T.O. not original diva, but may be biggest one
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 minutes ago
All those sick of listening to T.O. stand up and holler.
But now that you're sitting down, you should know that Terrell Owens didn't invent this new diva-attitude that is the calling card of today's NFL receivers. Whereas Owens crossed the line with the Eagles and Donovan McNabb, guys like Joe Horn, Chad Johnson and Steve Smith may do some wild & crazy things but they are respected in their locker rooms.
Owens is respected, too. But he tends to divide and conquer. His new teammates in Dallas love him now, but no games have been played.
What does T.O. do when tight end Jason Witten catches more passes this season than he does? You can bet with this new double tight-end alignment in Dallas, that Witten will be flexed and become a favorite target of Drew Bledsoe, who still must worry about opposing pass rushers. T.O. will get his share of receptions, but he's not faster than Terry Glenn on a deep post pattern.
Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley, who was shoved backward on the sidelines once last season by coach Bill Parcells, can be highly emotional.
When T.O. gets in his face, how will Haley react? You can bet that Owens won't dare challenge Parcells on any sideline.
On a personal level, Owens can be an engaging player. Plus, no one doubts his competitiveness and his game-breaking talents. And he's never been a slouch on the practice fields.
But he does have a problem believing that many in the media are out to get him. Hey, facts are facts. He's definitely not the first receiver told to shut up in a huddle by a quarterback.
When Joe Montana left San Francisco, Jerry Rice tried to overwhelm Steve Young, pestering him constantly for the ball. In Pittsburgh long ago, Terry Bradshaw seemed to prefer John Stallworth for his toughness and his unselfish ways. When he was forced to choose, he picked Stallworth over Lynn Swann and the latter blamed Bradshaw for years for the length of time it took him to reach the Hall of Fame. And who can forget how Cris Carter ganged up on an immature Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota? Carter and Randy Moss on the Vikings' sidelines with poor Culpepper stuck in the middle was worth a couple thousand words.
It is always necessary to put players like Owens in historical perspective. When he was a teenager the biggest star in the NFL was Deion Sanders.
When free agency began, Deion was a hired gun as a championship cover guy. One season in San Francisco; another in Dallas for Deion. The NFL world revolved around Deion, who reportedly received stock options in Sega to become a 49er and had his own stretch limo of a golf cart with the Cowboys.
And before Deion, there was Sterling Sharpe. There was one season Sharpe refused to play in Green Bay's season opener if he didn't get a new contract. Mike Holmgren was furious over the tactics, but that was Sharpe.
He was as selfish then as T.O. is today, maybe more so. Fans have simply forgotten.
Granted, there was one major difference between Owens and Sharpe. The talented Packer receiver rarely talked to the media. He was excellent when he did agree to an interview, but he preferred to stiff people and run and hide. But his actions didn't help his teammates. Yes, he was taking care of business, but he was also forcing his teammates to cover for him with the media, plus concern themselves with his priorities.
More than 20 seasons ago, Eric Dickerson was running wild through the NFL record books and I was there covering his every move and every comment.
The NFL was restrictive to Dickerson, considering all the financial bidding for his services by then-Southwest Conference schools. Whatever he received while at SMU played a role in the Mustangs receiving the death penalty by the NCAA. What was interesting is that Dickerson kept the car that another school's boosters gave him.
"What were they going to do?" Dickerson said, knowing that they couldn't report him and themselves to the NCAA. What sense would that make?
But what's important to know is that adults taught Dickerson how the system worked. He was a kid whose grandmother lived in a house with a dirt floor. Money was a good and wanted thing in his family's life. Dickerson is now well received by the Rams and owner Georgia Frontiere, but he was billed as greedy when he asked to have his contract renegotiated. But without free agency, Dickerson had no choice but to complain about his wages. However, in his last season with the Rams, he honored his teammates' picket line during the strike of 1987, when he lost more money in a week than many players earned in an entire season.
There are two receivers, Michael Irvin and Tim Brown, who came into the NFL together in 1988. Both men were great talkers, but even better teammates. It's difficult for talented receivers not to be concerned about their statistics, but Irvin and Brown were genuine team players that would do anything for a championship. Now, Irvin may have had a wild NFL career, off the field, but he was super competitive, like T.O. is, during practice and on game days.
Today, Irvin spends too much time defending T.O. to the ESPN masses that will listen. But even Irvin knows he never crossed the line with Troy Aikman in the huddle or anywhere else. It's a big difference in a team game; no matter how outrageous one acts otherwise.
__________________
Posted: 3 minutes ago
All those sick of listening to T.O. stand up and holler.
But now that you're sitting down, you should know that Terrell Owens didn't invent this new diva-attitude that is the calling card of today's NFL receivers. Whereas Owens crossed the line with the Eagles and Donovan McNabb, guys like Joe Horn, Chad Johnson and Steve Smith may do some wild & crazy things but they are respected in their locker rooms.
Owens is respected, too. But he tends to divide and conquer. His new teammates in Dallas love him now, but no games have been played.
What does T.O. do when tight end Jason Witten catches more passes this season than he does? You can bet with this new double tight-end alignment in Dallas, that Witten will be flexed and become a favorite target of Drew Bledsoe, who still must worry about opposing pass rushers. T.O. will get his share of receptions, but he's not faster than Terry Glenn on a deep post pattern.
Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley, who was shoved backward on the sidelines once last season by coach Bill Parcells, can be highly emotional.
When T.O. gets in his face, how will Haley react? You can bet that Owens won't dare challenge Parcells on any sideline.
On a personal level, Owens can be an engaging player. Plus, no one doubts his competitiveness and his game-breaking talents. And he's never been a slouch on the practice fields.
But he does have a problem believing that many in the media are out to get him. Hey, facts are facts. He's definitely not the first receiver told to shut up in a huddle by a quarterback.
When Joe Montana left San Francisco, Jerry Rice tried to overwhelm Steve Young, pestering him constantly for the ball. In Pittsburgh long ago, Terry Bradshaw seemed to prefer John Stallworth for his toughness and his unselfish ways. When he was forced to choose, he picked Stallworth over Lynn Swann and the latter blamed Bradshaw for years for the length of time it took him to reach the Hall of Fame. And who can forget how Cris Carter ganged up on an immature Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota? Carter and Randy Moss on the Vikings' sidelines with poor Culpepper stuck in the middle was worth a couple thousand words.
It is always necessary to put players like Owens in historical perspective. When he was a teenager the biggest star in the NFL was Deion Sanders.
When free agency began, Deion was a hired gun as a championship cover guy. One season in San Francisco; another in Dallas for Deion. The NFL world revolved around Deion, who reportedly received stock options in Sega to become a 49er and had his own stretch limo of a golf cart with the Cowboys.
And before Deion, there was Sterling Sharpe. There was one season Sharpe refused to play in Green Bay's season opener if he didn't get a new contract. Mike Holmgren was furious over the tactics, but that was Sharpe.
He was as selfish then as T.O. is today, maybe more so. Fans have simply forgotten.
Granted, there was one major difference between Owens and Sharpe. The talented Packer receiver rarely talked to the media. He was excellent when he did agree to an interview, but he preferred to stiff people and run and hide. But his actions didn't help his teammates. Yes, he was taking care of business, but he was also forcing his teammates to cover for him with the media, plus concern themselves with his priorities.
More than 20 seasons ago, Eric Dickerson was running wild through the NFL record books and I was there covering his every move and every comment.
The NFL was restrictive to Dickerson, considering all the financial bidding for his services by then-Southwest Conference schools. Whatever he received while at SMU played a role in the Mustangs receiving the death penalty by the NCAA. What was interesting is that Dickerson kept the car that another school's boosters gave him.
"What were they going to do?" Dickerson said, knowing that they couldn't report him and themselves to the NCAA. What sense would that make?
But what's important to know is that adults taught Dickerson how the system worked. He was a kid whose grandmother lived in a house with a dirt floor. Money was a good and wanted thing in his family's life. Dickerson is now well received by the Rams and owner Georgia Frontiere, but he was billed as greedy when he asked to have his contract renegotiated. But without free agency, Dickerson had no choice but to complain about his wages. However, in his last season with the Rams, he honored his teammates' picket line during the strike of 1987, when he lost more money in a week than many players earned in an entire season.
There are two receivers, Michael Irvin and Tim Brown, who came into the NFL together in 1988. Both men were great talkers, but even better teammates. It's difficult for talented receivers not to be concerned about their statistics, but Irvin and Brown were genuine team players that would do anything for a championship. Now, Irvin may have had a wild NFL career, off the field, but he was super competitive, like T.O. is, during practice and on game days.
Today, Irvin spends too much time defending T.O. to the ESPN masses that will listen. But even Irvin knows he never crossed the line with Troy Aikman in the huddle or anywhere else. It's a big difference in a team game; no matter how outrageous one acts otherwise.
__________________
posted by The Gryphon at 6:31 PM
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