ARLINGTON, Texas – Dez Bryant confirmed Saturday night what his play against the Ravens already emphasized – he's in regular season form.
"I'm ready for the real deal," he told reporters gathered around his locker. "This is not the real deal. I'm waiting on what's real."
That much was evident to anyone who watched Bryant's two series on the field against Baltimore. The fifth-year receiver made an outstanding play every time he touched the ball, which was three receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.
"We're more in attack mode. It's our mindset -- it's what we want to do," said Bryant of the Cowboys' first-team offense. "It's who we want to be. We're going to go out and try to be the best and that's our mindset."
Bryant was the target on Tony Romo's lone touchdown pass of the night. Romo sent Bryant on a pump-and-go toward the end zone, where he shook off a hapless attempt from cornerback Dominique Franks for a 31-yard touchdown.
"When you get in a situation where it is one-on-one and the defensive back is not looking at me, you just want to make sure you don't overthrow Dez," Romo said.
The Baltimore Ravens meet the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
That was the standout of several notable plays. Bryant salvaged the Cowboys' opening drive of the game when he converted a 2nd-and-20 with a 22 yard gain. He came up with a third down conversion on the next drive, going six yards on 3rd-and-5.
"He loves to play and I think you saw that," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. "He's hard to tackle. He's always spinning and diving and trying to make things happen. He's bound and determined."
Even Bryant's non-plays, stood out, as nearly brought in a long gain on a juggling catch that was just slightly out of bounds.
It was as good a preseason debut as the Cowboys could have hoped for Bryant. But Bryant himself reiterated – he's ready for more. [embedded_ad]
"It wasn't really anything. It was just a tease," he said. "I feel good mentally and physically, but other than that, I'm ready for the game."
