T.O.’s influence on other Cowboys players is why he must go
By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
One of the truly amazing things about Cowboys receiver T.O. is his ability to win friends and influence locker rooms.
He is Mr. Teammate, y’all — outspoken, passionate, willing to speak the truth, shedding tears for "my quarterback." And so when he goes all butthead from time to time, saying San Fran QB Jeff Garcia is gay (and not in a happy way) and rallying most of Philly against QB Donovan McNabb and most recently his not-so-subtle skewering of Jason Garrett, people will argue, "Well, he can’t be that bad, look at how many of his teammates love him."
And this is why he has to go.
Too many Cowboy players actually listen to this fool. His fingerprints are all over what has become an increasingly divided locker room at Valley Ranch, and Owner Jones has to find a way to make him not a Cowboy before 2009.
T.O. has a big hand in why a lot of guys view Mr. Team, Jason Witten, as "the snitch," and many players turned on JG and looked sideways at Tony Romo.
Just to be clear, because a lot of crazy has infiltrated my inbox in lieu of cornerback Terence Newman calling whoever snitched "a coward": Witten is not a locker room cancer nor is Newman a JAG who needs to shut his mouth.
Are people really that stupid?
Witten and Newman are what is right about the Cowboys, talented players with heart and character and a burning desire to win. They have more in common than they don’t.
Heck, two years ago, they were riding with Tony Romo to training camp. So how did two players like this become so seemingly at loggerheads?
Two words: Terrell Owens.
All of his whining that we heard to Deion about scheme and being more involved, which were really just poorly veiled shots at Romo and JG and Witten, also were being whispered quietly in the locker room. To his fellow receivers. To defensive guys. To coaches.
He gathered guys, who were already frustrated, and whined about how the media makes excuses for certain people and how Romo and Witten were too buddy-buddy and how he wasn’t being used properly.
It doesn’t matter if he has a point (and he does). This is the kind of stuff that kills teams — the cliques, the selfish whining about touches, the divisive "fair" scoreboard.
Especially since Cowboy players listened, not just spares like Sam Hurd and malcontents like Pacman but standup players, too.
Say what you will about T.O. but he is a charismatic leader, always has been. He has a way of rallying players to his screwed-up way of thinking; just ask anybody in Philly.
When Eagle types finally decided to part ways with T.O. for any number of chemistry crimes, a good portion of that locker room supported him. Days after he had been suspended 19 players attended his birthday party.
He divided that locker room so completely McNabb is still trying to rebuild trust. And that team went to a Super Bowl. What do you think this is doing to a team that hasn’t seen a playoff win in a decade?
Never mind. Your answer came with 44-6.
"There were a lot of personalities put on this team and we didn’t jell," linebacker Bradie James said Monday. "This past game, you could see it. … when you know you’ve got something on the line and you’re playing to go into the playoffs, and you go out there and stink it up like that? That just speaks for itself."
Does dumping T.O. solve the problem? And can they?
These are, without a doubt, the toughest questions facing Owner Jones this off-season. Tank is gone, likely Pacman, too. Will he be willing to part ways with his most productive problem?
An answer already has been given, kind of, during his weekly radio show Monday on The Ticket. Norm Hitzges asked Jerry if he’d be willing to eat one or more of the big contracts if he thought it would help the team.
Jerry started with a long, but true, explainer on cap ramifications.
"If you released a top player … you won’t be able to sign DeMarcus Ware," he said.
And then, with Norm already into another question, Jerry interrupted and, unprompted, added: "For instance, if you had Terrell and then Terrell was no longer here, the impact on the salary cap could prevent you from doing that."
How interesting that T.O. was the name he pulled out of thin air, eh?
Of course, as explained to me by S-T cap experts Charean Williams and Clarence E. Hill Jr., the remaining three-fourths of T.O.’s $12.9 million signing bonus would accelerate, costing the Cowboys about $9.675 million against the cap or about $750,000 more than if they keep him.
The cheap second guess is they never should have re-signed him.
The solution going forward is to eat the money and trust cap genius Stephen Jones to find a way. Because what is obvious from this season is throwing money at the problem is not working.
They have talent and big names and sexy players but not a team. And it is hard to imagine that changing with T.O. in the locker room working his magic.
jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
One of the truly amazing things about Cowboys receiver T.O. is his ability to win friends and influence locker rooms.
He is Mr. Teammate, y’all — outspoken, passionate, willing to speak the truth, shedding tears for "my quarterback." And so when he goes all butthead from time to time, saying San Fran QB Jeff Garcia is gay (and not in a happy way) and rallying most of Philly against QB Donovan McNabb and most recently his not-so-subtle skewering of Jason Garrett, people will argue, "Well, he can’t be that bad, look at how many of his teammates love him."
And this is why he has to go.
Too many Cowboy players actually listen to this fool. His fingerprints are all over what has become an increasingly divided locker room at Valley Ranch, and Owner Jones has to find a way to make him not a Cowboy before 2009.
T.O. has a big hand in why a lot of guys view Mr. Team, Jason Witten, as "the snitch," and many players turned on JG and looked sideways at Tony Romo.
Just to be clear, because a lot of crazy has infiltrated my inbox in lieu of cornerback Terence Newman calling whoever snitched "a coward": Witten is not a locker room cancer nor is Newman a JAG who needs to shut his mouth.
Are people really that stupid?
Witten and Newman are what is right about the Cowboys, talented players with heart and character and a burning desire to win. They have more in common than they don’t.
Heck, two years ago, they were riding with Tony Romo to training camp. So how did two players like this become so seemingly at loggerheads?
Two words: Terrell Owens.
All of his whining that we heard to Deion about scheme and being more involved, which were really just poorly veiled shots at Romo and JG and Witten, also were being whispered quietly in the locker room. To his fellow receivers. To defensive guys. To coaches.
He gathered guys, who were already frustrated, and whined about how the media makes excuses for certain people and how Romo and Witten were too buddy-buddy and how he wasn’t being used properly.
It doesn’t matter if he has a point (and he does). This is the kind of stuff that kills teams — the cliques, the selfish whining about touches, the divisive "fair" scoreboard.
Especially since Cowboy players listened, not just spares like Sam Hurd and malcontents like Pacman but standup players, too.
Say what you will about T.O. but he is a charismatic leader, always has been. He has a way of rallying players to his screwed-up way of thinking; just ask anybody in Philly.
When Eagle types finally decided to part ways with T.O. for any number of chemistry crimes, a good portion of that locker room supported him. Days after he had been suspended 19 players attended his birthday party.
He divided that locker room so completely McNabb is still trying to rebuild trust. And that team went to a Super Bowl. What do you think this is doing to a team that hasn’t seen a playoff win in a decade?
Never mind. Your answer came with 44-6.
"There were a lot of personalities put on this team and we didn’t jell," linebacker Bradie James said Monday. "This past game, you could see it. … when you know you’ve got something on the line and you’re playing to go into the playoffs, and you go out there and stink it up like that? That just speaks for itself."
Does dumping T.O. solve the problem? And can they?
These are, without a doubt, the toughest questions facing Owner Jones this off-season. Tank is gone, likely Pacman, too. Will he be willing to part ways with his most productive problem?
An answer already has been given, kind of, during his weekly radio show Monday on The Ticket. Norm Hitzges asked Jerry if he’d be willing to eat one or more of the big contracts if he thought it would help the team.
Jerry started with a long, but true, explainer on cap ramifications.
"If you released a top player … you won’t be able to sign DeMarcus Ware," he said.
And then, with Norm already into another question, Jerry interrupted and, unprompted, added: "For instance, if you had Terrell and then Terrell was no longer here, the impact on the salary cap could prevent you from doing that."
How interesting that T.O. was the name he pulled out of thin air, eh?
Of course, as explained to me by S-T cap experts Charean Williams and Clarence E. Hill Jr., the remaining three-fourths of T.O.’s $12.9 million signing bonus would accelerate, costing the Cowboys about $9.675 million against the cap or about $750,000 more than if they keep him.
The cheap second guess is they never should have re-signed him.
The solution going forward is to eat the money and trust cap genius Stephen Jones to find a way. Because what is obvious from this season is throwing money at the problem is not working.
They have talent and big names and sexy players but not a team. And it is hard to imagine that changing with T.O. in the locker room working his magic.
posted by The Gryphon at 12:07 PM
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