The "Me" Generation Has Transformed into the "Team" Generation

Calvin Johnson is a part of a new generation of wideouts that focus more on the team.

The wide receiver position is one of the most electrifying, talented, vertical testing, acrobatic positions in sports. It may be the most exciting position in all of athletics, except for maybe a high-flying small forward in basketball. But the uniqueness of the position combined with the immense athleticism required, often leads to vicious, self-centered attitudes that are the exact opposite of what's right in the league.

Over the years, wide receivers have been known to tear teams apart, shred quarterback's confidence and drive offensive coordinators to drown themselves in Jim Beam. I guess it comes with the way the position works. It is not a self-reliant position, as it is completely dependent on the competence of the team's quarterback. A wide receiver can outwork, burn, destroy a defensive back all he wants but if the QB doesn't have the wherewithal to find him then the play goes to waste. That's where the poor attitude comes in. Wideouts have to let the quarterback know they're open. They have to work twice as hard as other positions just to have an opportunity and even when they do get open it's no sure thing. Wide receivers must demand the ball? Right?

Our generation (18-24 year olds) had the pleasure (and misfortunate) of watching Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson abuse the stat sheets and craft masterful highlight reels. On talent alone, all of these guys are surefire hall-of-famers. If we're talking numbers, Owens and Moss are locks for the hall, while Johnson is probably a fringe guy. Yet despite all the jaw-dropping stats and mind-boggling plays we've seen from these guys we also witnessed them terrify quarterbacks, embarrass offensive coordinators and tear locker rooms to pieces. Their talents were easily recognizable, yet their were disguised by this mask of arrogance, selfishness and downright ignorance. If a quarterback didn't throw to them when they were open, it was a disaster. If they looked them off, the QB would get berated like a private in the Marines. Owens, Moss and Johnson were always going to get theirs, no matter if the team was winning or not. It was all about them, it was always about them. It was an ugly "me" generation that engulfed the position and gave it a terrible name.

As those three continued to burn bridges and turn chicken salad into chicken s**t around 2009, three receivers emerged as the next crop of elite wideouts. But these guys were different. These guys were equally talented, but they kept their mouths shut, played team ball and let their game do their trash talking. Of course I'm talking about Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, the league's newest elite wideout trio. While Owens, Moss, and Johnson were burning up in flames, these guys were wowing everyone on the field, impressing coaches and teammates in the locker rooms and avoiding the back pages.

Andre Johnson makes noise with his hands, not his mouth

Take this for example, two years ago when Cortland Finnegan enticed Andre Johnson enough for a fight to break out, Johnson did react and did make a adrenalie-fueled mistake.Yet, when it came time to confront the press you could see that he was embarrassed about his actions and truly felt like he did his team a disservice. He's a low-key guy, he knows what he did is wrong and felt terrible about it. I could just see if this was Owens or Moss or Johnson they would say it was Finnegan's fault and that they didn't do anything wrong. There's an air of responsibility with these new kings, while the previous generation felt like the world was always wronging them.

These guys now dominate the position just like the three before them did. But instead they do it in an inspiring way, in a way kid's can look up to. It's not about "me" it's about the "team." It's about winning. It's about working hard and let your big-play nature set the example. I'm jealous of the generation of kid's now a days who get to watch these guys make spectacular plays without hearing about how they undressed one of their teammates in the locker room or how they got arrested for beating their wife. My generation's wideout talent was tainted by big egos and irresponsibility, I'm just glad I get to see the wide receiver position take its good-natured glory back.