Terrell Owens' critics sniped that he would bring down the Cowboys' franchise but in his two seasons in Dallas he has caught 166 passes for 2535 yards (third best in the NFL) and 28 touchdowns (best in the NFL; he led the NFC in that category each season). Owens has moved into the top ten all-time in receptions (882, ninth), receiving yards (13,070, 10th) and touchdowns (129, third behind only Jerry Rice and Cris Carter, who he will tie with his next TD). Owens is devoted to keeping himself in top condition and shows no signs of slowing down even though he is 34 years old. The Cowboys have rewarded his production and dedication by reworking his contract so that he will receive $34 million for the next four years; his old deal would have expired after paying him $7 million for the upcoming season. The most significant number in any NFL contract is the signing bonus because NFL contracts are not guaranteed (unlike NBA and MLB contracts); Owens will get a $12.9 million signing bonus plus $100,000 of his $830,000 base salary in 2008 has been guaranteed.
People who asserted that Owens would be disruptive no matter what failed to understand what really motivates him. Owens put his career on the line by playing in Super Bowl XXXIX just weeks after he suffered a serious ankle injury--and he caught nine passes for 122 yards, a performance that likely would have earned him Super Bowl MVP honors if his Eagles had beaten the Patriots. As I wrote last November, "People act like Owens brought down the Philadelphia Eagles when the reality is they played their best ball when he was there and they have been on the decline since he left (for a multitude of reasons, but lack of a big play wide receiver is a major one). All Owens wanted in Philadelphia was to to be involved in the offense and to renegotiate his contract so that it reflected his value to the team and recognized that he potentially risked his career by playing with a broken ankle during the Super Bowl. I guess the Eagles sure have taught him a lesson for wanting to be a big play receiver and for wanting to be compensated like one."
It is no secret that Owens is a sensitive person who wants to feel appreciated for how hard he works and how well he plays. The Eagles took exactly the wrong stance with him, as did former Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells, who dehumanized Owens by stubbornly referring to him as "the player" and not calling him by name. Truly great coaches like Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson understand that you treat all players equally but you don't treat them all the same: as the saying goes, some guys need a kick in the rear and some guys need a pat on the back. Owens is a self-motivated person who does not need anyone to tell him to work hard but who needs a pat on the back when he does well. Auerbach put it best when someone asked him about how he handled certain players and he replied that you handle animals but you deal with people. The Cowboys have dealt with Owens fairly and he has responded by being a highly productive player.
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6 comments:
anymous reggie
to was disruptive early in his career he has been better of late it still is risky pay him that much at 35 a years old coming off a injury and sub par playoff game he had. i think with pac man they will be better clealy TO dtillpayed him is elite i wouldnt of payed him 35 million at 35 maybe he a jerry rice and still great into his 40's
Reggie:
The only teams that have been "disrupted" by TO are the two teams that were foolish enough to let him go. He played well for the 49ers, he helped the Eagles get to the Super Bowl and he has improved the Cowboys.
NFL contracts are "funny money" other than the signing bonuses. Essentially, the Cowboys guaranteed him $13 million but TO will have to stay healthy and productive to get the rest. The alternative was to pay him under his old contract for this season and have that be a distraction because he wanted--and earned--an extension.
TO bounced back from his injury weeks ahead of schedule to have four catches and a TD in a playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl champions. The Cowboys offense did nothing in the six quarters that he missed and the Giants double-teamed him on the final play of the game, which both shows how tough it is to cover him even when he is hurt and how little respect the Giants had for the other Dallas receivers. Dallas lost that game because of breakdowns in pass protection, not anything that TO did wrongly, though of course it would have been better for Dallas if he had been 100% healthy.
anymous reggie
he was a big disruption in philly and 49ers he was great but very childish and disruptive jeff garcia donovon mcnabb hugh douglas steve maricuui greg knapp etc all the whining and dissing of organization foolish contract dispute.
he been better and acted correct last couple years now. he going to have to be productive and play better i guess itt aint that bad to gurantee 13 million.
Reggie:
TO was out of line with his personal comments about Garcia. Other than that, he has been a productive player for each of his three teams, a guy who works hard and has never been in trouble with the law (which, sad to say, is not true of several other prominent players).
The Hugh Douglas thing was a joke. This guy called himself the team's "Badass-ador" (instead of ambassador), interjected himself in something that was none of his business and got beat down by TO, proving that he was neither a "badass" nor an "ambassador." When TO called out McNabb as a player after the Super Bowl (not as a person like he did with Garcia) I didn't hear too many Eagles taking McNabb's side over TO.
You want a distraction--how about Marvin Harrison's gun being used in a shooting during the offseason? How about Chad Johnson, a guy who cusses out his coaches and whose antics have been a non-stop distraction to his team for years now?
anymous reggie
marvin harrison a distraction terrell owens is not? chad johnson is a distraction terrell owens is not? what chad johnson does touchdown celebration he never really been a distraction other than this demanding to be traded now he in line and is good his distraction record cant compare to terrell owens marvin harrison has been a model citzen throughout his career what has he ever done there both not comparable to terrell owens.
hugh tried to stick up for donovan because terrell was unfairly takeing shots at him they got into a fight over that yelling at greg knapp sniping at steve maruicci calling him names questioning him the bill parcells situation disrepecting him and going over and over it trying to take swipes at him when he took the higher road doing sit ups in your driveway for attention going through a contract dispute for attention it goes on and on he big disruption to his credit he is better now thank god.
Reggie:
It is too soon to say how this case will turn out but having your gun used in a street shooting is more of a distraction than anything that TO has done--Harrison could end up in jail!
Johnson has been a huge distraction and poor teammate all along but many members of the media love him so they don't write about this.
Douglas came into the locker room and accused TO of faking an injury, which is an absurd accusation when you consider his track record of playing hurt. What ensued was later described by a witness as something out of "WWE Smackdown," after which TO asked McNabb and everyone else if they wanted a piece of him. I'm not advocating physical violence but Douglas is a buffoon--he should have changed his name to "I got my ass kicked ador" instead of "Badassador."
TO never disrespected Parcells; Parcells disrespected him and also did not use him as effectively as Wade Phillips has.
How is doing situps in his driveway a distraction? It was silly but how is that a distraction?
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