Owens soap opera bigger than Dallas
By John Pezzullo
PA SportsTicker Pro Football Editor
BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - This Jerry Jones production may be bigger than J.R. was in Dallas.
Terrell Owens and Bill Parcells. T.O. and The Tuna. Wasn't this supposed to be a combustible mix? The obnoxious wide receiver and the overbearing coach. Just perfect for the media to monitor like a day-to-day soap opera, much to Parcells' dismay.
The first memorable scene occurred early in training camp when the media swarmed Owens and Parcells stared in disbelief before shaking his head and walking away.
Of course, the next one came when Owens wore a cycling helmet and the silver and blue jersey of Lance Armstrong's former cycling team as he rode a stationary bike at camp. That stunt didn't quite thrill Parcells, who spent most of the preseason answering questions about Owens' sore hamstring.
Wide receivers Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers and Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers missed most of training camp with sore hamstrings. But nobody seemed to care about that. All the media was interested in was Owens' hamstring and how it was tweaking Parcells.
"All you guys (the media) seem to care about is everything but what takes place on the field," Parcells said. "As a coach, all I care about is getting the players ready to play in the games. We don't get preoccupied with one or two players. The coaching staff worries about the whole team."
The Dallas Cowboys are America's Team. The lineage includes players such as Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Rayfield Wright, Mel Renfro, Tony Dorsett, Charlie Waters, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
But now they have the league's most controversial player. The media has elevated Owens to a status which puts him above the team he plays for, even if it is America's Team. That infuriates Parcells.
Unless, of course, Owens plays like he did for the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago when he caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. But if Owens reprises the 2005 season, when he got himself banished for his petulant behavior, then we're in for a toxic situation.
"My relationship with Bill is not where I would like it to be. Let's call it a work in progress," said Owens, who had one catch for six yards in Dallas' last preseason game after missing most of the team's training camp practices due to his sore hamstring.
So why would Jones, the Cowboys owner, hand Owens a three-year deal worth $25 million? Well, Dallas has not won a playoff game since December 28, 1996. Jones thought the hiring of Parcells would take care of that drought. In three years as coach, Parcells has taken the Cowboys to one playoff game - a loss at Carolina.
Now Jones is turning to Owens to help end that drought, even at the risk of him blowing up the team.
"I looked at this as what Terrell Owens could bring to the table for us," Jones said. "We think he can do a lot of positive things for this football team."
Know this about Owens' contract. He gets $10 million, including $5 million in a signing bonus, this season. But none of the remaining $15 million is guaranteed in the last two years. So if this is a disaster, Owens could be released after the 2006 season.
Jones is probably correct for taking this chance. If Owens behaves, then an offense with him, speedy Terry Glenn at the other receiver position and reliable tight end Jason Witten will make Dallas an offensive juggernaut if the line protects strong-armed quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
But if Owens is disenchanted with his role in the offense, then he will be quick to criticize the coaches and the quarterback in the same manner as he did in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Owens, 32, played just seven games with the Eagles last season before the club deactivated him for conduct detrimental to the team. He publicly criticized numerous members of the organization, including quarterback Donovan McNabb.
"They'll find out soon enough," McNabb said of Dallas' signing of Owens. "He's a great receiver, but we're moving on without him and now we can be a real team."
During his eight-year tenure in San Francisco, Owens blasted coaches and quarterback Jeff Garcia. That was remembered by Jim Mora and Greg Knapp, who were assistants with the 49ers. Now Mora is the coach and Knapp is the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, who desperately needed a playmaking wide receiver for quarterback Michael Vick but wanted no part of Owens. Instead, they traded for Ashley Lelie, who is not nearly as talented as Owens.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Owens has 716 catches for 10,535 yards and 101 touchdowns in 142 career games with the 49ers and Eagles.
"You don't find receivers with the combination that Terrell has," Bledsoe said. "He's so physical and so fast."
But Bledsoe is well aware that Owens can be a quarterback killer with his incessant criticisms.
"There are volatile guys at the receiver position who often don't get to touch the ball as many times as they want to because they're so competitive," Bledsoe said. "That's just the nature of the beast. You deal with it."
But how long will Parcells be able to deal with it?
PA SportsTicker Pro Football Editor
BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - This Jerry Jones production may be bigger than J.R. was in Dallas.
Terrell Owens and Bill Parcells. T.O. and The Tuna. Wasn't this supposed to be a combustible mix? The obnoxious wide receiver and the overbearing coach. Just perfect for the media to monitor like a day-to-day soap opera, much to Parcells' dismay.
The first memorable scene occurred early in training camp when the media swarmed Owens and Parcells stared in disbelief before shaking his head and walking away.
Of course, the next one came when Owens wore a cycling helmet and the silver and blue jersey of Lance Armstrong's former cycling team as he rode a stationary bike at camp. That stunt didn't quite thrill Parcells, who spent most of the preseason answering questions about Owens' sore hamstring.
Wide receivers Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers and Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers missed most of training camp with sore hamstrings. But nobody seemed to care about that. All the media was interested in was Owens' hamstring and how it was tweaking Parcells.
"All you guys (the media) seem to care about is everything but what takes place on the field," Parcells said. "As a coach, all I care about is getting the players ready to play in the games. We don't get preoccupied with one or two players. The coaching staff worries about the whole team."
The Dallas Cowboys are America's Team. The lineage includes players such as Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Rayfield Wright, Mel Renfro, Tony Dorsett, Charlie Waters, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
But now they have the league's most controversial player. The media has elevated Owens to a status which puts him above the team he plays for, even if it is America's Team. That infuriates Parcells.
Unless, of course, Owens plays like he did for the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago when he caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. But if Owens reprises the 2005 season, when he got himself banished for his petulant behavior, then we're in for a toxic situation.
"My relationship with Bill is not where I would like it to be. Let's call it a work in progress," said Owens, who had one catch for six yards in Dallas' last preseason game after missing most of the team's training camp practices due to his sore hamstring.
So why would Jones, the Cowboys owner, hand Owens a three-year deal worth $25 million? Well, Dallas has not won a playoff game since December 28, 1996. Jones thought the hiring of Parcells would take care of that drought. In three years as coach, Parcells has taken the Cowboys to one playoff game - a loss at Carolina.
Now Jones is turning to Owens to help end that drought, even at the risk of him blowing up the team.
"I looked at this as what Terrell Owens could bring to the table for us," Jones said. "We think he can do a lot of positive things for this football team."
Know this about Owens' contract. He gets $10 million, including $5 million in a signing bonus, this season. But none of the remaining $15 million is guaranteed in the last two years. So if this is a disaster, Owens could be released after the 2006 season.
Jones is probably correct for taking this chance. If Owens behaves, then an offense with him, speedy Terry Glenn at the other receiver position and reliable tight end Jason Witten will make Dallas an offensive juggernaut if the line protects strong-armed quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
But if Owens is disenchanted with his role in the offense, then he will be quick to criticize the coaches and the quarterback in the same manner as he did in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Owens, 32, played just seven games with the Eagles last season before the club deactivated him for conduct detrimental to the team. He publicly criticized numerous members of the organization, including quarterback Donovan McNabb.
"They'll find out soon enough," McNabb said of Dallas' signing of Owens. "He's a great receiver, but we're moving on without him and now we can be a real team."
During his eight-year tenure in San Francisco, Owens blasted coaches and quarterback Jeff Garcia. That was remembered by Jim Mora and Greg Knapp, who were assistants with the 49ers. Now Mora is the coach and Knapp is the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, who desperately needed a playmaking wide receiver for quarterback Michael Vick but wanted no part of Owens. Instead, they traded for Ashley Lelie, who is not nearly as talented as Owens.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Owens has 716 catches for 10,535 yards and 101 touchdowns in 142 career games with the 49ers and Eagles.
"You don't find receivers with the combination that Terrell has," Bledsoe said. "He's so physical and so fast."
But Bledsoe is well aware that Owens can be a quarterback killer with his incessant criticisms.
"There are volatile guys at the receiver position who often don't get to touch the ball as many times as they want to because they're so competitive," Bledsoe said. "That's just the nature of the beast. You deal with it."
But how long will Parcells be able to deal with it?
posted by The Gryphon at 7:03 PM
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