Dez Bryant Just Another Cowboys Diva

Thanks now to Dez Bryant, LeBron James isn't the most me-bloated, self-sniffing rebel without a pause button on the planet. See, Roy Williams told Dez to carry his shoulder pads like a good rookie, and Dez told him to get his own shine box because Dez doesn't play that.

Even though his well-accomplished number-sake did. And from first-rounders to free-agent camp bodies throughout the history of the league, just about everyone else did when they were a rookie. Because there's a lesson in it about humility. Because no matter how swoll your bankroll or swagger rating on "Madden '11", you need to earn respect in the room. Because the sum of the room wins in football.

And while Dez has declared much through a couple days in San Antonio, impressing the eyes with a series of one-handed snares and deep grabs, the Cowboys will only win in a house not divided. So while it's news that Dez dons Michael Irving's jersey, the voices in that locker room had better make sure now that it doesn't say H1N1 on the back instead of 88.

Romo better order a Code Red.

And blame it on the ghost of Terrell Owens.

More: Bryant Refuses to Participate in Rookie Hazing

Because like one former player of nine years told me Monday, "[The Cowboys] will melt down if they don't get a handle on this kid. He's going to be great. But he sucks down a lot of oxygen. [Bryant's] not the first one and he won't be the last one. Typically, there's one in every draft class who wants to buck the system. They don't want to get punked. It's the little lamb who's standing his ground. They don't realize everyone goes through it and it's good to go through it. It's how you gain the respect of the older guys."

Carrying one's shoulder pads, mind you, is not exactly a directive ordered from NFL Hell Week. Outside of lawlessly being whomped with a bag of coins while wearing a pillow case as a hood, the way it happened that year at Saints camp under Mike Ditka, that's what rooks do. They sing fight songs at training camp and they pick up dinner tabs and they buy sunflower seeds and Blow Pops for the team meetings and they run out for fast food before the away game plane ride.

Unless they are Patriots defensive end Derrick Burgess, who as a rookie in Philadelphia refused Corey Simon's command that he buy chicken for the entire defensive line. Burgess stopped for chicken, all right, buying a three-piece meal and literally eating it in the face of the Eagles' veterans, loudly smacking his lips with each bite.

Burgess, however, was just a third-round pick, albeit a scary, unstable one. Bryant is high profile and he already has the boss smitten. So much so that Jerry Jones didn't worry about the slotting process or labor-unrest upshots and helped make Bryant keep his word about showing up to camp on time.

These first few days of camp, Dez has dominated more than the hot weather raging in the East and Brett Favre hemming and hawing in the Midwest. Of course, it's all so fitting in this, Super Bowl year XLV. Camp is barely a breath old and suddenly the road to Dallas will begin in Dallas and end in Dallas in what will surely be a Dallas-centric season, down to Jerry Jones having already appeared on "Entourage."

Must he infect my favorite show, too?

A rookie makes a few catches and throws a fit over a football ritual.

Isn't Dez Bryant such a Cowboy? Leave it to a Cowboy to break the unwritten rules and act like a hero doing it.

You see Dez and you really do see Irvin making that first-down symbol. You see that billion-dollar stadium -- and while we're at it, shouldn't we be ashamed to spend a billion dollars on anything that is not a hospital? Jerry just couldn't build it for $500 million, could he?

You see Dez and you see all of the other centerpieces of Cowboy propaganda. Back to Landry's Hat and Hollywood Henderson. Up to the commercial that queries, no play for Mr. Gray? Even Cowboy fans can't really care about Emmitt's beard making him look old.

Someday soon the biggest jerk in your office will wear a virgin home white Dez Bryant jersey on Casual Friday and claim that he's the next "Michael Irving."

The real killer is that you know he just may be right. You just know Dez Bryant is going to be great. And a little humility now just may save him from himself.