IRVING - The last two months haven't been pleasant for Dez Bryant. The Cowboys receiver has sputtered through the worst seven-game stretch of his career.

Good news: Cowboys receivers coach Derek Dooley said Bryant had his best practice all season Wednesday. And, Bryant can't play much worse than he did Sunday at Green Bay. Of Bryant's 69 starts in his six-year career, his 9 yards receiving against the Packers marked a career low for him.

Bad news: This isn't exactly a great slump-busting week for Bryant considering Saturday night he'll be matched up against the league's highest-paid cornerback in the Jets' Darrelle Revis.

Bryant was as healthy as he's been all season against the Packers but struggled to make routine catches, showing signs that his struggles have gone from physical to mental.

"The game success isn't what he's used to, so it's human nature that an element of frustration starts setting in and all of a sudden the easy things become difficult," Dooley said. "And I don't think there is an elite athlete who probably hasn't faced what he's going through now. He's having to learn how to perform even if he's not at 100 percent and even if he's not having the success he thinks he should have, and that's not an easy thing for someone who has such a high standard."

Bryant didn't address the media this week at Valley Ranch, though he seemed in a good mood late in the week as he bounced around the locker room. He said after the loss to Green Bay, "No excuses, I should have had my game on."

Bryant has said his biggest issue has been all the practice time he's lost out on because of injuries and his contract holdout in the offseason.

Bryant didn't practice with the Cowboys all offseason as he held out for his five-year, $70 million deal that finally came in mid-July. Bryant then suffered a hamstring injury in training camp, missing most practices and all four preseason games.

Bryant played the first three quarters of the season opener against the Giants before fracturing his right foot, causing him to miss the next five games. In his second game back in Week 9 against Philadelphia, Bryant injured his knee and sprained his ankle jumping for a touchdown catch that limited him in practice for about the next month.

"Success breeds confidence and the way you have success is the time on task that you invest in your job," Dooley said. "One of the things that has always made Dez what he is that people haven't seen is the investment he puts in his trade on the practice field. He just holds himself to an incredibly high standard and works at a game pace. By doing that over and over again you develop chemistry, you develop a level of confidence in your skill set and then you go out and perform. And he's kind of had that taken away from him this year."

What has also been taken away from Bryant is Tony Romo. Bryant had developed a strong chemistry with Romo and has had to adjust to backup quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and now Matt Cassel.

Bryant certainly didn't look like himself Sunday when he jumped for a catch on a quick out when the pass didn't come in high.

"I think he's not looked the same since he had his foot injury, but he's still a playmaker," Jets safety Calvin Pryor told reporters this week in New York. "I don't think he has the same closing speed, but not to say that won't happen against us. That's just some things I've seen on film. He's still a tough cover. It's still Dez Bryant."

Added Jets coach Todd Bowles:

"I think he's the same old Dez. Sometimes he gets doubled, sometimes the ball just doesn't come his way and they miss him a time or two, but he's as explosive as ever as far as I'm concerned. You can't keep a good player down like that."

Bryant hasn't looked anything like a Pro Bowler of late. He's averaged only 3.1 catches and 43.3 yards receiving in his seven games back from his fractured foot. He has only 22 catches on 56 targets during this stretch.

He has five dropped passes in eight games. Last year, he had five dropped passes in 16 games. And Bryant doesn't have a catch in nine of his last 12 quarters.

"It's been hard on him, but he's learning," Dooley said. "He'll get his confidence back. What happens is you start thinking about the wrong things. You start thinking about the things you can't do or why you're not having success and it's mental clutter. Our big thing is just eliminate that mental clutter and go play.

"This is another part of his maturity is learning how to deal with some real [adversity]. He's had a lot of adversity, but he's always been able to play. Now other factors have taken that away. I'm proud of him because a lot of players wouldn't have come back as early as he did, but having done that, his performance wasn't what he expected and it's set in a level of frustration that he's never had to experience."

Twitter: @DMN_George.

Down on Dez

Cowboys Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant has had the worst seven-game stretch of his career over the last two months. Here's a look at the numbers:

Opponent; Catches; Yards; TDs; Targets

Seattle; 2; 12; 0; 6

Philadelphia; 5; 104; 1; 8

at Tampa Bay; 5; 45; 0; 12

at Miami; 4; 45; 1; 9

Carolina; 2; 26; 0; 8

at Washington; 3; 62; 0; 7

at Green Bay; 1; 9; 0; 6

Totals: 7 games; 22 catches; 303 yards; 2 TDs; 56 targets