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He may have only recently become a Dallas Cowboy, but Dez Bryant is already playing like one of the legends to wear the blue star.

Make that, already acting like one of the legends. And by legends, we don't mean legends along the lines of Staubach, Dorsett or Smith. More like legendary me-first guys like Terrell Owens.

In his first week of training camp, Bryant has taken a stand to a decades-long tradition of (light) rookie hazing, refusing to carry the bags of fellow receiver and under-performing veteran Roy Williams.

I'm sure the Cowboys were hopeful that with Owens having departed a year ago, they were getting back to a tradition of selflessness that led to a bunch of shiny Super Bowl rings. They have the talent to contend for a title this year, and the last thing they need is a large personality disrupting harmony in the locker room. That's what Jerry Jones is for, and that lock room is only big enough for one Texas-sized ego.

"I'm not doing it," Bryant said of being made to carry Williams' pads. "I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player's pads."

Oh, the hubris of youth.

Did Bryant really think anyone assumed he was drafted by the Cowboys to carry pads? Is this a reaction to living under the tutelage of Sanders? Is it simply a sign of the new breed of young athlete who thinks that the old rules don't apply to them and if anyone has any questions, they can refer to the long list of zeroes at the end of their signing bonus?

Whatever the reason, it is clear Bryant is living up to expectations. NFL observers said before the draft that he is a rare talent and that his personality and work ethic gave them pause. In the first couple of days of practice, Cowboys coaches, players and fans at practice  said they were impressed with Bryant, and then came the quotes about pad carrying. Sounds like everything is going as could be expected.

Although all NFL players have carried pads and many endured far greater humiliation as rookies, Bryant apparently thinks it is time to chart a new course.

"I don't believe in that at all," Bryant said. "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."

I would imagine Bryant's posse and some of his fans think it is cool to see the young player step up and challenge the system and make the focus all about winning. But they are mistaken. Bryant's act only draws unwanted attention to himself and makes veteran players in the locker room resent him. Nobody wants to play with a guy who has not made the same sacrifices as the rest of the team, no matter how talented they are. It is a recipe for a divided locker room.

Of course, after word of Bryant's prima donna response hit the Internet and airwaves, the wide receiver who looks like he is going to be more of a handful than even the Cowboys expected, said he was simply joking around with Williams.

Sounds like a familiar story from a Cowboy receiver.

So, just a few days into camp, the Cowboys look like one of the most talented teams in the league, and one plagued by the attitude of could-be superstars. It's not even August, yet, and everything already seems right in the NFL universe.