By Mike Fisher
DALLAS – Ah, the power of DallasBasketball.com's "75-Member Staff'' -- it even works in football ...

Dez Bryant just spoke to a member of 'The 75-Member Staff' and put into words his powerful desire to continue playing for the Cowboys despite his serious finger injury.

"It would take more than this to take me out,'' Dez said, in a sense angry at being given an initial no-go by team doctors. "No way. They'd have to break my leg to keep me out."

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett says the play-or-not-play determination on Dez’s fractured finger will be “a medical decision.’’ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tells 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that Dez himself will have the "ultimate decision" about undergoing the season-ending surgery that on Monday afternoon club sources said they considered “all-but’’ inevitable.

Additionally, Dez’ advisor and friend David Wells said in our one-on-one visit that Bryant will today follow his attendance of the memorial service in honor of late teammate Jerry Brown with another visit with doctors in search of approval to allow him to continue playing this season.

“You know Dez,’’ Wells told me. “He’s not going to give up trying. More than anything in the world, he wants to play.’’

If Bryant and medical personnel are able to find a way – whether than comes with a protective device, pain medication or the accepted risk of permanent damage to the finger – among the most surprised people involved will be Jerry Jones and Dez Bryant himself.

On Monday, Bryant himself was telling associates that doctors were advising him against trying to play. Meanwhile, Jones’ front office was in the process of shifting the player to injured reserve for the season.

All along, of course, there has been the slight chance of hope – combined with the strength of Bryant’s will.

"I know he wants to play," Jones said. “Dez will be the ultimate decision-maker on surgery or playing with some kind of padding. … Make no mistake about it. Dez is champing at the bit and wants to take the route of playing."

The Cowboys are 7-6 and in playoff contention despite having lost one-third of the team’s starters to season-ending injury. Jones is well-aware of all that is on the line here.

“Certainly, we’re very mindful of everything involved here and are making sure that everyone, mostly Dez, has all the right information so that he and we can make a decision,” Jones said. “We know a lot right now and we’ll get a little more information here over the next day or so.”

"The doctors are going to say, 'Hey, this is what it is, and this is what we feel like you need to do,' and then we're going to say, 'OK, well, what are the other options,' like you do with any injury, and you go forward and you make your best decision, not only for now, but for the future," Garrett said. "Dez is very passionate about playing. Anyone who's been around him knows that.

"... He's just one of those guys. He loves to play. He's very emotional about the game, very passionate about the game, so we're going to do everything we can to give him a chance to play. At the same time, there's a medical decision as well that we have to factor into this thing, and we'll do the right thing."

For Dez, "the right thing'' means one thing -- short of somebody breaking his leg.

BevoMav wrote: Funny how perceptions of players and coaches can change in such a short time. Take two players and one head coach as an example.

A short time ago Dez was the poster child for underachiever and goof off. JRatliff on the other hand was such a model of good guy that Jerry Jones gives him a $40 million extension. Now Dez is paying attention and is risking further injury by wanting to play, no matter the consequences and Ratliff goes off on Jerry and goes after his age. All because Jerry tells Ratliff, who seems intent on missing the season, over a pulled muscle, the team needs him.

Then there is the case Jason Garrett. I have read about his aloofness, how he seems more interested in process than winning and much worse. The comes the tragic incident involving a death to a player and another being charged with causing his death and man did Garrett step up. He has never looked more like a head coach or a guy in charge. I think the thought that he lost this team is just something to talk about and has nothing to do with reality.

Two players and a head coach might well have had their images change virtually over night. Funny how that works.

BevoMav wrote: We know what we know or suspect because of the media. We don't know any of these guys, we just sometimes act like we do. There are certain "media" I trust(like Fish) and one's I don't trust(like Skip Bayless)

hairdude47 wrote: My perception of Dez really hasn't changed much, to be honest. He's always been talented. I've always felt picking him was sort of unnecessary because dominate receivers tend to be a tad overrated in terms of what it takes to win deep into the postseason. The difference is that he's actually producing this season, which is largely because the Cowboys are treating him like a little boy who can't handle grown up things like going to bed on your own and not going to malls and getting in trouble.  He's been forced to focus on football because there isn't a whole lot else going on in his world.

He doesn't impress me as a person. The teams continued insistence on taking guys like him and babying them and thinking that is a long term solution just reflects how out of touch Jerry is with what creates a winning team long term. 

Maybe Dez can turn it around, but frankly, I haven't known many 24 year old men who can change who they are and how they interact with the world.

BevoMav wrote:

hairdude47 wrote: My perception of Dez really hasn't changed much, to be honest. He's always been talented. I've always felt picking him was sort of unnecessary because dominate receivers tend to be a tad overrated in terms of what it takes to win deep into the postseason. The difference is that he's actually producing this season, which is largely because the Cowboys are treating him like a little boy who can't handle grown up things like going to bed on your own and not going to malls and getting in trouble.  He's been forced to focus on football because there isn't a whole lot else going on in his world.

He doesn't impress me as a person. The teams continued insistence on taking guys like him and babying them and thinking that is a long term solution just reflects how out of touch Jerry is with what creates a winning team long term. 

Maybe Dez can turn it around, but frankly, I haven't known many 24 year old men who can change who they are and how they interact with the world.

I have a son who at 15 did a year in a drug facility and at 24 was addicted to heroin. My wife and I spent thousands to keep him out of prison. Somewhere around 28 he beat me to an inch of my life. While being pummeled I could only cry for my son.

That same man is now 32 and enrolled in Christ for the Nations to become a minister. He is married and I have a wonderful grandson. People change every day and I thank god I didn't give up on him like so many told me to do.

hairdude47 wrote:

BevoMav wrote:

hairdude47 wrote: My perception of Dez really hasn't changed much, to be honest. He's always been talented. I've always felt picking him was sort of unnecessary because dominate receivers tend to be a tad overrated in terms of what it takes to win deep into the postseason. The difference is that he's actually producing this season, which is largely because the Cowboys are treating him like a little boy who can't handle grown up things like going to bed on your own and not going to malls and getting in trouble.  He's been forced to focus on football because there isn't a whole lot else going on in his world.

He doesn't impress me as a person. The teams continued insistence on taking guys like him and babying them and thinking that is a long term solution just reflects how out of touch Jerry is with what creates a winning team long term. 

Maybe Dez can turn it around, but frankly, I haven't known many 24 year old men who can change who they are and how they interact with the world.

I have a son who at 15 did a year in a drug facility and at 24 was addicted to heroin. My wife and I spent thousands to keep him out of prison. Somewhere around 28 he beat me to an inch of my life. While being pummeled I could only cry for my son.

That same man is now 32 and enrolled in Christ for the Nations to become a minister. He is married and I have a wonderful grandson. People change every day and I thank god I didn't give up on him like so many told me to do.

Did treating him like he was a child help him change?  Or did he have to make the decision himself to be a man? 

My point is Dez is who he is until he decides to make decisions that a responsible grown man makes. 

The fact that he is succeeding because he's being treated like a child doesn't make me think he's changed.  It just makes me think the Cowboys are managing him successfully.  But in the long term, that strategy rarely ever works with grown men.  And I continue to believe that as long as Jerry keeps going out and getting guys he has to manage, this team's philosophy towards acquiring personnel is fundamentally backwards.

balldontliez wrote: damn how did this get almost 3,000 views? was it originally on the main page?