Michael Crabtree's ego has fully recovered from that huge blown call that cost him the Super Bowl -- because he now boldly predicts ... he is the FUTURE OF THE NFL!

The funniest part is ... we weren't even talking about him when he said it.

Here's the scene: the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver was leaving BOA Steakhouse with Dallas Cowboys stud receiver Dez Bryant last night -- and we asked the young stars about NFL rule changes intended to protect players from head injuries.

Neither guy replied ... so we moved on to another topic.

Now, let's play this like "Jeopardy."

Crabtree's answer is ... "You ever seen the future of the NFL? The 2 hottest receivers in the game?"

So, what is the question?

Hint: it has NOTHING to do with Crabtree's or Bryant's talents ... but it IS a hot topic in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will be completely off the hook in his domestic violence case ... but only if he can manage to stay out of trouble for one full year.

As we previously reported, Bryant was arrested back in July for allegedly attacking his mother inside of her Texas home.

But according to Bryant's attorney -- who also happens to be a state senator -- the charge against Dez will be dismissed if the NFL star completes court-ordered counseling sessions and doesn't get charged with a crime for one entire year.

How 'bout dem Cowboys ... lawyers.

Dez Bryant was officially charged today with assault stemming from the fight he had last week with his mom ... TMZ has learned.

Jamille Bradfield at the Dallas County D.A.'s office tells TMZ ... Bryant was charged with assault, family violence -- a class A misdemeanor.

No court date has been set.

As TMZ first reported, Bryant was busted on July 14 after his mom told police the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver hit her in the face with his baseball cap ... and grabbed her by the shirt so hard that he ripped her bra.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant allegedly hit his mother in the face with his baseball cap ... and grabbed her by the shirt so hard that he ripped her bra ... this according to arrest documents obtained by TMZ.

The docs say ... cops were dispatched to Bryant's mother's home in DeSoto, Texas on July 14 at 1:47 PM after receiving a 911 call reporting an assault -- family violence.

Once cops arrived to the scene, Dez's mom Angela told cops she had gotten into an argument with Dez and demanded that he leave the home ... and that's when Dez got physical.

On the 911 call, Angela says, "My son has assaulted me. He's here now. he won't go home. I keep telling him to go, he won't go." You can clearly hear an argument in the background as Angela says, "I can't let him keep doing me like this. I'm gonna put an end to it today."

According to the documents, cops returned to Angela's home 2 days later and she complained of pain in her wrists, hands and arms ... and said her chest was sore from Dez pushing her.

Cops say they observed bruising in her upper arm. The docs list Dez Bryant as being 6'1", 198 pounds.

Bryant turned himself into police yesterday, and was booked for assault -- family violence, a Class A misdemeanor.

Dez’s attorney, Royce West, tells us ... “We’re going to do an investigation, find out what happened for ourselves. The most important thing is that we heal the family.”

6:10 AM PT -- According to ESPNDallas.com, Bryant had gotten into an argument with his half-brother on Saturday night and ended up pushing his mother, Angela.

Bryant was arrested for the incident on Monday after turning himself in to authorities.


Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was arrested on a family violence charge in Texas earlier today.

The details surrounding the arrest are unclear ... but according to local law enforcement, the charge is a Class A misdemeanor ... and Bryant was released after posting bail.

Law enforcement says Bryant's bail was less than $2,000.

When contacted by a local media outlet, Bryant confirmed there was an incident ... but wouldn't get into specifics. He did say, "I'm good."

This isn't Bryant's first brush with the law ... earlier this year, he was detained by Miami police after he was allegedly involved in an altercation outside LIV nightclub ... but he was not arrested and no police report was filed.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant needed someone to jump over during a dunk contest in Indianapolis yesterday ... so of course our camera guy volunteered for the job ... but the dunk didn't go as planned.

It went down as part of the Gridiron Celebrity Hoops game on the campus of Butler University. The dunk was supposed to be an alley oop where Dez jumped over our guy Jake.

But the pass was a little off and the dunk was a failure.

A perfect analogy for the Cowboys' season.