. I'm not saying anything bad. It's all positive. That's just what it is."
Bryant then lashed out at the media for reporting on his antics so heavily without the proper context. "That's [the media's] problem, because everybody knows up in this locker room who I am," Bryant said. "It's been that way since Day 1. The day that I got drafted, like I told y'all, don't get it twisted: I love this game. I love my teammates. That's what it is.
Bryant's claims that his teammates recognize his shouting as positive passion seemed to be backed up by their quotes following the brutal come-from-ahead loss. "He's never complained to me about getting the ball," Romo said. "He knows that the ball's going where it's supposed to. He knows that.
"When you guys sometimes see emotions from Dez, it's just trying to 'rah, rah' more than it is being a 'me' guy. That's not who Dez is. I think that would be completely out of character for him if there was ever a 'me' situation."
Bryant's head coach Jason Garrett's comments were in line with Romo's. "We want guys who want the football," Garrett said. "Dez has never been a distraction to our football team. He is a really positive asset to our team -- on the field and off. The way he works, his passion for the ballgame, that's good stuff."
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