No Disrespect: Bryant Refuses To Carry Williams' Pads

- "He dis-respeccin' you!"

- "He dis-repeccin' me?!"

- "He dis-respeccin' you!"

Point blank, that's what it is, and Roy Williams is taking it as such. The entire football world, not to mention the Dallas Cowboys' locker room, understands that Dez Bryant is a huge threat to unseat Williams opposite No. 1 Miles Austin, and it's no secret that the Cowboys wouldn't have selected Bryant if that weren't so dissatisfied with Williams' production since trading the farm to bring him in.

This was an attempt by Williams to establish a bit of a pecking-order and let the hot-shot rookie know his place and his role.

But this particular rookie has the understanding that his role is to ascend as starting wide-out for the Dallas Cowboys, and his strong and focused mentality will not allow him to become subservient to anything less -- especially to the one player he plans to unseat.

At the end of the day, Dez Bryant is a man first, football player second, and all he did was refuse to carry a veterans' pads at the behest of a potential rival. Nothing the Cowboys can fine him for, and nothing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the neighborhood watch committee can suspend him for, although I'm sure he has interns double-checking the NFL's Player Conduct Policy for that provision.

But what Bryant succeeded in doing was drawing battle lines in the sand.

When Bryant was initially drafted, Williams was quoted as saying he would welcome him with open arms and that Bryant could come to him with any question(s) he may have had. I'm sure that open invitation has since been revoked as Bryant has made it clear that he's not here to befriend Williams, but take his job.

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons to improve a unit that lacked speed and was ineffective in pass coverage.

Since mini-camp and OTAs, the Falcons have had him learn both outside-backer positions with the expectation that he will soon take over one of those spots. The Atlanta brass has not been open about where they would prefer him to play.

12-year veteran Mike Peterson is the incumbent starter on the weakside, and as is quite often the case, had the young rookie begin earning his stripes by carrying his pads after practices.

Weatherspoon has not made one objection.

As a rite of passage, Cowboys' rookie offensive linemen are given horrendous haircuts by the veterans, but Bryant has refused such initiations.

On the one hand, you have to admire Dez Bryant's conviction in his beliefs and not belittling himself to a level he deems beneath him. On the other, you have to wonder how wise it may been to bring such a distraction into the locker room and openly challenge a teammate.

Because this is more than about pads. It's about positioning and order. It's about respect, or lack thereof.

By just his actions on the field, Bryant could have quietly stepped into a starting role with the Cowboys as Williams could have perhaps coasted through practices, feeling his job was safe.

Now, Williams understands the true motives of the rookie and this even has no doubt lit a fire under him. As long as matters don't escalate to a violent nature between the two, this could turn out golden for the Cowboys as the two are certain to elevate their games to outperform the other.

Said Bryant when questioned about the situation, "We have a goal here. It's not about playing games. It's all about just trying to do the right thing and achieve our goal."

Let the games begin.