Not Wanted: Terrell Owens
When Terrell Owens was released by the Dallas Cowboys it wasn’t a complete surprise. Why!?
T.O is a phenom on the field. Last season he broke 1,000 yards and scored 10 TDs, which in all honesty was a poor year for him. For many many other wideouts, that would be a career season. In the past 11 seasons he has been over 1,000 receiving yards in 9 of them (one year he only played 7 games but was well on course to break the 1,000 barrier). He even has double digit touchdowns in eight of those seasons (the others being 6 - from seven games started, 9 and 4).
So why oh why was he released?? And even more so, why has half of the teams in the NFL openly stated they do NOT want T.O in their locker room? Even the Rams, who are about to lose their star wideout, Tory Holt, have declared no interest in Owens. The guys at FootballOutsiders have even penned an article questioning if T.O is finished in the NFL?!!
The answer isn’t hard to find. Owens is a diva. A quarterback killer. Some would even say a locker room cancer. One time, he gave a press conference, on his driveway, doing sit-ups. Another time, he burst into tears in defense of his chum, Tony Romo. For all of of his obvious greatness and highlight reel touchdowns, he is also remembered for dropping too many passes as well.
You must also remember that he is 35 years old and probably doesn’t have too much time left in his NFL career. There is no doubt that he has elite abilities and can be counted on as one of the top receivers currently playing the game, but he demands to be the focus of the offense and expects to ‘go-to’ player in clutch moments. A few times last year T.O dropped passes on important third-downs which really cost the Cowboys. But by the same measure, he also made huge touchdowns grabs and fought for vital yardage after the catch on numerous occasions.
I agree that the Rams should rule themselves out of the T.O stakes, we are looking to get younger and move on with a team based on character (something Owens isn’t regarded as being high on), but it doesn’t stop me from being jealous of the team that will eventually sign him. Early rumours had the Giants as a likely landing spot (depending on the Plaxico Burress saga results), but now prevailing opinion is that New England want to pair two of the most talented, but troubled receivers in Owens and Randy Moss (see Pull a Randy Moss).
Personally, I can see Denver as a good place for Owens. The Broncos have always been known to splash the cash in Free Agency, which they haven’t done so far this year, and what a better way to pacify Cutlerfucker than to unite T.O and Baby T.O. McDaniels would have a SCARY offense with Owens, Marshall and Royal lining up with backfield receiving threats like Buckhalter and Arrington supported by the hard-running Payton Hillis…
2 years ago
