Recently the Dallas Cowboys announced that Terrell Owens had been cut from the roster. However, Terrell Owens is, at 6-3 and 224 pounds, a physical specimen still capable of Pro Bowl caliber play. Owens is as gifted as any wide receiver to grace the gridiron, yet has been cut loose by all 3 teams he has starred for. Whether it was jawing at Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, feuding with Donovan McNabb in Philly, or refusing to cooperate with Tony Romo in Dallas, Owens has gained a reputation as a locker room cancer and "bad" teammate.
Its easy to simply label Terrell Owens as another mega talented wide out with an oversized ego, but that would be unfair to the player most know simply as TO. A 6 time All Pro selection, Owens is second to only Jerry Rice in receiving TDs and holds the NFL record for most receptions with 20 in a game against the Bears. Yet a Super Bowl has remained elusive for the Pro Bowl wideout, even as he has jumped from squad to squad, from Pro Bowl QB to Pro Bowl QB, in search of the ultimate prize. No martyr, much of the negativity swirling around TO has been self inflicted. Whether it was insinuating that Jeff Garcia was gay in a Playboy interview following the 2003 season, or making the "wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl" remark in contract negotiations with the Eagles, TO has brought controversy to every team he has played for.
While no one will accuse TO of taking plays off, ahem Randy Moss, and no one doubts his Hall of Fame talent and production, he has been like an old, slowly failing nuclear reactor. The allure of the power and energy is great enough for a team to take a chance on him, the Eagles once gave him a 7 year, $49 million contract and the Cowboys gave him 3 years and $25 million even after the entire Philadelphia debacle, the nuclear winter after his assured meltdown is a great cost to pay for a few years of production.
Terrell Owens will never be mistaken for a model teammate or team leader. But the facts remain, TO has never run into legal trouble off the field and NO ONE will doubt that he will retire as one of the greatest players to play the game. Amidst the allegations and feuds with every QB he has played with, one almost forgets that Jeff Garcia needed TO a lot more than vice versa. During their 5 year run from 1999-2003, Garcia made the Pro Bowl 3 times, and achieved career highs in TDs(32) and passing yards(4278). Since then, Garcia has bounced around with 4 times in the last 5 seasons, never again regaining the Pro Bowl form which allowed him to become one of league's more popular quarterbacks. Everyone remembers McNabb feuding with TO, but no one seems to realize that McNabb has led the Eagles to exactly ONE Super Bowl appearance. Guess who the Eagle's primary wide out was that season?
Terrell Owens will remain vilified by those fanbases in Dallas, Philly, and San Francisco, yet no one seems to appreciate a genius at work. However to those who see the true greatness of TO, his vindication will come one Sunday afternoon in Canton, Ohio as the words, "Terrell Owens, Football Hall of Fame inductee" are proclaimed to the world.
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