First, it happened to the San Francisco 49ers. Then to the Philadelphia Eagles. And now, it appears that the Dallas Cowboys may be condemned to the same fate: complete and utter dysfunction - and, as we Big D haters can only hope, eternal mediocrity - at the hands, and mouth, of Terrell Owens.
As if watching my Washington Redskins pull off a thrilling 26-24 upset on the road against the universally proclaimed "best team in the league" last weekend wasn't euphoric enough, viewers like myself were treated on Sunday to postgame interviews of T.O. being his usual megalomaniacal, team-destroying self.
Tucked in on "SportsCenter" among the ecstasy-inducing replays of Dallas QB Tony Romo's intercepted pass and Redskins QB Jason Campbell's two brilliant touchdown passes was this money quote from T.O. himself: Asked if he got the ball enough in the game, Owens said, "I would say no. I'm a competitor, and I want the ball. Everybody recognized that I wasn't really getting the ball in the first half. I'm pretty sure everybody watching the game recognized it, people in the stands recognized it. I think my team recognized it."
Now, if he had said this after last week's game against Green Bay - in which he had just two receptions, his lowest total since joining the Cowboys in 2006 - it would be one thing. But these comments came after a game in which T.O was involved in 20 of 58 total offensive plays! Romo threw to T.O. 18 times - just seven times for completions - and the star wideout also had two rushing attempts for 11 yards. They throw or give the ball to him 35 percent of the time and still lose, and he wants it even more?
In fact, the Cowboys almost certainly threw the ball to T.O. too many times against the 'Skins on Sunday. Time after time, Romo seemed to force the ball to Owens, on several occasions throwing into double coverage. The result: 11 incompletions and an uncharacteristically unbalanced Dallas offense that was largely shut down by the Redskins' defense.
The Dallas run game, usually terrifying to opposing defenses, was almost nonexistent at Texas Stadium. Beastly running back Marion Barber had just eight carries for 26 yards, and speedy threat Felix Jones didn't touch the ball at all. Every ball that Romo forced into T.O. was a missed opportunity for Barber or Jones to break open a big run, and the Cowboys' apparent attempt to keep this me-first player happy by involving him in more than a third of its offensive plays probably cost them the game. Not that I'm complaining at all.
What should freak Dallas fans out about this - even more than, say, seeing Jessica Simpson in the stands - is that this has always been a part of T.O.'s M.O. His team does well for a while, and he keeps quiet. Then he starts to get frustrated with his role in the offense and begins to complain. A few weeks' worth of screaming at his quarterback and coaches and this cyanide pill of a player - as freakishly talented as he may be - begins to tear apart his team from the inside. It happened to the 49ers in 2001, when T.O. constantly feuded with QB Jeff Garcia and head coach Steve Mariucci. And it happened even more publicly in 2005, when the Eagles suspended Owens for a good portion of the season for what the team called "conduct detrimental to the team" following a series of clashes with Eagles management and teammates - QB Donovan McNabb, most notably. His last straw with Philly came when he got into a locker room fist fight with a former teammate, who was brought in, ironically, to smooth things over between coaches and players.
Of course, the Cowboys knew exactly what they were getting when they initially signed the six-time Pro Bowler to a three-year, $25 million deal in 2006. Their only hope now is that their usually subdued head coach, Wade Phillips, has an antidote to T.O.'s venom.
Alex Mazerov '10 thinks the Cowboys have 25 million reasons to run scared.
