Dez Bryant are amazing, emerges as a star

Dez Bryant are amazing, emerges as a star.
First, there's the iconic, at least in these parts, No. 88 worn by both (so, too, did Drew Pearson). Physically, Bryant and Irvin are similar in stature (6-2) and weight (at 217, Bryant is about 10 pounds heavier than Irvin was in his prime). Both are tireless workers who exhibit an inextinguishable passion for their sport.
Bryant, 22, has another trait that brings the Hall of Famer to mind: He is powerful, and freakishly talented, when a football sails near him and even more dangerous after he locks his mitts around it.
He'll be on display when the Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints in the second act of the NFL's Thanksgiving Day tripleheader (Fox, 4:15 p.m. ET).
Dez Bryant has miles to travel before he can be considered The Second Coming of Michael Irvin, but some early comparisons are inevitable as the rookie wide receiver leads the Dallas Cowboys with eight touchdowns this season (six receiving, two punt returns) in 10 games.
Bryant again ducked the press Wednesday in the Cowboys locker room. He has refused to speak after the last few Cowboys' games, believed to be still stung by criticism he received following his refusal to lug Williams' shoulder pads during a rookie "hazing" ritual in training camp.
Rather than wag his gums, Bryant lets his legs do the talking. Still raw and unrefined, Bryant is slowly but surely developing into the impact wide receiver the Cowboys believed he could become.
Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones— he also owns the Cowboys and serves as team president — traded up with the New England Patriots in last spring's draft to snatch the Oklahoma State underclassman. Bryant was the 24th overall selection, despite lingering doubts by some NFL teams regarding his alleged character flaws and a troubled background.
Jones, who once coveted a college star named Randy Moss but was deterred by character questions during a period when Irvin was giving the owner off-the-field headaches, remained undaunted this time.
As Bryant continues to try and absorb the basics and the nuances of his position, his reliability seems to have increased after the season's first month. In late July, he suffered a high-ankle sprain, forcing him to lose out on valuable learning time in training camp. He did not play in a preseason game.
"For him to have missed all the time he missed during training camp and to have had the start he's had, it has been very impressive," said Jason Garrett, the Cowboys interim head coach.
"The other part about Dez that can't go unnoticed is he has a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for the game. At practice, nobody catches more balls than Dez Bryant. He has the trainers throwing it to him, the backup quarterbacks, the coaches. He loves to play the game."