Dez Bryant has seen the Cowboys finish 8-8 each of the past three seasons and has a pretty simple solution why they weren't a perennial playoff team.
"I'm going to give you my honest opinion," Bryant told reporters Thursday, via ESPN.com. "The years that we did go 8-8, I think -- me, because this is just how I am -- I don't think we worked hard enough."
Bryant went on to relay an anecdote from after their season-ending loss to the Eagles back in 2013 where he was apparently working out and training the next day in anticipation of 2014.
Obviously, Dallas' rise coincides with the assembly of one of football's best offensive lines, as well as a pronounced cohesion among the coaches for the first time in Jason Garrett's tenure.
But maybe Bryant is on to something, too. For the first time in years, there seems to be a different energy around the Cowboys. Maybe everyone is working just a little bit harder.
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