Owens Flourishing in New City.
Posted: May 30th, 2008, 1:16 am
When Terrell Owens was rumored to be heading South the Metroplex, the NFL world raised a collective eyebrow. The majority of Cowboys fans did not just raise an eyebrow, they covered their face with their hand and put their heads down. It was a move that would either work brilliantly or would blow up in everyone's face. Shortly thereafter, it was official: the much maligned Owens was heading to Dallas. Those same Cowboys fans sat and listened for months as the talking-heads and naysayers and Niners fans and Eagles fans were all predicting a Cowboy apocalypse. But, heading into year three, in the NFC East, all is quiet on the Southern front.
Dallas, a member of the "NFC East". Figure that one out.
For all the so-called risky business that Jerry Jones and the High Command has dealt in over the past seasons, none at that point were any bigger than Owens. Owens, a "locker-room cancer", the guy who supposedly ruined the Philadelphia Eagles, has been about as straight of an arrow as a guy with his epileptic personality could ever hope to be in this life.
But what changed for Owens? Better atmosphere? A better city? A better quarterback? Some folks in the sports world talk of a concept called "change for the sake of change". It is a combination of all of those things, and probably more. Most all high-money wide-receivers are eccentric on one level or another, and in his current stint, Owens has been pretty quiet for the most part. Even his supposed selfishness has been toned down dramatically. Maybe, in retrospect, Terrell Owens was not the sole reason the Eagles had troubles after all. The reasons for Owens' new behavior could be as simple as change for the sake of change, or it could be a better cast, a better location, a better quarterback, and even better coaching.
With Parcells, Owens and The Tuna did not necessarily become bosom buddies, but they co-existed fine. They were co-workers. Wade Phillips is a different animal than Parcells altogether, and has a more laid-back approach, which is what any coach under Jerry Jones needs to ultimately be: flexible. Maybe that is what it took for Owens to settle down.
There were questionable acquisitions under the tenure of both recent Cowboys coaches. Even with supposed high-risk acquisitions, there have been no major incidents in Dallas. The national media made Tank Williams into a bigger machine-gun enthusiast than John Dillinger. No problems with Tank, as yet. All the Pacman Jones talk? They are getting something for nothing. If all we can go by is historical record, then the patterns show that Pacman Jones will keep his nose clean in Dallas.
Maybe all it took was for Owens to find refuge in a coach who knows how to keep his house in order.
Dallas, a member of the "NFC East". Figure that one out.
For all the so-called risky business that Jerry Jones and the High Command has dealt in over the past seasons, none at that point were any bigger than Owens. Owens, a "locker-room cancer", the guy who supposedly ruined the Philadelphia Eagles, has been about as straight of an arrow as a guy with his epileptic personality could ever hope to be in this life.
But what changed for Owens? Better atmosphere? A better city? A better quarterback? Some folks in the sports world talk of a concept called "change for the sake of change". It is a combination of all of those things, and probably more. Most all high-money wide-receivers are eccentric on one level or another, and in his current stint, Owens has been pretty quiet for the most part. Even his supposed selfishness has been toned down dramatically. Maybe, in retrospect, Terrell Owens was not the sole reason the Eagles had troubles after all. The reasons for Owens' new behavior could be as simple as change for the sake of change, or it could be a better cast, a better location, a better quarterback, and even better coaching.
With Parcells, Owens and The Tuna did not necessarily become bosom buddies, but they co-existed fine. They were co-workers. Wade Phillips is a different animal than Parcells altogether, and has a more laid-back approach, which is what any coach under Jerry Jones needs to ultimately be: flexible. Maybe that is what it took for Owens to settle down.
There were questionable acquisitions under the tenure of both recent Cowboys coaches. Even with supposed high-risk acquisitions, there have been no major incidents in Dallas. The national media made Tank Williams into a bigger machine-gun enthusiast than John Dillinger. No problems with Tank, as yet. All the Pacman Jones talk? They are getting something for nothing. If all we can go by is historical record, then the patterns show that Pacman Jones will keep his nose clean in Dallas.
Maybe all it took was for Owens to find refuge in a coach who knows how to keep his house in order.