The Terrell Owens Era: A Smooth Start in Big D
Is the T.O./Bill Parcells Relationship a Ticking Time Bomb or a Match Made in Heaven?
I’m not surprised that the Terrell Owens Era for the Dallas Cowboys has gotten off to the start that it has. Let’s look at how every single Terrell Owens employment spot began:
San Francisco 49ers:
His first stop in the NFL, the team he was drafted for, Terrell Owens spent years as a San Francisco 49er with nothing more than a few peeps. In the waning years of quarterback Steve Young’s career, the NFL hall of famer described Owens as soft spoken and gracious; almost too quiet.
A few years went by and the T.O. character was created. When Terrell Owens became T.O. he started to piss off everybody (most notably his closeted gay quarterback, Jeff Garcia); but I mean everybody. By the time he left the Bay Area, T.O. was born and the NFL landscape would never be the same.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on Terrell Owens because they were in desperate need of a wide receiver. They had been to the NFC Championship Game three consecutive years in a row and lost three times; they were one move away from making it to the Super Bowl. They thought that move was T.O. and were willing to take a chance on his personality issues if it meant a trip to the Super Bowl; they were right. T.O. had a great year and despite missing the end of the season and the majority of the playoffs, but was one of the few Eagles to show up in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles lost and then it all went downhill. The perfect relationship once shared by T.O. and Eagles quarterback dissolved and an extremely public divorce began. Unless you were living in a cave, you know what happened; so I’ll spare you the details here.
Dallas Cowboys: Who else but Jerry Jones would be willing to take a chance on the possible disruption that is Terrell Owens; and who else but coach Bill Parcells could tame him. That’s what everyone who roots for Big D wants to believe, and thus far, that’s how it’s going down. But for how long?
Parcells has already made it extremely clear that he’s not interested in any possible crap from T.O. Parcells does bring along a different kind of respect; a respect that unfortunately didn’t accompany Eagles coach Andy Reid. There’s also the Eagles Revenge Theory. Playing for the Dallas Cowboys will allow T.O. a chance to get back at his old teammates and current enemies, the Philadelphia Eagles, also of the NFC East. Their two meetings in the 2006 season should be legendary media events (in theory at least).
Personally, as a New York Giants fan, I am trying to envision a scenario in which both the Eagles and Cowboys struggle equally. I hope that in the first Cowboys/Eagles game, Terrell Owens starts a bench clearing brawl that results in the suspension of at least a dozen players for both teams. That would be the best case scenario.
I am nothing if not a dreamer.
