Dez Bryant And J.J. Wilcox Fight During Scrimmage

The Dallas Cowboys held their annual Blue & White Scrimmage in Oxnard, CA on Sunday afternoon. And as the public scrimmage gave fans their first glimpse of the 2014 version of the Cowboys, they also got some extra entertainment to go along with it. During the full contact portion of the practice, wide receiver Dez Bryant caught a pass on a deep slant pattern. Suddenly, second year safety J.J. Wilcox violently hit Bryant, forcing the wideout to the ground. A skirmish between the two players then occurred with Dez headbutting and then pushing Wilcox, who retaliated with several swings at Bryant’s helmet.Bryant knows this defense better show some bite for the Cowboys to have a prayer of doing playoff damage. That’s part of the reason Bryant has been barking at the defense so much during camp, consistently talking trash after he makes big plays, such as his 80-yard score on a slant or short touchdown catch on a back-shoulder fade Sunday. Bryant wants to bring the best out of a defense that ranked as the league’s worst last season. He’s trying to provoke the type of passion Wilcox displayed. If it causes Bryant a bit of pain -- and the big hit hurt worse than the right hook, thanks to his helmet -- so be it. “It’s just a chip on our shoulder,” said Wilcox, who has the potential to be an intimidating presence in the secondary. “We’ve been 32nd for the last year. It’s time to step up.” Wilcox’s initial shot at Bryant, when the safety’s helmet struck hard right between the 8s on the receiver’s jersey, broke one of the cardinal rules of Cowboys camp.The episode unfolded after Bryant repeatedly taunted the defense on occasions when the offense prevailed. Bryant later had his comeuppance when he went against Wilcox, who built a reputation in training camp last year for delivering big hits and flashing an aggressive style. “He’s a heck of a player,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “And so is the guy who caught the ball.” Later, after both players cooled down, they were seen on the sideline hugging. All was well again in the Cowboys’ universe. “It’s never good to have players go to the ground – that’s not what we want,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “But it is good to have them compete, and those two guys are some of the best competitors we have on our team.”