Drew Pearson not happy how Dez Bryant is wearing No. 88

Drew Pearson has been hard on Dez Bryant since the wide receiver arrived with the Dallas Cowboys and was given the No. 88 jersey number that Pearson starred in and later Michael Irvin.

And Pearson is being critical of Bryant again after the Dallas Cowboys were demolished 34-18 on Monday night by the Chicago Bears. Bryant caught eight passes for a career-high 108 yards but he dropped three passes, one that would have gone for a touchdown, and when he blew a route assignment it turned into an easy interception and touchdown for Bears cornerback Charles Tillman.

There were just too many mistakes for it to be viewed as anything but a disaster for Bryant, who in his third season shouldn’t be compounding mistakes like that in a game.

He’s not living up to the expectations that were placed on him by wearing that number,” Pearson told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. “Drew Pearson took it to the Ring of Honor level and Michael Irvin took it way beyond that to the Hall of Fame level.”

Pearson then took his criticism of Bryant to ESPN.

“You should know your plays. You should know where to be. You should know your adjustments that you need to make,” Pearson said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “You know what your value is to this Cowboys offense. You should be making the big plays to help the offense when they need it. To me, that’s what the 88’s are all about. That’s what I did in the 88’s, that’s what Michael did in the 88’s. I’m not saying Dez needs to be us. But we’d just like to see him carry that tradition on with the 88’s a little better.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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