Cowboys’ Bryant opens up on struggles, nixes idea of pay cut

FRISCO, TEXAS » Dez Bryant didn’t seem sure how to respond when asked if he would be willing to take a pay cut after perhaps the most difficult season of the Dallas receiver’s career.

Once the 2014 All-Pro came to his senses, he was emphatic.

“Hell no, man,” Bryant said Wednesday, three days after the Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to Seattle. “I believe in me.”

Bryant opened up in his first lengthy session with reporters in weeks, taking responsibility for a subpar season by saying he let frustrations affect him during games. But he also said some of those frustrations were rooted in the offensive scheme, which he said he would probably address with owner Jerry Jones and coaches in the offseason.

The eighth-year pro also blamed some of his struggles on knee tendinitis, something that hadn’t been revealed. Bryant was listed on the injury report for three weeks earlier in the season, including one week when he missed two practices when an ankle injury also was listed.

But Bryant didn’t miss any games, and is on the verge of going all 16 without a 100yard outing for the first time in his career unless he sits for a meaningless finale Sunday at Philadelphia. In his second season in 2011, Bryant didn’t reach 100 yards in 15 games, missing one for injury.

“I consider myself a warrior,” Bryant said. “If I can walk, I can move, I’m going to go out there and try to play. That’s probably dumb, but hey, that’s just who I am. I love this game, and I try to push it, but for the most part, yeah, I have been pretty banged up.”