Jul 1st 2008 12:39PM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Buccaneers, Tampa BaMike Freeman of CBS Sports has a great column about one of the classiest players in the NFL, Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn. It’s a good look at a guy who had a rough life as a young man, built himself up into a great success story, and is now trying to give back.

But there’s one particularly noteworthy quote from Dunn that’s worth pointing out:
“It’s not the same,” he said. “When I came in, my generation was different. We respected the guys who came before us. I learned about the guys who paved the way. Now you have a lot of young guys who don’t care about the past. They couldn’t name some of the past great players. They (couldn’t) care less.”If you’re like me, and you remember Dunn as a freshman at Florida State, doesn’t that make you feel old? That Dunn is now the aged veteran complaining about the whippersnappers who don’t respect their elders?

Anyway, with all due respect to Dunn, I think he’s probably wrong there: Let’s not forget, this year’s rookies are all going ga-ga over seeing Walter Payton’s bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dunn is 33 years old, and there’s a big generation gap between him and the young breed of players, but I think that even when Dunn and his generation of players retires, the league will remain in good hands.