Is this the end of an era?

If you've been paying attention to the NFL offseason, you'll know that Marvin Harrison asked to be released by the Indianapolis Colts, and they granted his request.

To me, it feels like the NFL is entering a new era.  I don't know exactly what this new era is, it could be the era of the hybrid RB/WR, the era of the all-around athlete, but one thing is certain: the era of the wide receiver seems to be over.

Looking back over the past four or five years, we've been blessed/cursed with incredible wide receivers in the NFL.  Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Chad Johnson to name some of the best.  Now, don't take this as some alarmist ranting about how the wide-receiver is "dead," but I think the NFL might actually be undergoing a change in front of our eyes.

What's one other thing those guys have in common?  Attitude.

Who's the best wide receiver in the league right now?  Larry Fitzgerald, who has none of the attitude or off-field issues of guys like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.

It's not just players that seem to be changing, but team philosophies.  For a while, guys like Randy Moss and Torry Holt were so dominating on the field that we as fans began to expect spectacular wide receiver play.  The Lions tried to save their franchise by drafting "big-play" wide receivers, but that failed miserably.

Maybe I'm wrong and things will go back to the way they were, but a whole crop of new wide receivers will have to step up to take the crown from that group mentioned above.  If I'm wrong, the NFL should try to take this opportunity, with a lot of the stars of the past years retiring or otherwise leaving, and use it as a chance to help rebuild their image by cultivating new young superstars with decent reputations.