IRVING, Texas– The talk all offseason about Dez Bryant has centered on his maturity. People around him seem to say he just "gets it."
One thing he seems up to speed on is the politics that come with MVP voting.
While Michael Irvin bluntly predicted Dez would win the NFL's MVP award this year, Bryant downplayed that notion. And when asked what needs to happen for him to win it, Bryant offered up an answered that showed some of that wisdom.
"Be a quarterback," he said, hinting at the fact that no wide receiver has ever won the award and that quarterbacks have taken the hardware home 35 of 52 times.
But that doesn't mean he's not pulling for his own quarterback to win it.
"I'd be more excited to see Tony get it and just know I was a part of it," Bryant said. "I think MVPs should go to quarterbacks. They're the boss, the CEOs on the field."
Bryant then added his opinion on Romo's chances of getting there.
"I think he's going to have a great year," Dez said of Romo. "We're ready. I can't wait for Sunday night to get here. I just think (Romo) is going to be great. We have a lot of weapons on offense and his job is to get the ball to all of us. He does a good job with that. We're ready."
Irvin made the statement on NFL Network on Wednesday, suggesting Bryant has the tools and mental makeup to take his game to the most elite of levels.
While Bryant dismisses the MVP talk, just getting high praise from a fellow No. 88 is good enough.
"It means a lot when Michael Irvin says something good about me," Bryant said. "It's the history of the number. I look at it as a great challenge to fill his shoes – Drew (Pearson) and Mike. It's no pressure. I'm just having fun."
Carr's Mentor Returns
When Brandon Carr entered the league in 2008, his goal was stick around as long as he could. A fifth-round pick of the Chiefs, Carr immediately sought out some of the veterans who knew their way around the league, much less the locker room.
One of those vets was guard Brian Waters. And now, five years later, Carr is not only one of those vets himself, but he gets reunited with the offensive lineman who signed a one-year deal earlier this week.
"That's one of the guys that took me under his wing and helped me in my transition," Carr said. "He's a guy, a family-man, who knows how to be a pro. A lot of long talks with him have helped me transition to the league.
"My plan was to try and stay in the NFL as long as possible. I wanted to talk to the guys that have been here the most. I looked at those guys as role models."
Carr sounds optimistic Waters will be a great fit in Dallas.
"I think he'll help this offensive line," Carr said. "He's seen everything, been through it all. He knows a lot about his craft."
Captains Named
The players have voted on the 2013 captains, picking two on offense, two defense and one from special teams.
No real surprises other than possibly their best player wasn't included. Jason Witten and Tony Romo were the offensive captains, along with DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee on defense. Kicker Dan Bailey was named a captain. Bailey replaces the spot Danny McCray had last year.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant is arguably the team's most exciting player, but was not named one of the captains this year.
