Hey, Dallas: Consider yourself warned
Hey, Dallas: Consider yourself warned
March 14, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
At last month's NFL scouting combine, I stopped an NFC head coach and asked him where he thought wide receiver Terrell Owens would play this year. He thought for a moment, then cast his vote for Dallas.
"Yeah, Dallas," he said.
Not because coach Bill Parcells was seen having lunch in Indianapolis with Owens' agent. And not because owner Jerry Jones publicly endorsed the idea of hiring a wide receiver like Owens, causing the Eagles to file tampering charges.
No, it was because someone told him the Cowboys had notified wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to start looking for other places to play, an indication that Dallas might be setting the table for Owens -- under the assumption that he and Johnson could not co-exist.
"In fact," he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if a deal hasn't already been cut."
Well, guess what, folks? Terrell Owens was just released by Philadelphia. Keyshawn Johnson was just released by the Cowboys. And, suddenly and predictably, there's an opening in Big D for a wide receiver.
Uh-oh.
That doesn't mean Owens is headed there, but the Cowboys were one of three clubs that spoke to the Eagles prior to Owens' release -- inquiring into a possible deal for him. When the Eagles told them they were interested in a third-round pick, the talks stopped.
They stopped with two other teams, including Denver, inquiring into Owens' availability, but the releases of Owens and Johnson on the same afternoon are just too coincidental to ignore.
Could Owens help the Cowboys? Absolutely. He will help anyone this season. Owens is determined to be the All-Pro receiver he was in 2004 when there were all those warm-and-fuzzy stories about him and Donovan McNabb and hundreds of columns devoted to how much better he made the Eagles.
But that lasted one season, and that's about the length of time I give him before he self-immolates. The Eagles were the ideal spot for Owens, with McNabb, then-offensive coordinator Brad Childress and current offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg convincing coach Andy Reid to hire the guy.
Reid was wary and, initially, didn't want to make the move. But after talking with his coaches and his star quarterback -- and after talking with Owens himself -- Reid took the plunge.
And look what happened. The same thing that happened in San Francisco, where Owens claimed he was misunderstood after sparring with the head coach and quarterback. (Incidentally, that quarterback, Jeff Garcia, is expected to sign with the Eagles Wednesday.)
Well, I'm sorry, but there's a pattern there, and the next team to take a flier on T.O. can't say it wasn't warned.
In short, the dumb deserve to suffer.
The Cowboys know better than most what T.O. is all about. It was Texas Stadium, after all, where Owens first took his bad-boy image to the national arena, celebrating on the Cowboys' star in 2000 to ignite a melee -- with safety George Teague belting Owens after as he kneeled on the logo.
Owens later apologized to his teammates, but when he was unrepentant talking to reporters he was suspended for a week by then-coach Steve Mariucci.
"It disturbs me when the integrity of the game is compromised," Mariucci said then.
There is no question that Owens is one of the game's top receivers. There is no question that he's a difference maker, too. Look what he did for Philadelphia when he arrived on the scene. He caught 14 touchdown passes and had seven 100-yard games, both franchise records.
He is big. He is physical. He is tough. And he plays hurt. Those that disagree can rewind the videotape to Super Bowl XXXIX, when Owens had nine catches for 122 yards after returning from a severe ankle injury -- caused, ironically, in a game against Dallas.
But Owens not only conquers; he divides. Reid was his last line of support in Philadelphia, and he patiently stood by Owens while he torched the building and everything in it. But when Owens refused to apologize last season after criticizing the organization, even Reid reached his limit.
He never played Owens again.
Well, now Owens is back, and he's coming to a neighborhood near you. And if it's Dallas, then I pity Bill Parcells. There is not a club that Owens can't destroy; there is not a team he can't divide; there is not a coach or a quarterback he can't infuriate.
He proved it once. He proved it twice. If you're a Cowboys fan, you better hope Dallas isn't his next stop.
March 14, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
At last month's NFL scouting combine, I stopped an NFC head coach and asked him where he thought wide receiver Terrell Owens would play this year. He thought for a moment, then cast his vote for Dallas.
"Yeah, Dallas," he said.
Not because coach Bill Parcells was seen having lunch in Indianapolis with Owens' agent. And not because owner Jerry Jones publicly endorsed the idea of hiring a wide receiver like Owens, causing the Eagles to file tampering charges.
No, it was because someone told him the Cowboys had notified wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to start looking for other places to play, an indication that Dallas might be setting the table for Owens -- under the assumption that he and Johnson could not co-exist.
"In fact," he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if a deal hasn't already been cut."
Well, guess what, folks? Terrell Owens was just released by Philadelphia. Keyshawn Johnson was just released by the Cowboys. And, suddenly and predictably, there's an opening in Big D for a wide receiver.
Uh-oh.
That doesn't mean Owens is headed there, but the Cowboys were one of three clubs that spoke to the Eagles prior to Owens' release -- inquiring into a possible deal for him. When the Eagles told them they were interested in a third-round pick, the talks stopped.
They stopped with two other teams, including Denver, inquiring into Owens' availability, but the releases of Owens and Johnson on the same afternoon are just too coincidental to ignore.
Could Owens help the Cowboys? Absolutely. He will help anyone this season. Owens is determined to be the All-Pro receiver he was in 2004 when there were all those warm-and-fuzzy stories about him and Donovan McNabb and hundreds of columns devoted to how much better he made the Eagles.
But that lasted one season, and that's about the length of time I give him before he self-immolates. The Eagles were the ideal spot for Owens, with McNabb, then-offensive coordinator Brad Childress and current offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg convincing coach Andy Reid to hire the guy.
Reid was wary and, initially, didn't want to make the move. But after talking with his coaches and his star quarterback -- and after talking with Owens himself -- Reid took the plunge.
And look what happened. The same thing that happened in San Francisco, where Owens claimed he was misunderstood after sparring with the head coach and quarterback. (Incidentally, that quarterback, Jeff Garcia, is expected to sign with the Eagles Wednesday.)
Well, I'm sorry, but there's a pattern there, and the next team to take a flier on T.O. can't say it wasn't warned.
In short, the dumb deserve to suffer.
The Cowboys know better than most what T.O. is all about. It was Texas Stadium, after all, where Owens first took his bad-boy image to the national arena, celebrating on the Cowboys' star in 2000 to ignite a melee -- with safety George Teague belting Owens after as he kneeled on the logo.
Owens later apologized to his teammates, but when he was unrepentant talking to reporters he was suspended for a week by then-coach Steve Mariucci.
"It disturbs me when the integrity of the game is compromised," Mariucci said then.
There is no question that Owens is one of the game's top receivers. There is no question that he's a difference maker, too. Look what he did for Philadelphia when he arrived on the scene. He caught 14 touchdown passes and had seven 100-yard games, both franchise records.
He is big. He is physical. He is tough. And he plays hurt. Those that disagree can rewind the videotape to Super Bowl XXXIX, when Owens had nine catches for 122 yards after returning from a severe ankle injury -- caused, ironically, in a game against Dallas.
But Owens not only conquers; he divides. Reid was his last line of support in Philadelphia, and he patiently stood by Owens while he torched the building and everything in it. But when Owens refused to apologize last season after criticizing the organization, even Reid reached his limit.
He never played Owens again.
Well, now Owens is back, and he's coming to a neighborhood near you. And if it's Dallas, then I pity Bill Parcells. There is not a club that Owens can't destroy; there is not a team he can't divide; there is not a coach or a quarterback he can't infuriate.
He proved it once. He proved it twice. If you're a Cowboys fan, you better hope Dallas isn't his next stop.
posted by The Gryphon at 11:51 PM
<< Home