Cowboys get a buzz and a buzz saw
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Houston Chronicle
DALLAS — Branch Rickey once said: "You don't really know how much trouble a player can be until you have him on your own team."
Let's run that quote by the Dallas Cowboys a year from now. By then, they will regret the signing of Terrell Owens.
For starters, this is the beginning of the end of the Bill Parcells-Jerry Jones marriage. Mark it down.
They already have coexisted longer than many thought possible. Three seasons, no playoff victories.
Parcells is worth the trouble only if he wins big. Knowing Jones, I'm guessing he's about had his fill of the guy.
Hello, T.O.; goodbye, Bill
Whatever you think of Jones, he is upbeat, aggressive, a risk-taker. Parcells is a dark cloud. He is profane and belligerent, and even the people who acknowledge his brilliance as a coach eventually acknowledge he is not worth the trouble.
Parcells is at the point where the end of every season is going to become a soap opera. Will he come back? Oh please, Bill, come back.
Owens' arrival at Valley Ranch will speed up Parcells' departure.
I don't know what Parcells told Jones about Owens. He may have said: "Great idea, boss."
I do know what Parcells' buddies are saying. They're saying it was Jerry's idea. They're saying Bill wants nothing to do with the guy.
Funny, but a lot of us thought Jones had given Parcells complete control of personnel. Not so.
The art of the deal
Organizations reveal themselves by how they handle decisions like this one. The Cowboys are willing to take a chance because even if Owens isn't good for the football side of the building, he creates a buzz.
Jones has always been about selling and marketing. He understands that almost all publicity is good publicity.
T.O.'s arrival in Dallas will be the story of this NFL season. The Miami Dolphins acquired Daunte Culpepper. The New Orleans Saints got Drew Brees. Edgerrin James is now with the Arizona Cardinals, David Givens with the Tennessee Titans.
All those moves made more sense from a football standpoint. They all will be subplots to the T.O.-Jerry-Tuna story line.
The Texans? They have done better than you might think. They have added a serviceable defensive end (Anthony Weaver) and a pass-catching fullback (Jameel Cook) and could be getting close on a pass-catching tight end (Jeb Putzier).
They still need a middle linebacker, offensive line depth and another wide receiver. But with the addition of Reggie Bush and a solid draft class, they could be respectable in Gary Kubiak's first season.
Kubiak has told general manager Charley Casserly to get him players who put the team first, who are willing to play special teams, who understand there's a larger picture. Good for him. Teams that have not yet learned how to win can't bring in players who think otherwise.
But the Cowboys will be more interesting. No matter what Parcells said inside the walls of Valley Ranch, his friends are hearing something else. Has Parcells decided to quit before training camp? Will T.O. be his out?
Incredible, isn't it? Owens hasn't even played a game, and already there is trouble. He'll probably rip the locker room apart, too. T.O. is about T.O. If he's getting his catches, he'll be fine for a while. If he's not, he'll be a nightmare.
He sees the team concept only in terms of what it can do for him. Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins said of Owens: "He doesn't believe the normal social contracts apply to him."
If Owens couldn't get along with Donovan McNabb, Drew Bledsoe has no chance.
Here's my Terrell Owens story.
The Green Bay Packers had just defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field in January 2002. After the game, Owens stood a dozen feet away from 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia and complained loudly and bitterly about the play-calling in general and Garcia in particular.
I was amazed that an athlete would say such things about a teammate standing within earshot. Owens clearly didn't care. He seemingly was upset more about not getting his numbers than the defeat.
Few general managers or head coaches would want Owens on their team if they had seen his act that day.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on him because they had lost three consecutive NFC Championship Games and believed they were one player away from the Super Bowl. The Eagles knew the risks.
Owens helped get them over the hump. He played brilliantly and courageously in the Super Bowl. When he didn't get a new contract, he went ballistic.
The Cowboys aren't one player away. Owens will say all the right things, but he will see the Cowboys as a vehicle for himself, more money, more exposure, more of the things he cares about.
He'll drive Parcells crazy and hasten his departure.Yet he's perfect for Jones. He'll make headlines. He'll have the Cowboys again leading off SportsCenter.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Jones has told his people to be prepared for a flood of season-ticket sales when the signing is announced.
Jones sees T.O. more in terms of marketing than football. The football side of his brain probably knows it won't work. The marketing side — the relentless salesman — doesn't care. Let's see if he feels the same way a year from now.
Houston Chronicle
DALLAS — Branch Rickey once said: "You don't really know how much trouble a player can be until you have him on your own team."
Let's run that quote by the Dallas Cowboys a year from now. By then, they will regret the signing of Terrell Owens.
For starters, this is the beginning of the end of the Bill Parcells-Jerry Jones marriage. Mark it down.
They already have coexisted longer than many thought possible. Three seasons, no playoff victories.
Parcells is worth the trouble only if he wins big. Knowing Jones, I'm guessing he's about had his fill of the guy.
Hello, T.O.; goodbye, Bill
Whatever you think of Jones, he is upbeat, aggressive, a risk-taker. Parcells is a dark cloud. He is profane and belligerent, and even the people who acknowledge his brilliance as a coach eventually acknowledge he is not worth the trouble.
Parcells is at the point where the end of every season is going to become a soap opera. Will he come back? Oh please, Bill, come back.
Owens' arrival at Valley Ranch will speed up Parcells' departure.
I don't know what Parcells told Jones about Owens. He may have said: "Great idea, boss."
I do know what Parcells' buddies are saying. They're saying it was Jerry's idea. They're saying Bill wants nothing to do with the guy.
Funny, but a lot of us thought Jones had given Parcells complete control of personnel. Not so.
The art of the deal
Organizations reveal themselves by how they handle decisions like this one. The Cowboys are willing to take a chance because even if Owens isn't good for the football side of the building, he creates a buzz.
Jones has always been about selling and marketing. He understands that almost all publicity is good publicity.
T.O.'s arrival in Dallas will be the story of this NFL season. The Miami Dolphins acquired Daunte Culpepper. The New Orleans Saints got Drew Brees. Edgerrin James is now with the Arizona Cardinals, David Givens with the Tennessee Titans.
All those moves made more sense from a football standpoint. They all will be subplots to the T.O.-Jerry-Tuna story line.
The Texans? They have done better than you might think. They have added a serviceable defensive end (Anthony Weaver) and a pass-catching fullback (Jameel Cook) and could be getting close on a pass-catching tight end (Jeb Putzier).
They still need a middle linebacker, offensive line depth and another wide receiver. But with the addition of Reggie Bush and a solid draft class, they could be respectable in Gary Kubiak's first season.
Kubiak has told general manager Charley Casserly to get him players who put the team first, who are willing to play special teams, who understand there's a larger picture. Good for him. Teams that have not yet learned how to win can't bring in players who think otherwise.
But the Cowboys will be more interesting. No matter what Parcells said inside the walls of Valley Ranch, his friends are hearing something else. Has Parcells decided to quit before training camp? Will T.O. be his out?
Incredible, isn't it? Owens hasn't even played a game, and already there is trouble. He'll probably rip the locker room apart, too. T.O. is about T.O. If he's getting his catches, he'll be fine for a while. If he's not, he'll be a nightmare.
He sees the team concept only in terms of what it can do for him. Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins said of Owens: "He doesn't believe the normal social contracts apply to him."
If Owens couldn't get along with Donovan McNabb, Drew Bledsoe has no chance.
Here's my Terrell Owens story.
The Green Bay Packers had just defeated the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field in January 2002. After the game, Owens stood a dozen feet away from 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia and complained loudly and bitterly about the play-calling in general and Garcia in particular.
I was amazed that an athlete would say such things about a teammate standing within earshot. Owens clearly didn't care. He seemingly was upset more about not getting his numbers than the defeat.
Few general managers or head coaches would want Owens on their team if they had seen his act that day.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on him because they had lost three consecutive NFC Championship Games and believed they were one player away from the Super Bowl. The Eagles knew the risks.
Owens helped get them over the hump. He played brilliantly and courageously in the Super Bowl. When he didn't get a new contract, he went ballistic.
The Cowboys aren't one player away. Owens will say all the right things, but he will see the Cowboys as a vehicle for himself, more money, more exposure, more of the things he cares about.
He'll drive Parcells crazy and hasten his departure.Yet he's perfect for Jones. He'll make headlines. He'll have the Cowboys again leading off SportsCenter.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Jones has told his people to be prepared for a flood of season-ticket sales when the signing is announced.
Jones sees T.O. more in terms of marketing than football. The football side of his brain probably knows it won't work. The marketing side — the relentless salesman — doesn't care. Let's see if he feels the same way a year from now.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:44 PM
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