Yes, t.o. is not Michael Irvin
By JENNIFER FLOYD-ENGEL
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Twenty-two days have passed since the Cowboys' brain trust hopped into bed with t.o. and the franchise has yet to implode.
Save your "I told you sos."
He has a tell-all book and a reality show coming; which is to say nothing about the chaos when Drew Bledsoe bounces a pass at his feet.
For now, though, we have happy-happy at Valley Ranch and not a single day goes by where I do not get an e-mail explaining just how wrong I am for predicting anything but.
One recurring theme in these missives is Michael Irvin. The argument is t.o. is no different than Irvin. I'm exhausted from arguing the idiocy of linking them.
I'm going to let Troy Aikman quash this stupidity.
He has been curiously quiet about the signing of t.o., a marked contrast to his former Cow teammates who have hailed this as genius. But he is very outspoken about those who argue t.o. is no worse than Irvin.
"I think people that make that comparison don't know Michael Irvin or they don't know Terrell Owens," Aikman said. "They certainly don't know what they are talking about."
Irvin was the best teammate Aikman ever played with and he does not toss in the caveat of "on the field."
He is well aware of the demons that plagued Irvin during his Cowboys career. He was in the courtroom supporting his teammate during the fallout from of one of them. He knows all of it, knows how it ends and still wants him on his team.
"I wish I had played with 52 Michael Irvins," Aikman said.
Do you think Jeff Garcia would say the same thing about t.o.? What about Donovan McNabb?
What nobody seems to get is Irvin was everything t.o. has not been in his previous stops -- unselfish, dedicated to team and a leader.
"He was a lightning rod that galvanized our team. He was not a divider," Aikman said. "And so anyone who tries to compare Michael Irvin to a number of receivers in the game, not just Terrell Owens, I think that is a slap in the face to Michael Irvin -- what he meant and what he represented."
What amuses Aikman is listening to t.o. and other receivers talk about Irvin. They all say the same thing about wanting to be like him.
"But I think that those receivers who did look up to him, I don't know that they really understand what he was about," Aikman said. "All they saw was the flamboyancy, the showmanship that he had and the charisma that he demonstrated on the field. They didn't see the way he was in the locker room."
The locker room is sacrosanct in sports. The people in there are not always perfect but they are a team and the first rule of team is you are in it together.
Irvin understood you do not rip your team, turn on your team or divide your team.
So does Aikman believe t.o. can change or will he be back to his old ways of ripping into his teammates publicly whenever it suits his own selfish purposes?
Mark him down for a maybe.
Aikman believes people can change. He is just not so sure that t.o. actually wants to or will.
"I think you have to look at what he's done up to this point," Aikman said. "He's called out both quarterbacks he's played for. He's ruined both of those relationships. And, as a result of that, it has hurt his football team."
If you think Irvin was anything like that with the Cowboys, Aikman is right.
You don't know Irvin.
And you don't know what you are talking about.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Twenty-two days have passed since the Cowboys' brain trust hopped into bed with t.o. and the franchise has yet to implode.
Save your "I told you sos."
He has a tell-all book and a reality show coming; which is to say nothing about the chaos when Drew Bledsoe bounces a pass at his feet.
For now, though, we have happy-happy at Valley Ranch and not a single day goes by where I do not get an e-mail explaining just how wrong I am for predicting anything but.
One recurring theme in these missives is Michael Irvin. The argument is t.o. is no different than Irvin. I'm exhausted from arguing the idiocy of linking them.
I'm going to let Troy Aikman quash this stupidity.
He has been curiously quiet about the signing of t.o., a marked contrast to his former Cow teammates who have hailed this as genius. But he is very outspoken about those who argue t.o. is no worse than Irvin.
"I think people that make that comparison don't know Michael Irvin or they don't know Terrell Owens," Aikman said. "They certainly don't know what they are talking about."
Irvin was the best teammate Aikman ever played with and he does not toss in the caveat of "on the field."
He is well aware of the demons that plagued Irvin during his Cowboys career. He was in the courtroom supporting his teammate during the fallout from of one of them. He knows all of it, knows how it ends and still wants him on his team.
"I wish I had played with 52 Michael Irvins," Aikman said.
Do you think Jeff Garcia would say the same thing about t.o.? What about Donovan McNabb?
What nobody seems to get is Irvin was everything t.o. has not been in his previous stops -- unselfish, dedicated to team and a leader.
"He was a lightning rod that galvanized our team. He was not a divider," Aikman said. "And so anyone who tries to compare Michael Irvin to a number of receivers in the game, not just Terrell Owens, I think that is a slap in the face to Michael Irvin -- what he meant and what he represented."
What amuses Aikman is listening to t.o. and other receivers talk about Irvin. They all say the same thing about wanting to be like him.
"But I think that those receivers who did look up to him, I don't know that they really understand what he was about," Aikman said. "All they saw was the flamboyancy, the showmanship that he had and the charisma that he demonstrated on the field. They didn't see the way he was in the locker room."
The locker room is sacrosanct in sports. The people in there are not always perfect but they are a team and the first rule of team is you are in it together.
Irvin understood you do not rip your team, turn on your team or divide your team.
So does Aikman believe t.o. can change or will he be back to his old ways of ripping into his teammates publicly whenever it suits his own selfish purposes?
Mark him down for a maybe.
Aikman believes people can change. He is just not so sure that t.o. actually wants to or will.
"I think you have to look at what he's done up to this point," Aikman said. "He's called out both quarterbacks he's played for. He's ruined both of those relationships. And, as a result of that, it has hurt his football team."
If you think Irvin was anything like that with the Cowboys, Aikman is right.
You don't know Irvin.
And you don't know what you are talking about.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:44 AM
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