Dez Bryant is backtracking a bit on the comments he made in regards to Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson. After the Dallas Cowboys star stated he can do anything Johnson can do and possibly better, Bryant is taking back his comment. Admitting it was simply a pride comment, Bryant is making sure everyone knows he has nothing but respect for Johnson.
On, 103.3 FM ESPN in Dallas, Bryant simply said that "I believe I can do whatever he can do. When it comes to football, just being on the field, it's a mindset and having mentality." That created a firestorm of backlash and now Bryant is clarifying himself a bit.
"I wasn't comparing myself at all," Bryant said, via ESPNDallas.com "I think a lot of people took it the wrong way. Clearly, I said there's no comparison. That's something that I do not do. I don't compare myself with anybody. It's just a pride thing, like I said. Calvin Johnson set the standard, set that bar high for every wide receiver in the league. I think it's the respect, it's really respect to him that he makes receivers like us go out there."
Bryant is not jumping out and saying Johnson is the best receiver in the league despite breaking the record for single-season receiving yards last year. The Cowboys receiver would only say that Johnson set the bar for every other receiver in the league.
Johnson's teammate Nate Burleson came to the receiver's defense after Bryant's comments. He told Detroit media that Bryant should "keep it real." While Burleson said Bryant was very talented, he does not believe he can compare to Johnson, not yet.
"Well, you know, Nate's right -- I'm not Calvin Johnson, I'm Dez Bryant. I didn't open up a can of worms. I wasn't going out for nobody," Bryant said.
The comments should make for an interesting matchup between the Lions and Cowboys in Week 8. The receiver notes that Cowboys coaches have not said anything to him about the comments he made. Bryant said that he is not apologizing for what he said because he was merely taking pride in the game he plays.
"I don't take back anything I said because I didn't say anything wrong. I think it's how a lot of people are looking at it. I'm not lying about anything I'm saying. I take pride in my game. There's a lot of stuff that I believe I can do, just besides football," Bryant said.
The receiver will have every chance to prove himself on Sunday. The two teams have always put together interesting games and this should just be another great display of football.
