Word came down late Wednesday night, and kudos to the boys at ESPN for picking this one up, that Terrell Owens would be released by the Cowboys. I guess it’s fair to say that Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Jason Garrett, Roy Williams, et al won the battle now that “the player” has finally been released. I’m sure it was a tough move for Jerruh to make considering the amount of money and emotion he invested in TO the player.
I know a lot of people would like to say that this will solve the ‘Boys problems and that T.O. was the problem, but I’m not so sure about that. The team was 13-3 two years ago and looking very strong. They just happened to get beat by a Giants team that went on to win the Super Bowl. This year, it was a combination of Romo’s pinkie injury and their difficult schedule down the stretch that did them in. Honestly, I will not call the T.O. project a failure — I really don’t think the Cowboys failed all things considered. I think they were actually successful with TO and that he played pretty darn well. Had Romo not been injured (or had they a better backup) they would have made the playoffs and a lot of problems would have been solved. It also didn’t help that ESPN made it their personal goal to break apart the team, either.
Now, onto larger issues moving forward, is this the end of the road for The Player? Would any team take a chance on him? Regardless of how he is as a teammate or performer on the field, the biggest downside is that the guy’s a walking effing circus. Seriously, he’s like an ESPN and media magnet, so no matter where he goes, what he does, or what he says, the locker room will already be a freaking calamity. The guy’s certainly a good enough player to be a difference-maker on any team, but there isn’t much denying that it’s just not worth it for a team serious about winning. Now a team just looking for headlines or one that doesn’t care because they’ve stunk, Owens would be fine. Attention Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders: it’s your move.
