Dez wont carry williams pads (1 Viewer)

[FavreCo]

It would be an insult to carry Roy Williams pads. Can't blame him there. However, it will be interesting to see if he wants some rookie to carry his pads next year.

 

[sholditch]

I think people are too caught up who asked rather than Bryant has already put himself on a pedestal.

Bryant not carrying the pads of a vet (come on, you guys use the term hazing, but that is light task... it doesn't take away from football or not a game as he is headed back to the locker room anyway) but putting himself above a rookie tradition will speak volumes to the veterans and football office personnel that this is not a team guy or a potential future locker room cancer... sorry, but it is a red flag in the business. You guys saying it is ok are doing it based on the quality of player that asked. Sure, it maybe would have been better for someone else to have done it, but Roy Williams was a higher pick than Bryant and Williams did it as a rookie as well as all other players. Just because of Roy Williams/Dez Bryant's perceived value going future is heavily in Dez's future does not mean he is above doing the things that all rookies do that have never played a down. Now Bryant has already caused a team distraction by effectively saying, "I don't have to do the things all other rookies before me have done." This will make him a marked target across the league by vets.

Let's cut to the chase then since it's a red flag for several posters. What are you saying? Dez will stink in redraft this year? Dez is a TO cancer? Dez won't have an NFL career? Sounds like a lot of haters to me and he's done very well in camps to this point. Are we rooting against Dez? Why does anyone care that he didn't want to carry Roy Williams pads? Aren't all NFL WRs that excel a prima donna of sorts by trait?

I want projections and I want the moneyline on Dez having a good rookie campaign.

Truth is this is very unlikely to have any impact ffers or fans will notice. But if I were the coach I would care. Simply because this is a red flag in terms of attitude and it could become a problem down the line. And I wouldn't like it because it makes my job harder as a coach.Whether or not this is the start of more trouble is debatable, but I think it's not unrealistic to be worried about this. If his attitude starts causing the coach a problem, he could be less inclined to start Bryant ahead of Williams. But this one incident along isn't going to do anything.

I just hope for Dez's sake the Cowboys camps aren't like the Bears. Benson got lit up in practice for a lot less, and IIRC it was fairly serious like a separated shoulder or something.

 

[dhockster]

Although this could be a big deal for Dez, I don't think it will be for two reasons:

1) He is doing everything else right: getting to camp on time, showing up early, staying late, working hard. The veterans see this and

and it will buy him some good will.

2) I don't know this for a fact, but my perception is that Roy Williams isn't the most liked guy in the Cowboys lockerroom. If this is true,

that the other veterans don't like Roy, then they will have a hard time getting on Dez for dissin' Roy.

I think it will be interesting to see how the real leaders of the Cowboys respond. Will someone like Keith Brookings or Tony Romo ask Dez to

carry their pads? If they do, and Dez continues to refuse, then he will start to lose face with his teammates.

Or will the veteran leaders just let it go, and basically hope Roy doesn't make a big deal out of it, or hope Roy gets cut before the start of the season?

We shall see....

 

[coolnerd]

If anyone knows what to do to build team cohesion and win championships, it's the modern day Dallas Cowboys. Can't see what Dez is thinking here.

FWIW, Jerry Jones when asked about the idea of team chemistry always balks at its importance, so this is a non-issue from the guy at the top.

 

[Joe Bryant]

First blush is that it's much hype over nothing. There always seem to be a few rookies that buck like this. I suspect it'll be handled internally and not be anything. It shows the kid has some fire and there's nothing wrong with that. If Dez Bryant not carrying a shoulder pad is the worst thing we hear about him this month, I'll take that.

J

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Outside of him hurting team chemistry.

He was the first one there and the last one to leave.....b/c he wanted to show the fans and media. I would've thought he wanted to show other players/coaches/himself/etc that he wants to prove himself. To me that's strike #2....I also own Dez in a few leagues.

 

[Jeremy]

lol at those thinking Dez is some sort of Rosa Parks or something with his little protest. This is football. The NFL lockerroom isn't exactly a bastion of enlightenment, and I don't think NFL players will admire his fierce individualism nearly as much as those in the Shark Pool will.

Also I think it being Roy Williams is clouding the judgement here. I know he's burned almost all of us at some point with his underachieving, but he's not really the issue here. He's refusing on principle, not because it's a bad player.

That being said, let's not say this is a sure sign he's the next big Diva WR. That still remains to be seen. This was a diva thing to do, but it's only one incident. Could be a sign of things to come, or it could be he's just being young, prideful and stupid and will learn better. We shouldn't read too much into it.

Gotta think the Cowboys' vets are going to get their pound of flesh one way or another. Should be interesting.

 

[Instinctive]

Wow, I didn't think a whole lot of the guy, but this is awesome. Love seeign a guy who will stand up for himself and focus on doing what he's getting paid to do. Good for him.

 

[Jason Wood]

First blush is that it's much hype over nothing. There always seem to be a few rookies that buck like this. I suspect it'll be handled internally and not be anything. It shows the kid has some fire and there's nothing wrong with that. If Dez Bryant not carrying a shoulder pad is the worst thing we hear about him this month, I'll take that.J

I can get behind this view Joe. To me this is a something I'm filing away in his "case file" but admittedly it's overwhelmed this week by the way he looked on the practice field and the fact he was following Romo around like a puppy in order to build a rapport with him.

 

[rizzler]

To me that's strike #2....I also own Dez in a few leagues.

Refusing to be treated like a ##### is a strike?Wow... I def dont see eye to eye with about 95% of you.Im liking this kid more and more and can't wait to see him out there eating defenses alive. All the more power to him. He's a grown man that's worked his ### off to get where he is... He doesn't need to be carrying anything except the ball into the endzone.

 

[Joe Bryant]

First blush is that it's much hype over nothing. There always seem to be a few rookies that buck like this. I suspect it'll be handled internally and not be anything. It shows the kid has some fire and there's nothing wrong with that. If Dez Bryant not carrying a shoulder pad is the worst thing we hear about him this month, I'll take that.J

I can get behind this view Joe. To me this is a something I'm filing away in his "case file" but admittedly it's overwhelmed this week by the way he looked on the practice field and the fact he was following Romo around like a puppy in order to build a rapport with him.

For sure, Jason. And you're right - you point out another example of the all important (and often overlooked) factor in this stuff for me: CONTEXT. The fact that Bryant's been a model citizen with everything else goes a long ways in how I feel about this. If he'd been a huge problem every day and the shoulder pad was just piling on to the "bad behavior", I'd have a different opinion. Good point - context is huge.J

 

[Fear & Loathing]

I think this is more about Dez dissing Roy Williams, basically firing a first shot saying he respects nothing about his game and will be taking his job. If Dez denied Romo then this story will be more interesting.

That's not the case at all. Dez couldn't have been more straightforward: He's not there to carry anyone's pads or play silly little indoctrinations games. He's there to play football.Dez and Roy have gotten along fine and dandy. He just thinks it's a lame ritual, and he's right.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

To me that's strike #2....I also own Dez in a few leagues.

Refusing to be treated like a ##### is a strike?Wow... I def dont see eye to eye with about 95% of you.

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

 

[Da Guru]

Good for him. It's an antiquated ritual anyway. I'm glad that he's showing fire and a capacity to stick up for himself in the face of a lame tradition, one usually involving at least one overzealous fringe veteran taking out his own frustrations on the new guys.

Not antiquated at all. This is a tradition that is as old as the game itself and goes on every year on every team. It is a ritual and rite of passage for the rookies entering the NFL. It is too bad that Bryant could not have fun with it and enjoy the tradition..that is part of being on a team. Eveyone knew that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

 

[goonsquad]

Golic talked about this on Mike and Mike and made the point that carrying pads for the vets at your position is the most benign and standard fare, along with singing at meals, in the NFL. He said in his career only two rookies refused potential hazing and they both nearly walked out of training camp. No one of Bryants pedigree had ever resisted hazing in his experience so he couldn't say how teammates would've taken it other than to be sure that they won't be happy he's putting his own ego over team tradition.

Now I'm personally of the mind that hazing is absurd but it's also unreasonable to compare a regular job and the expectations for how we're to behave with being a professional football player.

Good for Dez. Hazing is a worn out tradition and it doesn't ensure championships that's for sure. Someone like Dez is coming in and establishing himself. Roy doesn't deserve to have his pads carried for him. Dez is still too high in redrafts but I like his atitude so far.

I agree. I think hazing was more important to team chemistry back in the days before salary caps and free agency. Back when entire teams stayed together for long stretches of time. In modern day sports, player rosters are already a revolving door. Dez sounds like he's doing all the right things out there, I like his chances.

 

[rizzler]

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

1) Not carrying a burn-out pads does NOTHING to harm the team. If anything it shows he's here to be taken seriously (as seen by his being the 1st 1st rounder to sign... for a "lower" salary as well)2) Ya, teams do not want their rookies building the teams image with fans and the media... Jerry Jones must be pissed!

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Eveyone know that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

They do?We'll see how teams that passed on him are feeling after the season. Probably the same way the teams that passed on Percy Harvin were feeling.

 

[Da Guru]

Eveyone know that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

They do?We'll see how teams that passed on him are feeling after the season. Probably the same way the teams that passed on Percy Harvin were feeling.

Bryant will be on 3-4 teams before his NFL career is over.

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Eveyone know that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

They do?We'll see how teams that passed on him are feeling after the season. Probably the same way the teams that passed on Percy Harvin were feeling.

Bryant will be on 3-4 teams before his NFL career is over.

Like future HOFer Randy Moss?

 

[Avery]

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike

How do you know that "going along" would be good for the team? These Cowboys aren't exactly the picture of post-season success. Perhaps Bryant is helping bring a much needed cultural change to the team. Maybe not going along is the best thing for this team

2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

I just don't get this at all. Now showing fan appreciation and showing up early and staying late is a bad thing? That's some spin.

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I see it as more of a "play football" rather than "bull#### around" attitude.

 

[BigSeph]

As disappointing as Roy Williams has been, there are still things that he could teach Bryant or help Bryant with that he's not going to do after this.

Sure you could say that Williams wouldn't help him at all, that Bryant is after his spot on the field, but Williams could say "Hey rook I'm not helping you with anything until you carry my pads" and make an issue out of this.

It's a silly tradition and I don't fault him for feeling affronted by an overpaid washed up WR telling him to carry his pads. I do think for the sake of team chemistry he should have swallowed his pride and just carried the damn pads. You're part of a team and you depend on the rest of the team to give 100% and support each other. When Bryant works his way onto the field and Williams plays his way off it, karma will take care of the rest. Refusing to take his pads was unnecessary.

I also think after Merriman's "dump him the cold tub" comment that if I was Bryant I would beg the coaching staff to put in a toss for Felix to Merriman's side and let Bryant line up wide and motion in for a crackback block though. Merriman and Williams have a lot in common- overpaid, mouthy shells of their former selves.

Some battles are worth fighting, some are no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Cedric Benson proved to be a fine RB last year, but because of how he was treated by the Bears (missing blocks for him, lighting him up in practice) after resisting some of this hazing, his career was affected negatively by it. Just take Roy's pads today, take the WRs out to dinner this week, and bury the hatchet and move on. It's better for his career to do that, it's better for his individual pride to refuse to carry somebody's pads.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

1) Not carrying a burn-out pads does NOTHING to harm the team. If anything it shows he's here to be taken seriously (as seen by his being the 1st 1st rounder to sign... for a "lower" salary as well)

It does not matter which veteran it was who asked Dez to carry the pads. It could have been some veteran special team player for all it matters.And for those who say this isn't that big of deal are correct, but this non-issue is also getting national headlines and being talked about on ESPN. If Dez just does the little deed and shuts up, then the Cowboys organization does not hear about this and have to answer a bunch of questions about it.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

1) Not carrying a burn-out pads does NOTHING to harm the team. If anything it shows he's here to be taken seriously (as seen by his being the 1st 1st rounder to sign... for a "lower" salary as well)2) Ya, teams do not want their rookies building the teams image with fans and the media... Jerry Jones must be pissed!

Short sighted much?1) Some do agree in this thread that it hurts team chemistry...so i'm not the only one on the bandwagon. Saying it does NOTHING to harm the team is just being naive to a TEAM game called football. I have seen it first hand at the collegiate level....having the new players think they have entitlement doesn't help with team chemisty. I saw a player get rocked in practice(defenders going full speed on him..vs 3/4 speed on everyone else on the team) b/c of this entitlement. Players earn entitlement on the field.2) I agree.....but to state it that way was wrong. Dez isn't the best speaker....perhaps b/c he was in "special classes" growing up....but it isn't a bonus overall. I think we can all agree that showing up early and staying late is to make himself a better football player....not to talk to the media and sign autographs.....if you don't think so....see the Chaz Schilens hype train after he stayed after catching passes often.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

...take the WRs out to dinner this week

I wonder if Dez will refuse to pay for players' dinner when the rookies have to pay.

 

[Fear & Loathing]

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I had a similar situation when I worked at the post office about 15 years ago. Because military vets get extra points on the civil service exam, there are a lot of military vets in the post office. Unfortunately, they've opted to bring lame rituals like rookie hazing along with them. Without a doubt, the hazing was counterproductive in terms of work and smoothing out office relations. It wasn't done to get everyone on the same page. It was done for other reasons, the most prominent of which was only because they had to go through it when they were rookies -- as if that was reason enough. The other major reason was because they saw a way to get out of doing their own work.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike

How do you know that "going along" would be good for the team? These Cowboys aren't exactly the picture of post-season success. Perhaps Bryant is helping bring a much needed cultural change to the team. Maybe not going along is the best thing for this teamPerhaps...then y is it getting attention in a shark pool...or a headline on ESPN...NFL.com...etc? If it was a non-issue...we wouldn't be talking about it. Team chemistry....in a team game....is very important. Being able to look over and trust a player and look to them for leadership goes a long way.

2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

I just don't get this at all. Now showing fan appreciation and showing up early and staying late is a bad thing? That's some spin.It was the way he worded it. Maybe he is horrible at interviews...that still isn't a good thing at some point. I am probably looking too much into this. But I remember his draft interview with the cowboys he wasn't well spoken....hopefully he gets better with time.

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I see it as more of a "play football" rather than "bull#### around" attitude.If he was all about this play football mentality he would've showed up at the combine...or showed up at his Pro Day in shape.

 

[rizzler]

Short sighted much?1) Some do agree in this thread that it hurts team chemistry...so i'm not the only one on the bandwagon. Saying it does NOTHING to harm the team is just being naive to a TEAM game called football. I have seen it first hand at the collegiate level....having the new players think they have entitlement doesn't help with team chemisty. I saw a player get rocked in practice(defenders going full speed on him..vs 3/4 speed on everyone else on the team) b/c of this entitlement. Players earn entitlement on the field.

I didnt say you were the only one, reread what I said. The fact of the matter is, so many people buy into the whole 'haze to play' mentality, it's sickening... These are grown men, who have a ridiculous amount of God given talent to play a game. How is making someone your 'b.itch" beneficial to the team? "Here, carry my sweaty stinky gear to the lockeroom..."Does that not in itself, create a division between rookies and veterans? Who likes being treated like a POS???Im with Bryant on this one. There's no changing that. hazing is the most illogical and pathetic display of machoism in existance.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I had a similar situation when I worked at the post office about 15 years ago. Because military vets get extra points on the civil service exam, there are a lot of military vets in the post office. Unfortunately, they've opted to bring lame rituals like rookie hazing along with them. Without a doubt, the hazing was counterproductive in terms of work and smoothing out office relations. It wasn't done to get everyone on the same page. It was done for other reasons, the most prominent of which was only because they had to go through it when they were rookies -- as if that was reason enough. The other major reason was because they saw a way to get out of doing their own work.

That's too bad....unfortunately that reminds me a lot of how America is as a society...looking to do anything other than work.I've seen the smallest things...such as hazing...built comradery....respect...trust.

 

[Fear & Loathing]

having the new players think they have entitlement doesn't help with team chemisty.

This isn't about entitlement. Only someone who has participated as the "hazer" would frame it in those terms. It's about someone who is standing up against a tradition/ritual he believes is wrong. Do you always "just go along" in the face of others attempting to get you to do something you don't believe is right ... or even useful?

 

[fridayfrenzy]

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I had a similar situation when I worked at the post office about 15 years ago. Because military vets get extra points on the civil service exam, there are a lot of military vets in the post office. Unfortunately, they've opted to bring lame rituals like rookie hazing along with them. Without a doubt, the hazing was counterproductive in terms of work and smoothing out office relations. It wasn't done to get everyone on the same page. It was done for other reasons, the most prominent of which was only because they had to go through it when they were rookies -- as if that was reason enough. The other major reason was because they saw a way to get out of doing their own work.

Our firm has a silly tradition where any new hirings from the year have to sing a christmas carol in front of the office at our office xmas party.No issues have come about, everyone finds it in good fun and if some new person said "I'm here to work, not sing christmas carols", then it would certainly distance them from the office and be an issue.We're talking about carrying pads, not over the top hazing where Dez is being made to drink someone's urine, or perform the elephant walk with other rookies.

 

[Avery]

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike

How do you know that "going along" would be good for the team? These Cowboys aren't exactly the picture of post-season success. Perhaps Bryant is helping bring a much needed cultural change to the team. Maybe not going along is the best thing for this teamPerhaps...then y is it getting attention in a shark pool...or a headline on ESPN...NFL.com...etc? If it was a non-issue...we wouldn't be talking about it. Team chemistry....in a team game....is very important. Being able to look over and trust a player and look to them for leadership goes a long way.

2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

I just don't get this at all. Now showing fan appreciation and showing up early and staying late is a bad thing? That's some spin.It was the way he worded it. Maybe he is horrible at interviews...that still isn't a good thing at some point. I am probably looking too much into this. But I remember his draft interview with the cowboys he wasn't well spoken....hopefully he gets better with time.

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I see it as more of a "play football" rather than "bull#### around" attitude.If he was all about this play football mentality he would've showed up at the combine...or showed up at his Pro Day in shape.

It's clear you just don't like Bryant. That's cool. I'm not a big fan of the Cowboys.Hawing said that, saying it's a big deal to the team simply because people are talking about it is kinda silly. People love to talk about a lot of non-issues. I think I just read a NY Times piece on the cultural ramifications of Snookie.

Team chemistry is important but if the team culture and chemistry aren't good, then changing that dynamic would be better for the team. Should Jermaine Gresham get arrested for a DWI just to fit in the with Bengals? OK, an extreme example but I'm trying to illustrate a point.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

having the new players think they have entitlement doesn't help with team chemisty.

This isn't about entitlement. Only someone who has participated as the "hazer" would frame it in those terms. It's about someone who is standing up against a tradition/ritual he believes is wrong. Do you always "just go along" in the face of others attempting to get you to do something you don't believe is right ... or even useful?

I've never participated....I have seen it done and be successful(I was a coach..they were the players).Do you sing at church or happy birthday for stangers or coworkers....even if everyone else is doing it? Same thing....it might be uncomfortable...but for the better of the group you do it b/c it's painless.

 

[cobalt_27]

Shouldn't it be Roy Williams who is carrying Dez Bryant's equipment?

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

Short sighted much?

1) Some do agree in this thread that it hurts team chemistry...so i'm not the only one on the bandwagon. Saying it does NOTHING to harm the team is just being naive to a TEAM game called football. I have seen it first hand at the collegiate level....having the new players think they have entitlement doesn't help with team chemisty. I saw a player get rocked in practice(defenders going full speed on him..vs 3/4 speed on everyone else on the team) b/c of this entitlement. Players earn entitlement on the field.

I didnt say you were the only one, reread what I said. The fact of the matter is, so many people buy into the whole 'haze to play' mentality, it's sickening... These are grown men, who have a ridiculous amount of God given talent to play a game. How is making someone your 'b.itch" beneficial to the team? "Here, carry my sweaty stinky gear to the lockeroom..."

Does that not in itself, create a division between rookies and veterans? Who likes being treated like a POS???

Im with Bryant on this one. There's no changing that. hazing is the most illogical and pathetic display of machoism in existance.

B.itch is offensive and shouldn't be used first off. Secondly, you took it too far. It's carrying someone's shoulder pads....he isn't tied to the goalpost and having ice water poured on him(Joey Galloway).

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Our firm has a silly tradition where any new hirings from the year have to sing a christmas carol in front of the office at our office xmas party.No issues have come about, everyone finds it in good fun and if some new person said "I'm here to work, not sing christmas carols", then it would certainly distance them from the office and be an issue.We're talking about carrying pads, not over the top hazing where Dez is being made to drink someone's urine, or perform the elephant walk with other rookies.

I worked at a law firm for 10 years. We'd have a party every couple of months, just welcoming the new people. Nothing was required on their end expect that they do their job. When I started, a few of the guys took me out to lunch and paid the first few days. I was treated with respect probably because they were all treated with respect when they started. It worked out great.

 

[golfguy]

not a big deal to me, but a little worrisome overall as it's not the only piece to the puzzle.

there was a lot of talk of his "i'm bigger then the team, i'm special and important" at Ok st. missing team meetings, late to practices, etc.

a guy who missed most of the past 16 months playing football shouldn't think he is special already.

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Do you sing at church or happy birthday for stangers or coworkers....even if everyone else is doing it? Same thing....it might be uncomfortable...but for the better of the group you do it b/c it's painless.

No. And nobody minds because it would be stupid to care if somebody wasn't singing.

 

[rizzler]

I'd wish it was a white Wide Receiver who asked him to carry his pads...

The Rev JJ woulda been all over that as an act of racism and master/slave mentality. Bryant would be seen as a hero by the african american community. headlines galore!!!!

hahahaha, man... that would've been something!

....speaking of making small things into a monster.

 

[39407]

Eveyone know that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

They do?We'll see how teams that passed on him are feeling after the season. Probably the same way the teams that passed on Percy Harvin were feeling.

Bryant will be on 3-4 teams before his NFL career is over.

Since your crystal ball is already out, would you mind posting next weeks lottery numbers?

 

[ookook]

The players on the team want to win. Any potentially negative effect on teamwork will be quickly overwhelmed by the positive impact a few great impact plays will contribute to cohesion, not to mention impact of just winning as a group will have on chemistry.

To no small extent, the top players in most sports teams have made their own rules and this was often true while they were young players. Allen Iverson is a good example. So what will determine the effect is in the end his play. A player's net value to a team is some sort of weighted average of their positive and negative contributions to the effectiveness of the franchise. Would you as a GM take a young T.O.'s net value based on his play at San Francisco? Let's see selfish and egotistical but 65 catches, 1200 yards, 12 TDs. I would and I really dislike him a lot.

What does it say about his disposition and temperament? Probably not much. Although it might be due to being selfish or egotistical, it might also be self-confidence. Could be nonconormity and independence, both of which might not be so bad. Could be pride. Might be he is just discerning about which rituations are dumb and which make some sense. Less intelligent people tend to be more accepting of dumb reasons for doing things.

All of these alternative at least have some positive implications to help compensate for the negative.

All in all, I think it is a wash.

 

[Da Guru]

Eveyone know that Bryant has a TO me-me attitude, just did not think we would see it emerge so early. Now you know why he was passed over and over in the draft.

They do?We'll see how teams that passed on him are feeling after the season. Probably the same way the teams that passed on Percy Harvin were feeling.

Bryant will be on 3-4 teams before his NFL career is over.

Like future HOFer Randy Moss?

And he will have as many SuperBowl Rings as Moss.

 

[rizzler]

B.itch is offensive and shouldn't be used first off. Secondly, you took it too far. It's carrying someone's shoulder pads....he isn't tied to the goalpost and having ice water poured on him(Joey Galloway).

It was meant to be "offensive" seeing as that's how he's being treated... in an offensive manner.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I'd wish it was a white Wide Receiver who asked him to carry his pads...The Rev JJ woulda been all over that as an act of racism and master/slave mentality. Bryant would be seen as a hero by the african american community. headlines galore!!!!hahahaha, man... that would've been something!....speaking of making small things into a monster.

Please don't get this hijacked here. That can be a FFA topic if you like. But keep it to Football here please.J

 

[rizzler]

I'd wish it was a white Wide Receiver who asked him to carry his pads...The Rev JJ woulda been all over that as an act of racism and master/slave mentality. Bryant would be seen as a hero by the african american community. headlines galore!!!!hahahaha, man... that would've been something!....speaking of making small things into a monster.

Please don't get this hijacked here. That can be a FFA topic if you like. But keep it to Football here please.J

sorry... just trying to show how something 'minor' (such as the case we're dealing with) can be blown out of proportion in various ways.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Our firm has a silly tradition where any new hirings from the year have to sing a christmas carol in front of the office at our office xmas party.No issues have come about, everyone finds it in good fun and if some new person said "I'm here to work, not sing christmas carols", then it would certainly distance them from the office and be an issue.We're talking about carrying pads, not over the top hazing where Dez is being made to drink someone's urine, or perform the elephant walk with other rookies.

I worked at a law firm for 10 years. We'd have a party every couple of months, just welcoming the new people. Nothing was required on their end expect that they do their job. When I started, a few of the guys took me out to lunch and paid the first few days. I was treated with respect probably because they were all treated with respect when they started. It worked out great.

Sure, there isn't just one way to do it. I'd guess for a law firm, your experience was appropriate and fine. For an NFL team, carrying a veteran's shoulder pads is seen as appropriate and fine by many. J

 

[fridayfrenzy]

Our firm has a silly tradition where any new hirings from the year have to sing a christmas carol in front of the office at our office xmas party.No issues have come about, everyone finds it in good fun and if some new person said "I'm here to work, not sing christmas carols", then it would certainly distance them from the office and be an issue.We're talking about carrying pads, not over the top hazing where Dez is being made to drink someone's urine, or perform the elephant walk with other rookies.

I worked at a law firm for 10 years. We'd have a party every couple of months, just welcoming the new people. Nothing was required on their end expect that they do their job. When I started, a few of the guys took me out to lunch and paid the first few days. I was treated with respect probably because they were all treated with respect when they started. It worked out great.

That is great.Unfortunately, the Cowboys obviously have some rookie traditions and a player thinking they are "too good" to participate will lend itself to negative public attention, and any team chemistry issues as well.

 

[VaTerp]

To me that's strike #2....I also own Dez in a few leagues.

Refusing to be treated like a ##### is a strike?Wow... I def dont see eye to eye with about 95% of you.

1) Refusing to go along for the good of the team....strike2) Showing up early for fans....then staying late for fans and media. I would rather see him catching extra balls...get extra coaching....be out there for the other players/coaches/owner/himself.....strike.

To those that view this as no big deal. What happens when a new person is hired at your work....then they don't follow some simple little thing everyone does b/c "it's not part of their job description"...think about it. It's a me before the team attitude.

I just don't see how you can spin that as a negative or say that Bryant showed up early just for fans when he was the first one on the field and got in extra work felding throws from a backup QB.Players, coaches, and management, not just the fans and media, also notice who shows up first and who is the first one to get out of there when practice is over.

I think Bryant, with his background and everything that has went on in the last year, is just saying "Look, I'm really ready and focused to play football and put in the work needed to be the best player I can be. I'm not going to let anything distract me from that and I'm also not going to let anyone disrespect me as a man."

We can argue about whether or not engaging in the typical rookie hazing is disrespectful but given Bryant's background I can see how he would view it that way. And I say good for him. I'm sure that the veterans in the Cowboy locker room will find a way to indoctrinate him how they see fit regardless.

As much as I would love for this to be a problem for Bryant and the Cowboys and just don't see it at all. In fact, I think he's gonna be something special and hate the fact that Dallas drafted him.

 

[mrip541]

The important thing is that dez believes himself to be above NFL tradition, doesnt respect his teammates and is willing to damage team relations at the drop of a hat. HUGE warning sign.

 

[Fear & Loathing]

Our firm has a silly tradition where any new hirings from the year have to sing a christmas carol in front of the office at our office xmas party.No issues have come about, everyone finds it in good fun and if some new person said "I'm here to work, not sing christmas carols", then it would certainly distance them from the office and be an issue.We're talking about carrying pads, not over the top hazing where Dez is being made to drink someone's urine, or perform the elephant walk with other rookies.

I worked at a law firm for 10 years. We'd have a party every couple of months, just welcoming the new people. Nothing was required on their end expect that they do their job. When I started, a few of the guys took me out to lunch and paid the first few days. I was treated with respect probably because they were all treated with respect when they started. It worked out great.

Sure, there isn't just one way to do it. I'd guess for a law firm, your experience was appropriate and fine. For an NFL team, carrying a veteran's shoulder pads is seen as appropriate and fine by many. J

I'm well aware of that, and Dez isn't the only one who bridles at the custom. I'll be interesting to see how long this goes on as the norm in NFL camps, especially since long-standing traditions such as "going away to camp" are also starting to fall by the wayside.

 

[Avery]

The important thing is that dez believes himself to be above NFL tradition, doesnt respect his teammates and is willing to damage team relations at the drop of a hat. HUGE warning sign.

How you can extrapolate all that from refusing to carry Roy Williams shoulder pads is beyond me.I see the fact that he may be changing the fur coat wearing, coke sniffing, globe trotting with celebrity girlfriend, situps in driving doing culture of the Cowboys to a "football first" attitude is nothing but good news for the Cowboys and their fans.