The Rumor That Won't Go Away

I would rather spend the money on a FB, FS, and RT in free agency than to get Owens. Reggie Wayne is a FA, if Owens is getting rumored to come to Dallas, why not Wayne? If BP wanted to spend alot of money on a WR I think he would rather go after a guy like Wayne who seems to be a high character guy. And defense wins championships, along with a balanced O, not a star WR who gets thrown to every play.

Also, NO way Keyshawn and TO could coexist in one locker room. That would be hell.

Does anyone have information on FS Pat Watkins? I hear this kid has some real potential and is looking to be a 3rd round pick. From what I’ve read he could be a real steal with 1-2 years to develop. If we could get a 3rd round pick for Ellis and sign Corey Chavous to a 2 year deal, we could draft Watkins and let him take over in 2 years. The only problem with this is where does that leave Keith Davis? Hes a monster on ST and I think deserves a spot on our roster. We have to resign him tho. I like Chris Hope alot better, but I think he is staying in Pitt. Plus he is 4 years younger than Chavous and will probably demand alot of money.

As for the FB situation, I like all the guys mentioned. William Henderson, Fred Beasley, Jonathon Wells all look like great pickups for the Cowboys.

I still like Ashworth the best, I think coming from the NE system counts for alot. I rarely see Brady hit. I think he is the type of guy that could come in and help our young guys out, and he wouldnt command as much money as a guy like Baukus.

Along with signing a K, if we could get at least 3 out of 4 positions set in FA (K, FB, RT, FS) we can stock up in LB’s and OL men, along with maybe a NT in the draft.

O yeah, and I hate Stephan A. Smith, Im a Sixers fan and listening to that guy gives me a headache.

You got to be freakin kidding me. The last person i want to see with a star on his helmet is the guy who disrespected it and the entire organization. We have a good thing going here with good young talent. And the best part of that is that all these guys are good team guys. And that goes along way for me and most fans that i know.

I think a particular quote at the end of the season from BP says it all:
“I didn’t have a single problem (dicipline-wise) from them”

This was in reference to his team after he stated that he liked them.

I really believe this was a direct response to how he’s leaning in the t.o. debate

quite frankly,

stephen a smith has been sent to the graveyard shift from primetime on espn2. Next stop right seat on AM radio Stephen. Watch out.

I totally agree with Rafaels assesment. JJ is no longer running this team. Sure he owns it, but Bill Parcells and even his family have more and more input. We would no doubt be signing TO under Switzer, Gailey, or Campo. But Bill has a say so.

Although I doubt we would keep KJ and TO. That is probably more why we will not sign TO. I think Bill has some unspoken deal with KJ to get him more money this year. Just watch. TO would cost but you just cut KJ so you only have one to deal with. You continue to develop Crayton, Copper, Rector, Merrit, and hope TG stays healthy while TO finishes out a year or three.

Two things the guy is a beast on the field and in the weightroom. He is a knucklehead in the locker room. When he gets cut, he could be signed for a league minimum with a TD, Catches, Yards incentives. Make him earn it on the field. That also includes him getting on the field……if he cannot he does not. Bill has dealt with egos before, but I do not see TO as the answer to our offensive problems. Given the choice of TO or TWO PRO BOWL TACKLES……I go OT not TO.

The sophomore class is stacked with WR talent. Calvin Johnson at GT and Jarret at USC are just two of the freakish talents coming out possibly next year. I think BP will stand pat with TG, KJ, Crayton developing and the likes of Merrit, Copper and maybe even Rector.

Also anybody notice #41 is lining up at WR and PR and KR quite a bit lately. Cuz he is a shut down CB and knows how to play D, BP is letting him slip on the field in a few situations…….let TNEW catch a few. Deion was more hype as a Cowboy…..but we got TNEW in his prime. Just watch this kid next year……he will get plenty of opportunities with Henry healthy and Glenn still on the roster. He can probably give TT or anybody else on the team a run for the money in the 40……and mr conservative BP letting him line up at WR? Sure did.

To me the whole TO debate boils down to whether we want KJ on the team another season. They CANNOT exist on the same team. Honestly, if we are trying to win the SuperBowl next season, I think TO might be the better option. It’s a HUGE risk, but I don’t think he’s dumb enough to repeat what he did last season. I also don’t think he’ll be offered a big money contract next season. At most, he should be making about $2 mill. I could be wrong on that, though.

I don’t see KJ being too useful for us for more than another 2 years, so at most, if we do go after TO, we would lose those two years for at least one of TO. We can all agree, too, that TO is way better than KJ.

In the end, though, I would opt for KJ, slightly. I really hate the self-promoting attitude that TO comes in with, but KJ had somewhat the same attitude when he came in. On the field, TO would help us more, but I think it would hurt us off the field and in the clubhouse. This franchise has made some big strides improving the reputation we got in the 90s for off the field stuff. I just don’t think signing TO would be a benefit long-term, and may not prove to be as much of a help short-term if he pulls any more stunts.

By the way, on Stephen A Smith, did anyone see his program a few month back when he had the unholy trinity of sports personalities on at the same time? It was him, Theismann and Salisbury. Man, if ever there could have been a lightning storm on that set…

Altercall,

If Skip Bayless had completed the quartet the earth would have opened up and swallowed them all…

I watched yesterday’s Quite Frankly, which the guest on the show was Michael Irvin. The “Playmaker” said something very interesting about Terrell Owens, he said, “T.O. plays with a chip on his shoulder, which is fine. But he also lives life with a chip on his shoulder, and he needs to remove that.” From outside the box, I don’t think truer words could be spoken about Owens. .. Less we keep forgetting what this “Playmaker” did 11 months ago was nothing short of spectacular. Owens had every fan, every GM, and every coach admiring his efforts to help his team win. Terrell Owens trained hard to be great and left his heart out on the field every Sunday, Owens had a desire to win, a desire to be the best receiver in the NFL … and with that he created the aura of “T.O.”. .. I have said all along that Owens needs to go back to what made Terrell Owens “T.O”, go back to making incredible catches, making something out of nothing on the football field, training himself up to be the best. .. Owens hired an agent that fueled his fire and put a larger chip on his shoulder. Maybe Owens should turn to friend, instead of an agent looking out for his own agenda. “As a receiver you don’t ever mess with the relationship of your quarterback … There are two things off limits, calling out the quarterback, calling out the coach.” – Michael Irvin. .. Owens can be a great player again, in a Cowboys’ uniform, or any other, but I think he needs to truely understand what got him there.

Okay, but I’ll let another team take the chance that he does that, because it’s far from a sure thing.

Forget it, NEVER gonna happen. BP, KJ, and probably Bledsoe would all threaten to retire if that guy showed up. You think any of them want to deal with all that drama and baggage at this point in their career? Never gonna happen.

Stephen A. Smith must sit at home and watch Chris Rock stand up shows all night to be able to mimic his speech patterns so well. At least Chris Rock is funny though. The only two people in all of broadcasting who grate on my nerves as much as him are Joe Theismann and Skip Bayless. It’s not a coincidence that both are well known Cowboys haters and Stephen A. Smith is a big time Eagles partisan. At least Jaworski keep himself in check for the most part.

I do hope this rumor keeps growing and getting more airplay though. It might scare Daniel Snyder into doing something really stupid like offering T.O. a huge signing bonus to come play for them. Nothing would be sweeter than seeing T.O. do us one last favor and destroy the most hated of our hated rivals. If he went to D.C. and tore that locker room apart like he did the 49ers and Eagles, he should be seriously considered for the first Ring of Honor spot for a non-Cowboys player.

lou c:

I don’t know much about Pat Watkins, but I will look into him.

My preference for FS would be Dexter Jackson from the Bucs. He is great in coverage and getting INT’s, which is what we need to allow Roy to play like a real SS closer to the line of scrimmage. We have to get a coverage guy, not just another banger, we already have Roy.

The other major positive with Jackson is that he has Super Bowl and postseason experience. He was actually the MVP of the Super Bowl in 2003. We have guys on offense with SB experience, but no one on defense. I think we need at least one guy on defense with that kind of experience to be a leader for the rest of the young guys. If this team is gonna make a title run it will be very important.

The hard part will be prying Dexter out of Florida and away from Monte Kiffin, but they have a lot of FA’s on their team this year so it may just come down to waving the right dollar signs in front of him and his agent.

I seriously doubt if Chris Hope or Ashworth will leave their teams. Both of those organizations are very good at hanging onto their guys, and both are perennial championship contenders. The Bucs, on the other hand, have let a lot of good players walk out the door in recent years and have been very inconsistent since they won the Super Bowl.

Im telling you guys, the first FA signing needs to be a proven kicker. That is the quickest way to “buy” another win or two next year.

Raf,

I believe there is a shot that the Cowboys sign Owens (as a FA), but it is a small and ever growing smaller chance. If T.O. fires Rosenhouse, and then comes in for an interview and is receptive to Parcells, then there is a chance that Parcells will take a shot at him. I think its a situation that Owens will have to show Parcells he is all about football and the side show is over. Trust me, Parcells can appreciate a player, any player, rehabbing from an injury like the one Owens suffered, and playing like he did in the Super Bowl a year ago. Owens is a hard worker, and I believe that goes far with Parcells.

I don’t want Dexter Jackson, he plays well for the bucs. When he went to az he didn’t play that well or was it he didn’t play at all. They cut him then he went back home.

TO would be nice but KJ would have to go. But what I do know is I don’t want the same three WRs here next year. We need a playmaker which we don’t have. I would like to see us draft a WR in the second round if we get TO or not.

Eric R:

No chance we get T.O. I admit it is tempting because he is a dominant player, but no way.

It’s like making a deal with the devil. You think you are going to get all these things you are wanting so bad, and then all of a sudden everything goes terribly wrong and you end up with less than you had before.

Anyone that thinks sitting out this year will change this guy is setting themselves up for a major disappointment. He is an attention craving primadonna the likes of which professional sports has never seen before. He makes Keyshawn look like a choir boy. At least when Keyshawn and Gruden had their problems Key didn’t run to the media and call out Gruden and say he’s not Gruden’s son and his last name isn’t Gruden and all that. He didn’t call out the Bucs QB and say the team would be better with Brett Favre. He just went home and let the whole thing blow over. He talked a little, but he didn’t cause nearly the uproar that T.O. did in Philly or in SF.

No way this guy is a Cowboy ever. We don’t want him anywhere near us. He’s a toxic person with serious mental problems, I don’t care how good a receiver he is.

aw:

Jackson is good or he wouldn’t have been paying FS for a defense as good as the Bucs. Using the Arizona Cardinals stupid personnel decisions as a guide is not a way to pick good players. After all, they also let Simeon Rice and Aeneus Williams walk out the door to teams that won the Super Bowl a few years later.

aw:

Better than having 3 new WR’s next season would be to have a running game that could consistently run for over 100 yards a game.

Sterling,

One of the reasons Keyshawn didn’t call out his coaches in Tampa was because of his relationship with a man that has wisdom. Pre-Parcells Johnson wrote a book, calling out his QB, his coach, and his teammate who played opposite him. Once Parcells took over for the Jets, Keyshawn just shut up and played football. He let his skills do the talking. Keyshawn has that fiery competativeness that needs to be curbed at times, and is in the same boat as Owens. So are such players as Brian Cox, another out of control person who learned about “team” under Parcells tutalige. Some players don’t listen or take instruction well, and others are as Irvin put it “living life with a chip on their shoulders”. Owens work ethic obviously indicates that he is teachable, I mean he was a late 3rd round selection that rose up to be the best or damn near one of the best WRs in the game. So dare I ask has anyone shown the player about what a “team” should be. .. I have compared Owens to Mike Tyson, in the same regards that everyone uses him for his talents, yet no one has embraced him, no one has made him a part of their family or team. It may sound trivial, but its real, the guy is not just a football player, he is a man. T.O. has feelings, and instead of simply rejecting them or not concerning ourselves about them, it is really nice to hear people like Michael Irvin give thoughtful advice to the guy. Look I can care less if he is a Cowboy or plays for another team, all I hope for is that the guy finds a way to remove that chip on his shoulder. That would be a nice story.

i deffinetely dont want TO playing for the redskins, or any other team in our division. if the guy would shut up and just play then hes the most dominating WR. if he does just shut up and play then i want him in dallas. if its the new hard to coach, play with, be around TO then i dont want him.

last point: stephen a smith is an idiot as well.

i just read carson palmers injury is possible career threatening, i think they need a new qb named drew henson and take him from us for 2 bags of peanuts and diet pepsi.

Eric R:

I don’t know what you are talking about. How much more did McNabb, Reid, the Eagles players, the Eagles organization, and basically the whole city of Philadelphia have to do to embrace T.O.? McNabb treated him like a brother, he basically did bring him into his family and they were also roommates and friends. Reid reached out to him in every way a coach could, he even made a playful bet with him that he would wear a Speedo outfit on the sideline if T.O. got enough touchdowns. The whole city of Philly worshipped the guy in 2004. They treated him like a savior and everyone gave him (not McNabb) the credit for the team getting to the Super Bowl. He got more love out of that city than any first year free agent I have ever seen. If he needs more embracing or needs his feelings stroked more than that I definitely don’t see how Parcells or the Cowboys or JJ or the city of Dallas, or even the whole state of Texas could do too much more than that. Do you really think Bledsoe would invite him out to his house in the offseason to play catch or be his roommate like McNabb did? Talk about the Odd Couple!!

How did he repay all of them for their love? He asked for more money. Then when he didn’t get it he tried to plead poverty and cried on TV. Then he tried to characterize them as a bunch of greedy misers. Then he said if they wouldn’t pay him what he wanted, then he wanted to go to a team that would. You know the rest. It wasn’t lack of embracing him or caring about his feelings, it was him being a selfish and greedy player and only caring about himself and his fame and fortune.

T.O. is a man with some serious mental and self esteem problems. He has been given every conceivable break by his coaches, his teammates, and the two organizations he has played for. He’s burned every bridge he has had an opportunity to (except Rosenhaus, and he will be next). Anyone who thinks Parcells or any other coach can change him is kidding themselves. He needs professional help.

Keyshawn was a problem, I never denied that, I just said he isn’t even in the same category as T.O. He wrote that book, but he wrote it after his rookie year when the team was like 1-15 or something and everyone knew the coach was already going to be fired. That doesn’t make what he did right, but he didn’t get on TV in the middle of the season and call out his coach, his quarterback, and call the organization classless after going to the Super Bowl only a few months before. It’s also not like Parcells fully straightened Key out either, Key has caused some problems since being on the Cowboys, he’s just not a total headcase like T.O. is.

I would say Mike Tyson is a LOT worse than T.O. in that he has had serious legal, financial, and criminal issues. No one ever accused T.O. of any problems like that off the field. T.O.‘s problem is that he shouldn’t be playing a team sport because he is extremely selfish, greedy, and can’t seem to get along with people.

look at what Nick Saban did with Ricky Williams in Miami…..maybe Andy Reid brings back TO and this is a moot point anyway.

You could take TO sign him to 3 year deal let him have a hech of a year and then dangle him as trade bait? He usually shows up strong in year one for a team…..he only has a few good seasons left in him.

Sterling…..I agree TO is probably a Track Athelete…..and don’t look for him on the relay team either. I am sure the guy could have run hurtles or long jump or decatholon or something……..he even says basketball is his favorite sport. But uh…..aren’t most WRs?

If there is a coach in the league that likes a player against a rock and a hard place it is Bill Parcells…..and if he and not JJ said get me TO, I would say be careful what you wish for but hey you are the coach……and you just ordered up some rotten apples on the grocery list……cook with em fast before they spoil the whole bunch. Cuz we got a lot of young good apples on this squad…..you don’t want to spoil the whole bunch. Still I don’t see it happening. OT not TO.

Take TO and implement the Daune Thomas self imposed rule…..on him. He cannot talk….to anybody…..and then you got yourself a WR.

Jon:

You are right, T.O. is like a lot of other WR’s in certain ways. T.O. has just been the one to take it all to new lows. I knew the first time he did his little celebration dance on the Star at Texas Stadium that he was unlike anything we had ever seen before. When he did it the second time I realized that he also didn’t know when to stop with his antics, even when he knew what he was doing was over the top. Cowboys fans found out what a jerk T.O. is the easy way. The 49ers and Eagles and their fans found out the hard way!!

It’ll never happen anyway, he’s not coming to the Cowboys so I’m not at all concerned. I do think it would be hilarious to see Joe Gibbs have to deal with him. T.O. with his attitude and outbursts on a team with a kooky RB that dresses up like a clown every Wednesday to talk to the media and a headcase safety who spits on opposing players and then lies about it. That would be hilarious!!

No Thanks, see ya around…he’s already taken out two franchises…with the Philadelphia Eagles being the last franchise stupid enough to give him the opportunity to hold them hostage, by depending upon him….again, give me some ‘real’ football players…you either have standards, or you have a Terrell Owens…give me a team!

I will be grateful when March gets here and this Owens nonsense can be resolved, so I don’t have to read about it any more.

For the record, I don’t want him here. I don’t think I have anything to worry about, since Bill Parcells would probably (literally) explode in an fit of insane rage if Jones tried to bring Owens in. Of course, I could be wrong. [I have this picture of pieces of Bill Parcells flying about Valley Ranch. It’s not a very pretty picture! It probably indicates that I need help!]

I will say one thing, though. If a team wants a one-year rental, Owens just might be the right guy. With only a one-year contract in his pocket, Owens would be on his best behavior, and work his hardest to get a high-paying, long-term contract at the end of that year. I wouldn’t count on any good behavior beyond that one year, though.

As for Johnson, I really despise his personality. It just rubs me the wrong way. However, there are many on-field traits he displays that I truly admire. Foremost, is his willingness to do whatever task might be assigned to him, whether that is going over the middle to make that first-down catch, blocking for a run, shifting into the backfield to protect against a blitz [When did you ever see another Cowboys receiver do that?], or playing defensive back in long-yardage situations (a task he performed perfectly on two occasions this last season). I also admire what he does NOT do whenever he scores a touchdown. He does NOT make a fool of himself, as so many others do. After the briefest of celebrations, in which he accepts the congratulations of his teammates, he takes the ball over to the stands and gives it to a handicapped child. [When did you ever see Terrell Owens do THAT?] Once the game starts, the man is a credit to the team, in ways that most other receivers can’t even imagine.

Mr. Bill:

Well said. I don’t think Key is anything like T.O. in a lot of ways. It is not all about Parcells influence on Keyshawn either. Keyshawn played for a legendary football program and a successful former NFL coach in college. He was the first player drafted in the first round as I recall when he turned pro. Not too many receivers get picked #1 overall. If anything his career has almost been the opposite of T.O.‘s because he has had such high expectations placed on him from day one, whereas T.O. kind of came out of nowhere. Maybe that explains why T.O. seeks out attention so much? I have never thought of Keyshawn as a guy who craves the spotlight and attention that much. He is a cocky guy who speaks his mind, but he seems a little less paranoid about upstaging the rest of his team. His personality is strong and very self confident, but then again so are a lot of WR’s. Irvin and Deion were like that but I loved them, and still do. T.O.‘s personality is not just self confident but arrogant and offensive. He can’t just remind people of how great he is, he has to point out why everyone else is lesser than him. Keyshawn doesn’t act like that at all.

Aside from being a total headcase, TO wont come to Dallas IMO because of BP, Key, and TG. BP has a soft spot for “his” players. He brought Key and Glenn in here. He drafted and signed Crayton. He likes these guys, and has publicly said so, which is rare. If Owens was to come here, one of those guys would be gone. BP wouldnt do that to “his” players. Key likes, and respects, BP too much to leave bc of a contract, and that would be the only way TO would have a shot of coming here. Parcells could care less about if the Redskins get him and he puts up 100 and 1400 yards. He worries about his team only.

Guys, something popped into my head after reading all your comments, the T.O. issue might be involved into the Parcells contract situation, maybe Jerry wanted T.O., Parcells didn’t wanted him and asked Jerry to make a contract clause of not taking T.O. in FA.

This is as much speculation as talking about the Draft. LOL.

LOL, Chandus,

Parcells had leverage last week and looks like he used it. To politely paraphrase Junior Soprano, Bill could have asked for a date with Angie Dickinson and Jerry probably would have tried to make it happen.

LOL.

TO: A great tear-jerker made for TV movie? Maybe. A great addition to the 2006 Cowboys? NOT.

Eric R and Sterling
BP pick KJ in that draft when the jets had the first pick. So KJ wrote that book when BP was there. And I’m not saying az letting Jackson go is a reason not to go after him. I’m saying he didn’t play that well when he was in az. Rice and Williams walked but they still played well in az. I don’t want three new WRs I just don’t want the same line up now. TG and Crayton with someone new. I would love for us to draft a WR.

I brought up the need for a WR 2 times last week and got yelled at both times….this thread is the conversation I hoped would ensue….we could use a good fast WR, Keyshawn just had surgery and that might be a cause for concern, Jerry Jones has publicly stated he is interested in TO. I hate TO’s attitude but believe BP could handle it…the locker room chemistry might go to Hell though….I am not advocating picking up TO, just stating (IMO) that one (of many) of our needs is a good fast receiver, not that we need to use a first round pick but try to find one in the FA market and when that happens TO is out there…….

I’d rather have another good big pass catching Tight End who can block than another WR. It would help our offense more, IMHO.

Sterling
A playmaker at WR would help this offense more than another tight end. Unless we pick up a young wr in FA we need to draft one. If we get TO I still think we need to draft a WR. The only WR we have now that shows he can make plays on this own is Crayton. And he didn’t do anything once he came back.

aw:

If we had another head coach I would agree, but Parcells has his guys firmly entrenched already and he seems to be content with them. I think the next HC will have to bring in new WR’s and a new QB after BP and his ‘Guys’ retire in 2 years. I think BP wants to build the rest of the team up and let the next guy develop the skill positions on their own. That’s how he want his legacy and mark on the team to be.

I do not think that T.O. will be a Cowboy because he does not fit the “Parcells guy” profile…i.e. he is not a team player. In past years, Parcells has chosen players that have not only a strong desire to win but who will also do whatever it takes in Parcells’ game plan to get that W. Given those two traits and Parcells’ knack for motivating players, there is no mystery as to why Keyshawn and Brian Cox “suddenly” began living up to their talent.

Honestly, I am baffled by Keyshawn’s bad reputation. Keyshawn will block on running plays (really block…not just pretend to block) and take punishing hits over the middle. Yes, he gets frustrated and has outbursts during games but these outbursts are about not getting a W, not about him not getting the ball. T.O. is not in Keyshawn’s league and IMHO might never be.

I would also bet that Parcells’ overall game plan is to win the SB in two years. I thought this when they signed Bledsoe to a 3 year deal and I’m even more convinced now that Parcells signed a 2 year deal. And Parcells’ would not have taken the HC job without absolute control over the roster. Parcells has a history of putting together Championship calibre teams after starting from scratch and I believe that he is in the process of doing it again.

off topic
if we send henson to europe iss there any reason we cant send romo as well? the guy hasnt played a snap in the nfl and europe would be a good testing ground for him. i dont know the rules for nfl europe but if we could send the 2 backup QB i would like to see romo and what he could do.

mike,

If the Cowboys sent both Henson and Romo to Europe, Bledsoe would wear out his arm before training camp started. As it is (with only Henson going), we’ll probably have to sign another quarterback, just to run our mini-camp properly.

Romo could probably use the work, but he doesn’t need it nearly as much as Henson does.

It probably comes down to the choice of giving the quarterback extra work in real-game situations, but, under less-than-ideal conditions, or giving him the time in our offseason program, working with our own coaches. When you factor in the greater chance of injury, playing behind offensive linemen who have probably been signed off the street just to play in Europe, and who may be playing new positions, it usually does not make much sense to expose your primary backup quarterback to that risk.

Basically, it’s just not going to happen.

In order to fill all of TO’s needs a team would need to do the following. Make TO the GM, HC, OC, QB and both WR’s. Also, he would need ‘all’ of the cap money. A body and talent like his, with a brain of mush. He may have to sit out this season unless some team is extremely desparate. Too bad, but maybe it’s better for him to learn a life saving lesson.

mr bill
yah didnt think of wearing bledsoe out, good point. i figured romo is more of the backup then henson but maybe romo is closer to being ready then henson is as well.