T.O. believes he 'let the team down'
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
November 09, 2006
IRVING -- Even by Terrell Owens' standards, 2006 has been a strange season.
There was the drama of his accidental overdose, the frustration of a strained hamstring, the pain of a broken hand, and acrimonious battles with receivers coach Todd Haley over his involvement in the offense.
But the indignity of being ridiculed for his hands -- some in the NFL community are starting to call him 50-50 because of several crucial drops -- was just too much.
Owens' foul mood was exacerbated even more Wednesday. After answering several questions about dropping a potential 74-yard touchdown pass that could have been the difference in last Sunday's 22-19 loss at Washington, a reporter questioned his use of gloves.
As the media left the locker room, a mischievous Owens tossed two pairs of black receiving gloves over his locker.
'Take 'em! Take 'em!' he said.
Owens was smiling but could not hide his frustration.
His first eight games with the Cowboys have had the drama of a movie, but it's not been nearly what he expected when he signed a three-year, $25 million contract in March. Owens promised to put on a show while helping lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl.
Neither the Cowboys ( 4-4) nor Owens have lived up to expectations so far. He leads the Cowboys with 44 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns, ranking 11th, 14th and third, respectively, in the NFL.
Good? Yes. But Owens promised -- and the Cowboys expected -- greatness.
'I'm not getting into it now,' Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. 'I know we're ready to get everybody under the bus, but I'm not going to do it. Let's just say he's made a pretty good contribution and I'm hoping we can get better the second half.'
While the most troubling part of Owens' play has been his dropped passes -- he has six for the season, including at least three potential touchdowns -- Parcells said the Cowboys understood they weren't getting the second coming of Fred Biletnikoff. Despite his gaudy stats with San Francisco and Philadelphia, Owens has always had trouble with dropped passes, Parcells said.
Owens acknowledges as much, but it still doesn't sit well with him. He believes he is getting more scrutiny because of his controversial reputation. He also says he's never been in a situation where a dropped pass has cost his team the game as it did Sunday and promised that it won't happen again.
'That's a play that I should make and I didn't make it and I feel bad,' Owens said. 'I let the team down. This loss is on my shoulders. From here on out, I won't be standing here no more during the season saying I lost the game.'
Owens blamed some of his drops on the broken hand he suffered in the Week 2 victory against the Redskins. He dropped a touchdown pass in that game and in the next one against Tennessee.
Owens vowed he will live up to expectations in the second half of the season.
Pointing to his increased involvement and production since Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback 2 1/2 games ago, Owens said he is starting to get a rhythm. He has caught 20 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns during that time.
'I think it's a situation where, in the beginning, I really wasn't getting in the flow of the game and wasn't getting as many balls as I should've been or as I wanted,' Owens said. 'With [Romo] back there and the success that we've had, I expect to get better, no doubt.'
Is the T.O. show ready?
'It's coming. It's coming,' Owens said.
ONLINE: dallascowboys.com
IN THE KNOW
Stale popcorn?
When Terrell Owens signed with the Cowboys, he told fans to get their popcorn because he was going to put on a show. Here are the early reviews:
Catches 44 Yards 558 Touchdowns 6 Thrown to 82 Drops 6 Percent complete 53.7% Third-down catches 37.8%
COWBOYS AT CARDS 3:15 P.M. SUNDAY, KDFW/4
November 09, 2006
IRVING -- Even by Terrell Owens' standards, 2006 has been a strange season.
There was the drama of his accidental overdose, the frustration of a strained hamstring, the pain of a broken hand, and acrimonious battles with receivers coach Todd Haley over his involvement in the offense.
But the indignity of being ridiculed for his hands -- some in the NFL community are starting to call him 50-50 because of several crucial drops -- was just too much.
Owens' foul mood was exacerbated even more Wednesday. After answering several questions about dropping a potential 74-yard touchdown pass that could have been the difference in last Sunday's 22-19 loss at Washington, a reporter questioned his use of gloves.
As the media left the locker room, a mischievous Owens tossed two pairs of black receiving gloves over his locker.
'Take 'em! Take 'em!' he said.
Owens was smiling but could not hide his frustration.
His first eight games with the Cowboys have had the drama of a movie, but it's not been nearly what he expected when he signed a three-year, $25 million contract in March. Owens promised to put on a show while helping lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl.
Neither the Cowboys ( 4-4) nor Owens have lived up to expectations so far. He leads the Cowboys with 44 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns, ranking 11th, 14th and third, respectively, in the NFL.
Good? Yes. But Owens promised -- and the Cowboys expected -- greatness.
'I'm not getting into it now,' Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. 'I know we're ready to get everybody under the bus, but I'm not going to do it. Let's just say he's made a pretty good contribution and I'm hoping we can get better the second half.'
While the most troubling part of Owens' play has been his dropped passes -- he has six for the season, including at least three potential touchdowns -- Parcells said the Cowboys understood they weren't getting the second coming of Fred Biletnikoff. Despite his gaudy stats with San Francisco and Philadelphia, Owens has always had trouble with dropped passes, Parcells said.
Owens acknowledges as much, but it still doesn't sit well with him. He believes he is getting more scrutiny because of his controversial reputation. He also says he's never been in a situation where a dropped pass has cost his team the game as it did Sunday and promised that it won't happen again.
'That's a play that I should make and I didn't make it and I feel bad,' Owens said. 'I let the team down. This loss is on my shoulders. From here on out, I won't be standing here no more during the season saying I lost the game.'
Owens blamed some of his drops on the broken hand he suffered in the Week 2 victory against the Redskins. He dropped a touchdown pass in that game and in the next one against Tennessee.
Owens vowed he will live up to expectations in the second half of the season.
Pointing to his increased involvement and production since Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback 2 1/2 games ago, Owens said he is starting to get a rhythm. He has caught 20 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns during that time.
'I think it's a situation where, in the beginning, I really wasn't getting in the flow of the game and wasn't getting as many balls as I should've been or as I wanted,' Owens said. 'With [Romo] back there and the success that we've had, I expect to get better, no doubt.'
Is the T.O. show ready?
'It's coming. It's coming,' Owens said.
ONLINE: dallascowboys.com
IN THE KNOW
Stale popcorn?
When Terrell Owens signed with the Cowboys, he told fans to get their popcorn because he was going to put on a show. Here are the early reviews:
Catches 44 Yards 558 Touchdowns 6 Thrown to 82 Drops 6 Percent complete 53.7% Third-down catches 37.8%
COWBOYS AT CARDS 3:15 P.M. SUNDAY, KDFW/4
posted by The Gryphon at 8:19 AM
<< Home