Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has denied that he compared himself to Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions.
Bryant reportedly told ESPN on Monday that he could "do whatever [Johnson] could do", leading some to claim that Bryant was placing himself alongside one of the league's leading wide receivers.
However, the 24-year-old insists that there is "no comparison" between himself and the man nicknamed 'Megatron', claiming that Johnson set the bar for wide receivers like him.
"I wasn't comparing myself at all. I think a lot of people took it the wrong way. Clearly, I said there's no comparison. That's something that I do not do. I don't compare myself with anybody," Bryant told reporters.
"It's just a pride thing, like I said. Calvin Johnson set the standard, set that bar high for every wide receiver in the league. I think it's the respect, it's really respect to him that he makes receivers like us go out there.
"He broke Jerry Rice's [single-season yards] record last year. That's setting the bar. So for every receiver in the league, that's what I'm saying. I'm not Calvin Johnson, I'm Dez Bryant. I didn't open up a can of worms. I wasn't going out for nobody."
Bryant's Cowboys side will come up against Johnson on Sunday when they travel to Ford Field to take on the Lions.
Barney Corkhill
