If youve ever had the pleasure of watching Dez Bryant practice you can tell that football is extremely important to him. Everyone knows that Dez is an extremely passionate player, but few mention the type of leader he truly is.

Dez has never done anything in his life halfway, its full speed no matter the circumstance. He leads in a way very similar to the Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver, Michael Irvin. When you look at this team with the camaraderie they built last season, the commitment theyve all made to team football, its got Dezs imprint all over it. Hes led the charge, creating an incredible bond with his teammates and hes on the verge of something even more special.

Its no secret that Dez Bryant hasnt been his dominant self over the past two seasons. After signing his Cowboy For Life extension, he broke his foot in week one of 2015. Though he returned after six weeks, he just didnt have the same effectiveness, only occasionally looking like his old self. In 2016, he had to miss three games with a hairline fracture in his knee. About a month ago, our own Joseph.Hatz wrote about how Dez Bryants demise has been exaggerated:

The NFL certainly stands for Not For Long, so its understandable why many seem to have forgotten the type of talent that Bryant is and it explains why some have even suggested that he may not be in Dallas for much longer. There is no ignoring the injuries sustained over the last two years and of course you cant continue to absorb $15+ million cap hits on a player if theyre injured every season, but Bryant deserves much more benefit of the doubt than to suggest that he should be a cap cut in the near future.

Just to add to Josephs point, there are reasons to believe that Dez Bryant is not only back to being himself but should return to NFL dominance in 2017.

The chemistry between a receiver and quarterback is not built overnight. Before Dak Prescott took over for Tony Romo, he was passing to the guys trying to make the team. Dak and Dez barely had any time together before it was GO-time. Lets focus on the way Dez Bryant ended last season because its not always about how you start, its how you finish.

After returning in week eight, Bryant wasted no time in getting back on track. In a 29-23 overtime victory over the Eagles, Bryant averaged 28.3 yards per catch, had four receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. In the final 10 games, Bryant scored seven of his eight touchdowns. He had dominating performances against the Steelers, Ravens, and Lions. Speaking of that Detroit game, Bryant scored twice but also threw his first career touchdown pass to Jason Witten in that 42-21 rout of the Lions.

In only one postseason performance, he was PFFs second-highest rated postseason receiver with a rating at 156.3. Of course, it was against the Packers, who were 31st in pass defense. Still, nine receptions for 132 yards and two scores is a big time performance. If youre one to criticize Dez for beating up on a weak defense, lets just remind you that Odell Beckham Jr. only had four receptions for 28 yards a week prior against that same defense.

PFF also gave Dez Bryant an 84.8 grade which was 11th among 115 eligible receivers. Were not saying that PFF is the perfect method but they did have another interesting showing of how Dez compares to his contemporaries:

Dez Bryant's most targeted routes in 2016 were the go, hitch and slant. Here's how his performance compared to the NFL average... pic.twitter.com/8k7G2WQOTb

For all you fantasy football lovers out there, Mike Tagliere penned a column over at Fantasy Pros about Bryant and how hes not done by a long shot:

"The transition to Dak Prescott turned out to be tougher than most expected, as Bryant and Prescott connected on just 16 of their first 41 targets in their first five games, or 39 percent.

If you ignore their first five games together, removing the Week 17 game where both Bryant and Prescott played one series, heres what their final eight games have totaled (playoffs included): 66 targets, 43 receptions, 646 yards, and eight touchdowns.

Thats a 65.2 percent completion rate, a far cry from the 39 percent over their first five games. Its also important to note that his targets per game didnt increase over this time, just his efficiency.

Mike believes that Dez Bryant may not be as valuable to fantasy owners as he was in the past but hes not giving up on the All-Pro:

If youre worried about Bryant, it has nothing to do with his recent performance, because he was arguably better than any wide receiver over the final eight weeks.

As Dak and Dez have more time together, their rapport is going to grow stronger. Bryant averaged 15.9 yards per catch last season, thats about a full yard more than his previous career high. Bryant also replaced Julio Jones in the Pro Bowl.

Another interesting side note: Do you know who was PFFs third-highest wide receiver based on passer rating when thrown to? Its not Dez Bryant, it was Terrance Williams (124.6). That just tells you the amount of respect that is paid to a guy like Bryant as his mere presence makes the offense better.

Guys like Josh Norman can talk about Bryant and say that hes just a guy but theyd be very wrong. In fact, I know were giving PFF a lot of love, but Sam Monson wrote seven months ago about why Bryant won against Norman on Turkey Day though his stats read only four receptions, 72 yards:

Of the three catches Norman did allow to Bryant, two of them moved the chains and the other picked up nine of the necessary 10 yards on first down.

It may not have been a great night for Bryant and the stat sheet might look like Norman got the better of the matchup between the two, but throw on the tape and you find a very different result. Bryant was too much for Norman to handle this time, and deserved the win even if he didnt get the stats.

He may not eclipse his amazing numbers of 2014 but this is still every bit of the All-Pro he always has been. Whether its game day, on the practice field, in the weight room, or an interview: Dez Bryant is special. The way he finished off his 2016 season shows you that there is plenty of gas left in this tank. This is the guy that is second in the league in touchdowns (67) since he was drafted in 2010.

This may be a new youthful Cowboys regime but it's one that Dez was instrumental in creating. Bryant doesnt need any critical comments to get him hyped for 2017. Though hes going face some of the leagues best cornerbacks, Dez is going to be Dez and there is no better description than the mans own words to leave you on:

The way that I feel now, Im not dealing with really anything. I feel damn good. I know once Im 100 [percent], Im something hard to -- I was about to say some bad words -- but Im hard to deal with. That confidence is just steady expanding. Ill tell you this: Ive never been [more] ready for training camp. Im excited. I cant wait for training camp. Im ready to lead. Im ready to get back, and Im ready for the season to start. Im praying every day. I just want me, this whole team to be injury-free just because we got something special. The sky can be the limit for us.

See the rest here:

Why Dez Bryant Will Return To NFL Dominance In 2017 - Blogging The Boys (blog)