Statistics say T.O. is catching fire
By Jim Reeves
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
This is a secret. I mean it. It is especially important that nobody lets one Terrell Owens in on this little tidbit of information. It might, you know, go to his head.
Imagine that.
He's very, very quietly having a pretty darn good season.
Statistically.
I know what you're about to say. What about all those dropped passes? How can you say he's having a good season when he's dropped a dozen balls, some of them that almost surely would have produced touchdowns?
Hey, I qualified the statement, all right? That's why I used the word statistically.
Statistically, he's on track for the third -- maybe even the second -- best receiving season in Cowboys' history. Kind of catches you by surprise, doesn't it?
There are two reasons you might not have noticed. One is all those drops, which we tend to remember more than the passes he actually hangs onto.
No. 2, and more important, T.O. is not the biggest show in the Cowboys' locker room these days. The spotlight has shifted to Tony Romo, everybody's new darling.
How long Owens will put up with this disturbing turn of events remains to be seen. He may tolerate it only as long as Romo keeps throwing him the ball.
That's when Owens' season took off, of course. When Romo took over at quarterback.
Take Owens' 69 receptions for 915 yards and eight touchdowns. Project that through the final four games of the season, and he's on track to catch 92 passes for 1,220 yards and 10 to 11 TDs. There have only been two more prolific receiving seasons in Cowboys history.
Michael Irvin caught 111 passes for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1995. The first two numbers are Cowboys records. Previously, Irvin had posted the best receiving season in franchise history in 1991 with 93 catches, 1,523 yards and eight touchdowns.
If you're like me, all these numbers are giving you a headache. The point is Owens has sneaked up on us with what may turn out to be a surprisingly successful season.
Statistically.
Considering he's averaged almost seven catches a game for 90 yards since Romo became the starting QB, my guess is that Owens is very likely to finish with somewhere around 96 catches for close to 1,300 yards. Only Irvin will have posted a better season for the Cowboys.
This doesn't necessarily garner lavish praise from Owens' head coach.
"He's done all right," Bill Parcells said Friday in the year's curtest news briefing. "He commands attention."
That was before someone asked Bill about Owens claiming not to have listened to his team speech Monday, before T.O. flew off to Hollywood for his birthday bash. All that did was give Parcells an excuse to walk out on his press briefing after only three minutes.
Good to see Bill is handling the pressure of the playoff chase so well.
What Owens hasn't done is what he did at Philadelphia two seasons ago, when he was capable of dominating games. He's had one multiple-touchdown game, when he abused Houston for three TD catches. He is not the game-breaking receiver the Cowboys had hoped they might get.
Instead, he has been a decent, but hardly spectacular, possession receiver, prone to one or two key drops per game. But Romo is throwing to him so regularly, he's still putting up numbers.
The best thing that has happened is that Romo has shoved him out of the spotlight. Beyond his little foray to Hollywood to celebrate his birthday, there's been little real news where Owens is concerned, something Keyshawn Johnson must have missed when he lashed out at the man who took his place in the Cowboys' offense.
"He's a great player, but a lot of times some of the things he says off the field are just crazy," Johnson said on The Best Damn Sports Show Period on Thursday night. "It's not that serious to want that type of attention, it's just not. Come on, man, everybody knows you're great. If you continue to do well and lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, they can't argue that you're a Hall of Fame player. Just roll with the program, that's all you've got to do. You don't have to keep creating a firestorm for yourself. But you've got to one-up somebody week after week, so I guess that's how it goes.
"I love him to death, but something has got to be wrong with him. I thought I was crazy; he's got me and Steve Smith beat, and it's not the wide receiver position. Trust me, it has to do with the individual."
Six weeks, two months ago, that might have been a valid criticism. Not now. For everything Tony Romo has done right since becoming the starter at quarterback, the best may be that he's basically shut Terrell Owens up, made him almost irrelevant.
No more temper tantrums and histrionics on the sidelines. No more late-night runs to the emergency room. Who knows if we'd even notice now?
Let me add a quick caveat. There are still four regular-season games to play and, hopefully, more in the playoffs. Still plenty of time for Owens to retake center stage.
We can hope that instead of flapping his mouth, he'll let the numbers do his talking.
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
This is a secret. I mean it. It is especially important that nobody lets one Terrell Owens in on this little tidbit of information. It might, you know, go to his head.
Imagine that.
He's very, very quietly having a pretty darn good season.
Statistically.
I know what you're about to say. What about all those dropped passes? How can you say he's having a good season when he's dropped a dozen balls, some of them that almost surely would have produced touchdowns?
Hey, I qualified the statement, all right? That's why I used the word statistically.
Statistically, he's on track for the third -- maybe even the second -- best receiving season in Cowboys' history. Kind of catches you by surprise, doesn't it?
There are two reasons you might not have noticed. One is all those drops, which we tend to remember more than the passes he actually hangs onto.
No. 2, and more important, T.O. is not the biggest show in the Cowboys' locker room these days. The spotlight has shifted to Tony Romo, everybody's new darling.
How long Owens will put up with this disturbing turn of events remains to be seen. He may tolerate it only as long as Romo keeps throwing him the ball.
That's when Owens' season took off, of course. When Romo took over at quarterback.
Take Owens' 69 receptions for 915 yards and eight touchdowns. Project that through the final four games of the season, and he's on track to catch 92 passes for 1,220 yards and 10 to 11 TDs. There have only been two more prolific receiving seasons in Cowboys history.
Michael Irvin caught 111 passes for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1995. The first two numbers are Cowboys records. Previously, Irvin had posted the best receiving season in franchise history in 1991 with 93 catches, 1,523 yards and eight touchdowns.
If you're like me, all these numbers are giving you a headache. The point is Owens has sneaked up on us with what may turn out to be a surprisingly successful season.
Statistically.
Considering he's averaged almost seven catches a game for 90 yards since Romo became the starting QB, my guess is that Owens is very likely to finish with somewhere around 96 catches for close to 1,300 yards. Only Irvin will have posted a better season for the Cowboys.
This doesn't necessarily garner lavish praise from Owens' head coach.
"He's done all right," Bill Parcells said Friday in the year's curtest news briefing. "He commands attention."
That was before someone asked Bill about Owens claiming not to have listened to his team speech Monday, before T.O. flew off to Hollywood for his birthday bash. All that did was give Parcells an excuse to walk out on his press briefing after only three minutes.
Good to see Bill is handling the pressure of the playoff chase so well.
What Owens hasn't done is what he did at Philadelphia two seasons ago, when he was capable of dominating games. He's had one multiple-touchdown game, when he abused Houston for three TD catches. He is not the game-breaking receiver the Cowboys had hoped they might get.
Instead, he has been a decent, but hardly spectacular, possession receiver, prone to one or two key drops per game. But Romo is throwing to him so regularly, he's still putting up numbers.
The best thing that has happened is that Romo has shoved him out of the spotlight. Beyond his little foray to Hollywood to celebrate his birthday, there's been little real news where Owens is concerned, something Keyshawn Johnson must have missed when he lashed out at the man who took his place in the Cowboys' offense.
"He's a great player, but a lot of times some of the things he says off the field are just crazy," Johnson said on The Best Damn Sports Show Period on Thursday night. "It's not that serious to want that type of attention, it's just not. Come on, man, everybody knows you're great. If you continue to do well and lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, they can't argue that you're a Hall of Fame player. Just roll with the program, that's all you've got to do. You don't have to keep creating a firestorm for yourself. But you've got to one-up somebody week after week, so I guess that's how it goes.
"I love him to death, but something has got to be wrong with him. I thought I was crazy; he's got me and Steve Smith beat, and it's not the wide receiver position. Trust me, it has to do with the individual."
Six weeks, two months ago, that might have been a valid criticism. Not now. For everything Tony Romo has done right since becoming the starter at quarterback, the best may be that he's basically shut Terrell Owens up, made him almost irrelevant.
No more temper tantrums and histrionics on the sidelines. No more late-night runs to the emergency room. Who knows if we'd even notice now?
Let me add a quick caveat. There are still four regular-season games to play and, hopefully, more in the playoffs. Still plenty of time for Owens to retake center stage.
We can hope that instead of flapping his mouth, he'll let the numbers do his talking.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:10 PM
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