Quotable:"If I gave you the answer that you want to hear, you'd already have it. And the fact that you don't should tell you something...I've experienced locker rooms that look dysfunctional on the face of it, OK? And won world championships," Dallas Cowboy owner, Jerry Jones on keeping Terrell Owens on the roster, a week before releasing him.
Yes, you heard it right! The tumultuous love/hate relationship between the Dallas Cowboys and Terell “The Voice” Owens has officially joined the ranks 50% of marriages in this country—in “Splitsville.” Just a week prior, Jerry Jones got his lasso in a bunch just at the mention of T.O. being cut from the roster. Apparently, he used that rope to fashion a noose to hang T.O. out to dry reportedly at the persuading of Cowboys insiders who still lack the ballsiness they so brazenly display behind closed locker room doors to voice their apparent disdain for the Pro-Bowl wide receiver. Sources reveal that Owens is shocked and feels betrayed however, not necessarily by Jerry Jones, despite Jones outright promise that Owens would remain a Dallas Cowboy amidst torrid locker room chemistry.
“It wasn’t just Whitten. He had problems with Tony Romo. He had problems calling out the offensive coordinator during the season, singly him out. He broadened the divide in the locker room so that players like Roy Williams, Patrick Clayton and I was even told Marion Barber , had been effected, negatively from their association with T.O. So I think the Cowboys will have some repairing to do in the locker room as the result of this. There were a lot of players, maybe the majority of players who sided with Terrell Owens against Tony Romo, Jason Whitten and offensive but if the Cowboys were going to solve this problem and address it seriously, I think Terrell Owens had to go and he had to go before they started their off season program at the end of this month.” ESPN analyst, Ed Werder reported.
While we’re speaking on advocates for Terrell Owens, let’s add Cowboys coach Wade Phillips into the mix, who along with Jones rallied behind Owens when he so vehemently shouted to any one that would listen that Romo and Whitten we’re engaged in a conspiracy to keep the ball from him complete with half-time pep sessions and slumber party strategy sessions.
“…You really never know the real reason behind it… cuz it’s a game of football and you just have to move on. Nobody is going to play this game forever…you look at guys like Marvin Harrison, that was released by the Indianapolis Colts, a couple of weeks ago or so. You just look over time. Fred Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars. I was released by the Dallas Cowboys. I was released by the Carolina Panthers…It’s going to happen. You look at it and you say, you know what ,the next step for him is to find him for a team to play for, for the next couple of years and from that team, that point forward just continue to keep trying to build that legacy you’re trying to lead/live when he leaves the game. ” ESPN analyst, retired NFL player, Keyshawn Johnson commented.
Is it really that simple? Despite lackluster numbers last season ranging in T.O. still produced. Yes, he is one of the most selfish players in the league next to Chad “Ocho” Cinco, next to Randy Moss, next to Plaxico Burress and any other star wide receiver who values his own self-destructive off field run-ins with the law and tabloids over Super bowl and Pro-Bowl appearances however, say it with me now, he still produced. Jones didn’t offer him a new $34 million contract extension with a $12 million signing bonus for nothing. At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing, Owens is ousted not because of his track record of alienating quarterbacks and offensive players in San Francisco, Philadelphia and now Dallas; not for his world famous outspokenness or for his lackluster last season, resulting in his 69 receiving and 10 receiving touchdowns but because Romo finally fell under the weight of Owens outcries about the shoddiness of Garrett’s and Phelps’ offensive plays. What type of club doesn’t appease to its star quarterback?
So where does this leave T.O. in quest for Super bowl contention? Unfortunately for T.O., his track record and his mounting age (Owens will be 36 years old next year) leave his team prospects about as realistic as the Lions’ sloppy seconds leading the Cowboys to Super bowl glory next season. One thing is for certain, in the team’s “best” long-term interests or not, Dallas in the short-term has a lot of holes to fill that will take a whole lot more cement to fill than a few pothole patchups in the guise of acquiring an over hyped Roy Williams, aging Jon Kitna and a washed up Keith Brooking.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
T.O.’s Last Hooray!
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2 comments:
Hey Qiana. You know I agree with every word of your blog. I was last night chillin with friends when I heard this on Sportscenter. Personally, I do not see why they would release him when all the have left as a proven WR is Roy Williams. And he doesn't even know the offense yet. I figured they would give him one more year. However, now the Cowboys do not have a deep threat at WR anymore and their offense will suffer as a result. I love Witten and Romo but Witten is not taking it 70 yards to the house. T.O. will land elsewhere, but as a Cowboys fan I am a little disappointed. TO is not the problem. Their lack of discipline, execution, and creativity on offense was last year. Neither of these issues are resolved by releasing your best WR.
Therefore, this was strictly a political move by my Cowboys. Romo and company had a bad season and they all need a scapegoat for how average they were offensively. Despite TO's personality and affect on the locker room I believe that his criticisms of Jason Garrett and others were accurate. Even Troy Aikman while broadcasting mentioned that last year teams "Figured Jason Garrett out". He did need to adjust and innovate the offense, which he did not. Romo Does favor Witten as do most QBs b/c they are security blankets on the field. As far as being a prima donna, even Steve Young has gone on record to say that arguably the greatest football player ever, Jerry Rice, was just as much of a prima donna as TO. There were 2 main differences though between the two WRs. First, Jerry was a prima donna, but he did not alienate players and divide a locker room like TO does. And most importantly, Jerry won SUPER BOWLS!!! The rings is all that matters and Jerry made sure the 49ers had plenty of trophies to put in their stadium lol. If the Cowboys would have won it all with TO on the roster, he would be given a pass. His demeanor would be considered an necessary evil.
It is interesting that all the troubled players with checkered pasts are no longer on the Cowboys roster. Tank Johnson, TO, and Pacman are all gone. Who brought them all in...Jerry Jones!!! He is as much to blame as anyone else is. He undermines Wade's authority which means that his players do as well. He has no authority in the locker room b/c they know Jerry is the end-all-be-all in Dallas. All the money and risks that he took has failed. But of course the owner is still the owner so it's always someone else's fault. They should have hired Shannahan as coach and brought in a proven GM. Jerry's luck with being GM has ran out. There are no Aikmans, Emmitts, or Irvins in the draft for them to take anymore.
Back to TO, all this time another star WR with a checkered past, Randy Moss, has done well in New England. What's that tell you??? Place a risky WR in a SOUND and STABLE ORGANIZATION and he will have the STRUCTURE needed to manage him and be successful. The Pats have this (3 rings in 5 years PROVES it despite Spygate). The Cowboys do not. Since their organization is not sound they should have never brought in TO in the first place. The man with the biggest ego in Dallas, Jerry Jones, convinced him that he could handle TO. He was wrong! TO will be OK though. Im not so sure about my Cowboys. Next year will be interesting to say the least. Set your expectations low. Because I don't see this team being any better than they were last year without TO and no one to replace him.
Hey really great to see president of USA is playing game Great....
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