Doctor's Therapy; The Trouble with Terrell
by Paul Hopkins
26/2/2008
 
“As you get to know me, you kind of figure me out, that I'm not as probably as bad of a guy that I've been reported to be. I'm not that jerk.”
 
It's something that's been bugging me for a while. He's still in Dallas. He's scoring touchdowns. He's still good for a quote or two and for ESPN's Skip Bayless to criticise at every given opportunity. But he's also cried when defending his quarterback, he said that “we” lost as a team to the Giants, he isn't developing taking pot shots at team-mates and coaches as a secondary career and he hasn't complained about money for two years.
 
Could it be that Terrell has turned over a new leaf? Is he finally getting 'it'? Or are we being harsh on him? Has he been mis-understood all this time? Is his reputation justified? Is what the media tell us about him, true? Or as the main himself says “This is God's world, this is not the media's world.”
 
Dallas fans perhaps have the biggest ongoing love-hate relationship with Owens. His career seems to have been intertwined with the Cowboys – there were the infamous celebrations in Texas Stadium, one of which was replicated when he came in with the Eagles and destroyed Dallas (and received minimal attention from a media that at the time, adored him).
 
Roy Williams broke his ankle and nearly robbed him of appearing in the biggest game of his life, only for him to come back in super human time and arguably put in one of the gutsiest performances in recent years. Once his troubles in Philly were over, there was an air of inevitability that he would wind up heading to Austin.
 
After two years with him, with a third to come following the recent £3m roster payment, and despite my worst fears when he landed in a blaze of publicity to utter the immortal line “get your popcorn ready, its gonna be a show!” we have 26 touchdowns and a genuine playmaker for our new pass-happy QB to make the most of.
 
So, I've been left with somewhat conflicting opinions of Owens. On the one hand I've seen what he did off the field at San Francisco and Philadelphia. But on the other I've seen what he's done on the field at those teams, and now at Dallas. So, I've been left to wonder, what do I really think of this guy? Am I a fan? Am I living in a state of denial about the inevitable? Should I be either, so long as he's playing well for the 'Boys? And is the perception I had beforehand really fair, as he has been virtually a model citizen in his two years in Dallas (with the exception of the occasional press frenzy)?
 
One thing I have to admit from the outset is that despite the brash cockiness, the outspokenness and the ability to always give us ' a show' has always disposed me to have an admiration (albeit very grudgingly at times) for T.O. I've always liked the cockiness you get in NFL players. It makes a change from the depressing, monotonous cliché spouting we're used to from sportsmen in this country.
 
I grew up as a Cowboys fan, really developing a knowledge for the game from watching the development (and eventual disintegration) of the successful team of the early 1990's.
 
In that team, you had Troy Aikman, Darren Woodson and Emmitt Smith, three guys pretty much considered consummate professionals, and natural role models for young fans to look up to. However, I was drawn towards the brash, cocky Michael Irvin. Then when we acquired 'Prime Time' himself, Deion Sanders, I loved it. Here were, for someone of my age, two guys who had an edge, two guys who produced the highlight reel plays and more often than not, were just as entertaining when you put them in front of a microphone. But unlike “the player” in question, Irvin and Sanders were generally considered good for team morale. Team-mates respected what they brought to the table, and they were not seen as disruptive influences inside the inner sanctum of the locker room by coaches. They certainly didn't refuse to use his name.
 
Little did I know at that time, but as I was watching Prime Time return two punts for TD's in the Meadowlands on MNF, a young wide receiver was making waves at the little college of Tennessee Chattanooga. His name was Terrell Eldorado Owens.
 
In the draft which has become known for its receivers, Terrell went in the third round (89th overall) to the San Francisco 49ers, who at that time, had arguably the best receiver ever to step onto the field in Jerry Rice. They had spotted the talent and whilst most coverage at that time went to Keyshawn Johnson and Marvin Harrison, in 2007, it is Owens who still attracts the majority of the media's attention.
 
The talent emerged immediately and when Rice went down with an ACL tear in 1997, Owens played his part in helping the Niners to a thirteen win season. The following campaign he scored the game winning touchdown against the Packers in a Wild Card game. For the team, this was the pinnacle as the 49ers followed that up with four win and six win seasons, despite Owens continuing to put up numbers – most notably 20 catches for 283 yards vs. the Bears.
 
It took four years for the troublemaker to emerge, or at least begin to gain widespread media attention, as feuds with Garcia and Mariucci began to manifest themselves. It was at this time he was banned and fined for the infamous Dallas star celebration by Mariucci.
 
Looking back now, the celebration was cockiness and exuberance taken to a level it really shouldn't be at. But, whilst it angered me immensely, in the cold light of day I recall thinking that actually it was pretty cool. Same with the sharpie in the sock in Seattle. And in the grand scheme of things, was it the most heinous of crimes? Of course not, but its one of the great paradoxes of the NFL, that some things are seen as huge transgressions, whilst other, more serious events are downplayed and receive little attention – as the man himself has noted “I'm smart enough to know when I've done something wrong, but I don't understand this. Guys are beating their wives, getting DUI's and doing drugs, and I get national attention for a Sharpie? People are personally attacking me, calling me a classless asshole because I did something creative during a game. Why?”
 
I think the man has a point.
 
Looking back now, maybe even then he was indicating even then that he wanted to play in Dallas?!
 
Despite the simmering row between receiver and quarterback, the 49ers went to the post-season in consecutive years, including the memorable 24 point comeback against the New York Giants, of which both Owens and Garcia played a role. They lost the next game however, and Mariucci was fired.
 
Reflecting back; was T.O. wrong with what he thought in San Francisco? On the field Owens and Garcia were still working well, even if off the field they were at loggerheads (at least from Owens' side). That Mariucci got fired suggests that Owens wasn't the only one with reservations over how the team was progressing. From his perspective he was still producing the numbers but from where they were, the 49ers had undoubtedly gone backwards.
 
Whilst his actions, and certainly his words once he had left, towards his quarterback in particular were harsh and unprofessional (“Like my boy tells me; if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.”), was he really that far off the mark? Was he really wrong to question why San Francisco had gone backwards? After all, surely he was not letting the side down?
 
Once he had left the Bay area, Owens had established himself as arguably the most controversial, outspoken player in the NFL. The media love a big mouth and they love to tear someone down, and in that way Owens fitted the bill perfectly. A reporters dream; he is always ready to give them a quote, and even if he's not willing to talk, he'll usually give them something to mull over (see his note left in his locker prior to the New England game in 2007).
 
The troubles up in Philadelphia are well chronicled and not something to repeat in-depth in this article, but one thing stands out to me now about that time that I didn't see then. At the time I admit that I bought into the media portrayal of him as the out and out bad guy, pitted against the inspirational and virtuous team leader, Donovan McNabb.
 
Since he has left Philadelphia, some of the fan base and some former players, as well as some media reporters have began to say the exact same things about McNabb that Owens insinuated during his time there. It was clear that Philadelphia was Donovan's town, and Donovan's way had to prevail, and if anyone spoke out against that, then they had to face up to the realisation that Philly just wasn't for them. It was, and still is clearly a one ego town.
 
For a personality like Owens, this was inevitably going to frustrate and impede him. Particularly, when the facts suggest he was the missing link in the Eagles puzzle of the early 2000's. Championship game losses without him, the one year he is with them they get to the Superbowl. Ok, so that's ignoring that he missed the Championship game, rehabbing at the time from a broken ankle. But before that, he was electric. He raced back to play in the Superbowl, and whilst reports suggest the star QB struggled with lasting the game, the miracle recovery man had an outstanding game. After all that effort to come back through the pain, did he not deserve more from his team leader, particularly one that he was expected to defer to?
 
After all, when established team leaders like Jeremiah Trotter lobbied to try and get Owens back on the team, and experienced pro's like Jevon Kearse and L.J. Smith refer to him as a “great” and “wonderful” team-mate, it suggests that he wasn't quite the pariah that he was made out to be. It also suggests that what Owens was articulating was merely what others thought, but accepted was not to get aired publicly in Donovan's town.
 
So, aside from the what, why and how he got to Dallas, he's ended up at the Cowboys, and looking past the over hyped, storm in a teacup “overdose”, what has Owens done? Sure, he got frustrated with Drew Bledsoe, but is that a crime? Everyone else did. Even Bill Parcells, the stubborn old guy who drafted Drew, had enough. Plus, he never made this public. So, like in San Francisco and Philadelphia, it seems unfair to once again, attach the 'team obliterator' tag to someone who just saw what everyone else did, but, for once, said nothing.
 
He broke a finger then came back early, playing with damaged ligaments in said finger, to the point where he may have permanent damage to his hand. Rather than looking at that, and the changes it brought to how he caught the ball (with the palms of his hands rather than the fingers), all the fuss was over his drops; even though he still got 13 TD's. Combined with this and his quick return for the Eagles, it's hard not to agree with Owens, when he said that if it was anyone else, they'd be praised for their toughness.
 
The only real controversy T.O. has had in Dallas was that the Head Coach, not exactly the most amenable of characters at the best of times, did not want him when the GM (and Owner) did; nothing to do with Owens in any way other than his reputation preceding him. Parcells' refusal to talk about Owens, referring to him as 'the player' made more of an issue of T.O. than Terrell was himself.
 
Meanwhile, his relationship has blossomed with Tony Romo to the point we see them chatting on the sidelines like buddies, Owens paying for Romo and his celebrity girlfriend to go on holiday and now, T.O. defending his guy to the point of tears.
 
When we signed Owens my prediction involved an excellent first season, then trouble and strife all the way in the second. After all, that was the ingrained way everyone expected him to do things after the Philadelphia years. It was what everyone expected. But here we are, about to enter year three and he's becoming (almost!) the model citizen and team-mate.
 
So, this brings the whole argument full circle and back to the question I set at the beginning. What do I really think of T.O.? I've learnt that he's quite a shrewd character, which is often overlooked by people, who are attracted more by whipping up a media strom around him. His methods clearly are sometimes a little counter-productive, and some might say…. different! And when motivated in that way, he can be a complete ass.
 
He's clearly smarter than he's given credit for, and he can use this to the benefit or detriment of his team and of himself. But overall, I have to look at what he has done for Dallas. Twenty-six touchdowns in two years, and a mature approach are the case for Owens. Against, there is very little. Sure there's ups and downs, but that's the case with everyone, it's just T.O.'s are more often than not played out in public. I appreciate his efforts, particularly his will and drive to play when injured and I must agree with his view that he should be given the ball more – the last two playoff defeats I've found myself shouting it at the television. Looking back, I don't give much credence to the media's portrayal of T.O., having previously bought into it. So now, I'll admit it. I've become a fan, and I look forward to another productive and positive year. The 'bad' Terrell Owens has gone ……... for now………