Cowboys Release T.O.!

[t.j 35]

Obviously, Ive never been on a pro team but I played varsity football and and have coached a number of high school and AAU basketball teams including many D1 players and a few pros. Point being, I have a lil bit of experience with locker rooms and team chemistry. Almost every single team that Ive been involved with had someone who complained about not getting the ball enough, had players who didnt like each other, etc. Its only when you're not winning that these issues come to a boil. But IMO, it was never the reason why these teams lost. If it was, then thats something that coaches and team leaders address immediately and head on, not passively.

 

IMO, what makes TO so bad is, on most teams the guys who complain when the going gets rough, they do it when the team is 5-5, 3-7, sub-.500 kinda thing. TO, you lose the Super Bowl, or you can start out 12-1 and lose one bad game, and he starts pointing fingers and dividing the team. It's ridiculous. It's practically unheard of.

He may be bipolar and troubled as a result of his childhood, but the end result is completely unacceptable for an NFL teammate. Many people have, like you, criticized the teams and QBs for being passive about it. But with every team it was the same thing. Why? Because TO is so damn sensitive. Most NFL players are men, they respond when you treat them like men. TO is a child in a man's body. Address it head on and he flips out. Address it passively and you buy time but he slowly builds up to a boil. It's a no-win situation. It's not because Romo and McNabb and Garcia aren't leaders.

[Me_2006 14]

Terp, didn't know you had anything to do with the AAU circuit. What teams have you been involved with? I played one summer with the Nashville Celtics.

[GettnHuge 1]

Agent Drew Rosenhaus says he expects Terrell Owens to "have a deal in place (with a team) by the end of next week, if not sooner."

Rosenhaus sure sounds confident, but he's got to say this to drum up a market. "There are several teams that are interested in signing Terrell," Rosenhaus claims. "I have been in negotiations with these teams. I will not identify these teams at this time." The Broncos are looking like a big sleeper to pursue Owens and the Raiders are tentatively expected to show interest, but it would still be a surprise if Owens signs quickly.

Source: Profootballtalk.com

 

[GettnHuge 1]

I have not read one response in this thread... That said... T.O. might actually get "black balled" from the league, where by NO team may decide to pick him up, despite his talents... I hope he has invested his money wisely... Cause it might be his last NFL dime... MB

 

ps. He might be the next guy on Joe's vs Jocks... LOL

 

could happen

[9-Route 0]

1] the news: equally shocking yet predictable move based upon the past 12 months of media, outcome, and expectations in dallas.

 

2] the numbers: no need to elaborate. everyone knows the HOF caliber creds: 14000+yds [already top5, another 1k season and could possibly move him top2], 141 total TDs [4th all-time, and with 3 scores would climb to 3rd behind only emmitt and rice], 8 seasons with 10+TDs [tied with moss and harrison, rice has 9], including 7 with 13+TDs [rice 8, moss 5, carter 3, harrison 3].

 

3] the impact on the field: they lose ~13TDs [38 scores in 3 dallas seasons] and the coverage schemes that open up witten, wr3, and the run game.

 

4] impact off the field: did you really solve the problem? no. the problem is lack of leadership and command, not noise. the locker room is quieter now, with less chatter and complaining, but still the same: trailing 10-7 at halftime of a playoff game, the same blank faces and blank stares with the same uncertainty and doubt remain. there is still no command or voice that steers this collection of players back to the track of poise, confidence, and focus to the task at hand.

 

5] the prognosis: this squad removed the noise, but also the scapegoat. now what? when/if they cannot score points, or cannot win important division games, who will be the reason? phillips? romo? garrett? the two biggest things that will def not stop with the release of TO are the media clamor and the high expectations that must be met.

[NewbieJr 540]

1] the news: equally shocking yet predictable move based upon the past 12 months of media, outcome, and expectations in dallas.

 

2] the numbers: no need to elaborate. everyone knows the HOF caliber creds: 14000+yds [already top5, another 1k season and could possibly move him top2], 141 total TDs [4th all-time, and with 3 scores would climb to 3rd behind only emmitt and rice], 8 seasons with 10+TDs [tied with moss and harrison, rice has 9], including 7 with 13+TDs [rice 8, moss 5, carter 3, harrison 3].

 

3] the impact on the field: they lose ~13TDs [38 scores in 3 dallas seasons] and the coverage schemes that open up witten, wr3, and the run game.

 

4] impact off the field: did you really solve the problem? no. the problem is lack of leadership and command, not noise. the locker room is quieter now, with less chatter and complaining, but still the same: trailing 10-7 at halftime of a playoff game, the same blank faces and blank stares with the same uncertainty and doubt remain. there is still no command or voice that steers this collection of players back to the track of poise, confidence, and focus to the task at hand.

 

5] the prognosis: this squad removed the noise, but also the scapegoat. now what? when/if they cannot score points, or cannot win important division games, who will be the reason? phillips? romo? garrett? the two biggest things that will def not stop with the release of TO are the media clamor and the high expectations that must be met.

I see by your sig that you are a TO fan. I get that, but if you don't see teh pattern of TO starting each team-change as a model citizen, and then slowly becoming a cancer everywhere he goes, then you are blind as a bat. He's never won a ring and never will. When he was a top three WR in the league, he was worth the risk, but now that he's aging and slipping, his attention-whoring and teammate alienations are no longer worth it. A sucky team like Buffalo probably has nothing to lose, but a contender doesn't need him.

[VaTerp 0]

IMO, what makes TO so bad is, on most teams the guys who complain when the going gets rough, they do it when the team is 5-5, 3-7, sub-.500 kinda thing. TO, you lose the Super Bowl, or you can start out 12-1 and lose one bad game, and he starts pointing fingers and dividing the team. It's ridiculous. It's practically unheard of.

He may be bipolar and troubled as a result of his childhood, but the end result is completely unacceptable for an NFL teammate. Many people have, like you, criticized the teams and QBs for being passive about it. But with every team it was the same thing. Why? Because TO is so damn sensitive. Most NFL players are men, they respond when you treat them like men. TO is a child in a man's body. Address it head on and he flips out. Address it passively and you buy time but he slowly builds up to a boil. It's a no-win situation. It's not because Romo and McNabb and Garcia aren't leaders.

 

TO does act like a child. In fact, he acts like a biatch. But I still contend that his divisiveness is greatly exaggerated and in some cases created by media and talking heads.

 

In SF, he grew from the humble country kid that called Steve Young sir to the persona that is TO. He was a monster on the field and the team had some success. In his last year, the team was terrible, Dennis Erickson was a joke as a head coach, and TO had become a head case. IMO he saw Garcia as a short overachieving QB who owed all of his success to him. And look at Garcia's career stats with and w/o Owens. Its pretty interesting. I dont fault SF here b/c they had no idea what they were dealing with until it was too late. It was time to go separate ways. But in all of the years since the "problem" left, guess what. No playoffs for the 49ers in the 5 year. Perhaps the problem went beyond TO.

 

In Philly, Owens was great the first year, team goes to the SB, McNabb has his best season of his career. It was after the Super Bowl that TO started his act. But this was 100% about money. He wanted a new contract after the lame deal he signed just a year prior. The way he and Rosenbag handled it was a failure of epic proportions and included TO calling out McNabb w/ the "I wasnt the one who got tired in the SB" line. Very true but ABSOLUTELY inappropriate and uncalled for. BUT after all of the drama TO comes into camp and starts the season off on FIRE. The team was 4-3 and right in contention for a playoff spot. THEN Owens gets in the infamous fight with Hugh Douglas and winds up getting suspended for the rest of the season. I know that incident was discussed at length but I still think that was a TERRIBLE move by Philly. For one, the fight started after a guy who DIDNT EVEN PLAY ON THE TEAM comes into the locker room and starts running his mouth about people faking injuries. Now tell me if you're TO, you've been ballin all year, right at the top of the league in most WR stats, and some clown who COULDNT EVEN MAKE THE TEAM comes into the locker room trying to call you out. Get the F outta here. Then the Eagles cut their nose to spite their face and go 2-7 the rest of the season. Eagles have had mixed success since but they havent been back to the SB. And somehow McNabb continues to have "issues" in the city of brotherly love. Perhaps the problem went beyond TO.

 

Now in Dallas, Im still trying to figure out what TO did that was so bad. The first year there was the bizarre pill incident but other than that there wasnt really an issue. And IMO Parcells handled TO wrong from the get go by not even acknowledging the guy and also not utilizing his talent in the offense. But still there was no real issue. 2nd year team is 13-3, TO and Romo have great years, no issues other than the ENTIRE team choking it up as the #1 seed. Last season TO started up with his not getting the ball enough routine but how many WRs have we heard that from. Yeah, yeah we hear ya 81. Look at the stat sheet, stop w/ the drops, and get back to us. And the whole Romo-Witten thing is so grade school that its really not worth talking about. Ed Werder and his "sources" have done nothing but spread a bunch of middle school gossip in creating a story that was never really there. We'll see how it works for Dallas but I dont see how dropping TO helps out a team that had ZERO leadership. I dont see Romo approaching 36 TDs in a season again, and I dont see how it makes them any better. Remember that this is a team that hasnt won a playoff game since 1996. With TO on the team they made the playoffs 2 out of 3 years after making it only 1 of the previous 6, and had their best record since a SB season in the early 90s. I think next season will show that the problems of 08' went beyond TO.

 

In the end, TO is a drama queen, we all know that. And he is ultimately to blame for his conflicted legacy. But on the field he was a monster and is still one of the better playmakers in the game. He has and can still help teams win games with what he does on the field. On the sideline he's an azz but I think teams with stonger leadership would have kept him in check. I dont buy all the locker room cancer, team divider garbage that the media regurgitates and a FEW players use as an excuse. The guy is an easy scape goat and he puts himself in position to be one. But dont be a sheep. There is ZERO tangible evidence that removing TO from a team or a locker room has helped at all.

[VaTerp 0]

Terp, didn't know you had anything to do with the AAU circuit. What teams have you been involved with? I played one summer with the Nashville Celtics.

 

So you got some game, ME?

 

Yeah I love AAU. I played in VA with Richmond Metro and Boo Williams in the mid 90s. As a coach, Ive worked with DC Assault, Triple Threat and Team Takeover all based out of DC. The last few years Ive worked with a couple of different teams here in my temporary home of South Bend. These guys arent that serious about it though. I still do some stuff in the summers back in DC and should be getting back into it more heavily when I move this summer.