We have all had a few days now to get used to the fact that Terrell Owens is no longer a Dallas Cowboy and is now a member of the Buffalo Bills. The whirlwind of his departure took place so fast it made my head spin, but everything is starting to calm down and come into focus for me. There are several realities that the team, the fans, and the media must now face. The Cowboys no longer have one of their primary offensive weapons but they also don't have the media circus that came with him. He is officially gone for good and it is time for everyone to move on.To the media...the T.O. gravy train is over. You will have to start doing some real reporting now that the lightning rod is gone. I am hoping that the fans can now start getting some information about the other players on the team now that T.O. is gone. I want to hear stories about the players on the team or players who could potentially join the team via free agency or the draft. I know it was easy to crank out a "T.O. is a distraction" piece when the news got slow but you are going to have to get back to giving your readers some actual news again.
To the players...this move should serve as a message to all of you. Everyone on the team is replaceable. No one is bigger than the team. T.O. may have been and maybe still is a friend of yours, but he is no longer your teammate. Accept it and stop telling the media how shocked and disappointed you are. Preparations for the 2009 season should already be under way and it is going to be a new team and a new attitude. Start working like champions now so we can all be happier next season.
To the coaches...you got what you wanted. The excuses about players undermining authority should be gone. It would appear that Jerry Jones is serious about setting a the tone for this season and making it a team first locker room. One of the biggest pieces of the offense is gone so get to work on revamping the offense to maximize the talent available to you.
To the owner...maybe you finally are starting to understand that it isn't all about assembling the most talent. I don't know who finally convinced you that team chemistry is important but please continue on the path you are now going down. More role players and high character guys are still wanted and needed, especially at safety and on special teams. Your work is cut out for you but the draft should provide opportunities to fill a lot of holes and to do some wheeling and dealing for better picks and/or veteran talent. Get Demarcus Ware re-signed ASAP so that we can get a handle on what is available under the salary cap.
To the fans...T.O. is gone and he isn't coming back no matter what you say. I think the feelings on the departure of #81 are pretty mixed, but there are some of you who want to keep the T.O. debate going. He is no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys but you are free to change your allegiance to the Buffalo Bills if you can't get past the Cowboys releasing him. This is easy for me to say because I was never much of a fan of his anyway. But at some point you have to decide if you want to keep crying over spilled milk or move past this and support the team. What's done is done. T.O. is no longer a Dallas Cowboy.
To most of this I say "Amen"...but T.O. was used as a scapegoat for everyone. I will miss his production and so will the team. I think that after this season we will see if it really was his fault, or maybe it's the fault of Jerry, Wade, Tony and everyone else that used him as a scapegoat. I hope it was the fault of Owens, because if it wasn't things are going to get worse.
ReplyDeleteMan I love your blog. I agree with almost all you write. I wish I could be as objective a thinker as you, only my heart is allways in the way, almost always bleeding silver and blue!!
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