Cowboys Endruing Early Problems

With the 24th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select -- Dez Bryant out of Oklahoma State University. Less than a month after signing with the Cowboys, rookie wide-out Dez Bryant is already causing problems within the clubhouse by refusing to continue a long standing team tradition that has lived on longer than Dez has been born. That tradition just so happens to be carrying the pads of veteran players. And in his case, it was fellow wide receiver Roy Williams' pads who Bryant was assigned to carry. "I was drafted to play football, not carry pads." Said Bryant. The story eventually hit tabloids and was talked about on SportsCenter along with every other major sports media outlet before Bryant criticized the press for blowing the incident out of proportion.

You can't argue the passion and commitment he has for the game of football, but considering it's common rookie hazing and those before him have done it including the games best, he might as well continue the ritual. Or who knows, maybe a player will take it the wrong way and purposely hurt the kid. It's unknown if the acts were on purpose or not, but that's exactly what happened. During practice at the teams training facility, Bryant was injured on a routine passing drill. Backup QB Jon Kitna threw a ball intended for his rookie WR, when cornerback Orlando Scandrick broke up the pass before landing on Bryant's leg. After being helped off the field, an MRI revealed a high ankle sprain in Bryant's right foot. The injury will sideline Bryant for up to 4-6 weeks and will cause him to miss the rest of camp, including valuable practice that won't be made up in time and could prove to be costly for a rookie WR that will be under the microscope due to playing in Dallas. The good news is he should be back in time for the season opener.

Back to the controversy surrounding the injury, could there be a possible conspiracy that follows? Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes so and thinks the players were going too hard too late in the practice and the injury could have been avoided. Whether or not it all links back to Bryant's refusal to carry another players pads, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips made it clear that he doesn't approve of any sort of rookie hazing. The defender in the midst of it all, however, downplayed the incident like anyone else fighting for a job. Karma or not, the injury couldn't have came at a more crucial time as the Cowboys finish up the final half of preseason and prep for the upcoming 2010 regular season that sees 'America's Team' as a potential favorite with home field advantage if they can make it to the Super Bowl, given the game will be played in their very own Cowboys Stadium. Granted they haven't played in the big game since 1995, could this be the year they reach the promise land?