Talk about a diva act. Not starting off on the right foot with teammates. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/07/25/dez-bryant-wont-carry-roy-williams-pads/
God forbid he is focusing on work on the field. Yea, he's such a diva that he was the 1st 1st rounder to sign, and even showed up 45 minutes early to the first day of camp so that he could get a head start.
It's not about being anyone's *****. It's part of being a rookie. Rookies go through this stuff on every team at every level. Not doing it is disrespectful to Williams and other vets. Alot of people thought Bryant was a diva, and he didn't take long to start proving it.
He doesn't have to do any of that stupid stuff. Like he said, his job is to play football and help the team win a championship, not carry anyone's shoulder pads.
If you played a team sport at any serious level (and not trying to imply that you haven't because I have no idea) you'd know this is part of being a rookie. It's part of team bonding.
Not for everyone. Not everyone bonds the same way or looks at things the same. It's obviously not part of bonding to Dez. Showing up on time/early and working out with his QB seems to be his idea of bonding. I'd sure as hell side with his idea of bonding before carrying someone's pads.
Fair enough. We'll agree to disagree about this. I just don't see why Bryant thinks he's better than every other rookie that came before him.
So because he doesn't want to carry pads, that leads you to believe he thinks he's better than anyone who came before him? Really?
He could easily do one, and not compromise himself and do things that he thinks aren't important to his job.
Yeah, really. Every rookie before him has gone through this kind of stuff and every rookie after him will too. But Dez, presumably, thinks he's too special to have do what all the other rookies have to go through.
Or Wiliams was trying to be his friend. Drama Queen Dez was having none of it, which is his choice, when unnamed teamates slam his *** after a poor game, we all will know why.
My take on it is that this isn't hight school freshman hazing. This isn't young kids playing around. These are grown men, and if half of the stuff I seen done to other freshman in highschool was done when they became adults there would be fist fights. Now I'm not against making a rookie buy dinner or bring breakfast, but to carry another players shoulder pads is just....I guess that player trying to establish dominance. Its not like its a hall of fame great player asking either...its Roy "overrated" Williams.
But they don't refuse, because they get it. It's clear Dez doesn't get it, and I guess neither do you. As I said to Ashraf, I guess we will agree to disagree about this.
So I don't get it simply because I don't agree with you. Cool. Yea, I totally lack the mental capacity to understand that you find some stupid *** ritual as gospel to team building, and that you see it as anyone who goes against the grain automatically thinks they are above anyone and everyone else. God, he should totally just go sit at the back of the freaking bus because that's what everyone before him did.
Going through something just to go through it is absurd. It's the jockocracy run rampant. Likening this to a diva moment is equally absurd. Williams can carry his own pads. His hands need the practice.
Hmm, I'm curious, what leads you to say that? Jerry Rice carried pads, so did Fitzgerald, safe bet Brandon Marshal did as well, what makes Dez Bryant special enough to not carry them?
Whether or not it's absurd is a different debate, IMO. But it is what it is. And IMO, Dez not carrying Williams pads is showing disrespect.
As far as I'm concerned, someone who's perfectly capable of accomplishing a menial task himself opting to pawn it off on a new guy simply because he's a new guy is the real disrespect. Jockocracy.
Well we needed defense and we wanted our 2nd round pick back both of which we accomplished so I'm happy we didn't take him since we didn't really have a shot (other than taking him at #12 and forgoing a 2nd round pick). But if things had happened differently and he had fallen to us I would've loved it if we had drafted him.
I'd agree if he Dez was being singled out, but every rookie in the history of the NFL had gone through it.
An undrafted player steals Roy's thunder down in Dallas and then he puts the lean on the rookie. Williams isn't long away from getting the elbow anyways. Dez wants to play football. We'll see if he gets it.
Which makes it all the more absurd. "We all had to do it" is the worst reason ever. These vets didn't like it when they were the rookies, so they turn around and do it themselves? Stupid. Now I sort of wish Bryant had taken the pads and then thrown them back at Williams. THAT would be a controversy.
Dez just better realize its not all about what happens on the football field. If he expects the vets to help him on the mental aspects of the game, by sharing their experiences with him, he should do more to try to ingratiate himself into the team. Vets often will correct rookies mistakes when they see them doing things wrong. This kind of attitude can lead vets to say nothing when Dez struggles with coverage reads or film viewing. Its always easier to grow if you get help from others. If you're going to try to do it all yourself good luck
Just because they went through it doesnt mean anything. It's a dumb ritual, and apparently he thinks so to. This will all be forgotten when Bryant beats out Williams as the number 2 receiver.
How many passes has he caught in the NFL? TD's? None, the NFL is a meritocracy you earn everything, if Fitzgerald carried Boldin's pads, what is Bryant's excuse other than being a whiney attention whore?
I think Bryant expects to beat Williams for the job, not study at his feet. Padre, with all due respect, who cares? This has nothing to do with accomplishments. Please explain how Bryant is being a "whiny attention whore." You seem to be under the impression that Bryant made it a point to tell reporters of his valiant stand against the horrors of carrying someone else's pads, which is about as far from what happened as one can get. As far as the meritocracy... we're talking about Roy Williams here.