Terrell Owens most indispensable player on the Dallas Cowboys

by Brandon Worley on Jul 22, 2008 2:33 PM CDT in News Comment 33 comments

Last week TH posted about DC.com's Mr. Indispensable, and how his is Tony Romo.

According to ESPN's Jeffri Chadiha, Owens is the #3 most indispensable player in the league behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Just a few years ago he was one of the most hated players in the league, ostracized by the media and it was widely publicized that the Eagles would be a much better team without him. As BTB regular doomsday would say, the transformation is complete. After years of being thought of as a locker room cancer it has become painfully obvious how critical he is to the Cowboys' success. If he was healthy at the end of the year in 2007 who knows how things might have gone in January.

Chadiha says that without Owens life gets a whole lot tougher for Romo and Co.

Terrell Owens, WR, Dallas

Say what you will about T.O. and his controversial history, but you have to admit this much: He's the key to that high-powered offense in Dallas. We saw that much when a high ankle sprain made him ineffective in an NFC divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants. When Owens is healthy, he makes life easier on tight end Jason Witten, wide receiver Patrick Crayton and quarterback Tony Romo. When he's off the field, the Cowboys' passing game isn't nearly as scary ... and neither is the rest of that team.

Be sure to vote in the poll for who you think is the player the Cowboys would miss the most.

Nick Eatman takes a look at who might be this year's camp surprises.

Rob Phillips says that the Cowboys' coaches are pleased as pie to have Hamlin back for TC.

Imagine that.

Eatman also says that Terry Glenn's teammates are hoping he will be there for training camp on Thursday.

Glenn still has to sign the Cowboys' injury waiver in order for him to play this year or they will cut him. The longer this has gone on the more I understand the Cowboys' point; if Glenn was so certain about the health of his knee he wouldn't hesitate signing the waiver for one last chance to win a Super Bowl.

Wade Phillips says "get your ring finger ready." Whoa there, partner. Let's just win a playoff game first.

BTB newcomer bruinbabe2000 reports in her fanshot that the Cardinals are looking to minimize the amount of Cowboys fans in their home stadium this year.

Poll

Who is the Cowboys' most indispensable player?

Terrell Owens

102 votes

Jason Witten

11 votes

Flozell Adams

5 votes

Tony Romo

237 votes

Demarcus Ware

29 votes

Marion Barber

5 votes

Terence Newman

0 votes

Ken Hamlin

2 votes

391 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 33 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Romo and T.O. are pretty close

to being equally as indispensable, just like IMO Brady and Moss are the most indispensable to the Pats.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 22, 2008 3:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Romo

but I kind of agree with Spagnola that the QB shouldn’t really be considered, it is almost a given that he’s the most indispensable, and the real question is who is next most indispensable. For Chadiha to actually say T.O. is more indispensable than Romo doesn’t make any sense to me; there’s no question to me that without Romo everything changes. But after Romo, T.O. and Witten are huge, and so are Ware and Newman and Barber and Hamlin (including for his D-QB role), but I’d have to go with Flow, because if Tony’s blind side isn’t well protected and he doesn’t have time to throw the ball, it doesn’t matter so much who is on the receiving end, and the depth behind Flow is totally untested. Spags says, “Lose Adams, and while he still is vitally important, at least the Cowboys would have the ability to slide Leonard Davis from guard to left tackle, even if it’s not his best position.” It’s a good point. But still, Flow is one of, if not the, best at his position, and that protection is prerequisite for everything else on offense. Overall I think it’s actually a really close call between all the guys behind Romo. But I’d say Romo #1, Flow #2, TO #3…

by scottmaui on Jul 22, 2008 3:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

good analysis Scott, I agree

I don’t think Free is quite ready to take on the league’s elite pass rushers yet and while Davis is an all pro guard, he’s a mediocre tackle at best.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 22, 2008 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

True we saw how good Brady looked with pressure in his face.. You take an All-NFL left tackle away and the game is totally different..

"You can't win until you're not afraid to lose"

by Wmillion on Jul 22, 2008 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good comparison

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 22, 2008 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Davis will NEVER play Tackle again

And thats a good thing, he has the measureables for a tackle, but not the footwork to play the position and if you spent any time watching Cardinal games, it was clear, tackle was not the position for him.

Flozell is not even close to being the best at his position, he belongs in the second tier of left tackles in the league.

The answer is T.O or Witten, without a healthy Terry Glenn on the other side, if one of those two guys are lost for any length of time, teams will just double the other, Crayton, Hurd and Austin scare nobody. Brad Johnson could move this offense if Romo goes down, although the Offense wont be forcing deep balls as much. With Hudson Houck coaching this offensive line, our running game will be more productive and consistant on first and second down, that alone will help the passing game if Romo was lost with an injury, since the offense will be spending less time in third and long.

by Deke on Jul 22, 2008 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

no way Johnson could equal Romo's production

our offense would be mediocre at best, and thats with MB3 and the Cat running wild.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 22, 2008 4:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We dont have to equal Romo's production

Our defense with the additions of Pacrat, Jenkins,Scandrick and Thomas and the fact its the econd year of this Phillips defense, we dont and shouldn’t have to depend on the offense to outscore our liabilities on defense. Two of the three liabilities are gone(Reeves and Jones) and the third(Roy) is spending more and more time on the bench. Last year with Romo at the helm, this team spent far too many times in third and long, our Line will be alot better running the ball. We need more balance on offense, we could survive on offense with Johnson running the offense, but losing T.O or Witten, because of Glenn’s injury and no speed on the other side, Romo would be trying to force balls into spaces that he shouldn’t. I’ll take a veteran in Johnson, because if T.O or Witten are lost, you’ll see the turnovers increase with Romo at the helm because he’d be trying to do too much. I’m not interesed having a Brett favre gunslinger back there making mistake that cost you games, and Romo forces ball into spaces too many times. Losing T.O or Witten is a bigger loss than Romo during a season, but we all hope we dont lose anyone on offense.

by Deke on Jul 22, 2008 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finally

Some common sense. Dilfer could run this offense if the Defense is as good as advertised. I’m not saying I prefer Johnson over a healthy Romo – I like at least some offensive fireworks but Defense wins championships so long as the bus driver can keep it between the lines.

Romo’s ability to escape and improvise was only masking the reasons he HAD TO escape and improvise.

by Doomsday on Jul 22, 2008 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you make no sense

the reason a qb has to escape and improvise is because his protection breaks down, you give Romo a clean pocket, he’ll slice you up just like Brady and Manning.

Also, bus driver qbs are no longer capable of winning championships, the days of Dilfer and Johnson winning SBs are long gone.

The last 5 SB qbs all have been play making qbs, Brady, Roethlisberger, and the Manning brothers.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 23, 2008 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Romo

Had a clean pocket a lot last season.. Romo did a lot less scrambling last year then in the previous year.

Our Line is the best in league, hands down, and will only be better with another year together..

"You can't win until you're not afraid to lose"

by Wmillion on Jul 23, 2008 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

you’ll never see Romo scramble or improvise if he has a clean pocket, unless nobody is open is rarely the case as T.O. and Witten are almost always open.

If our OL plays better this season, and I agree they are the best OL in the league, Romo puts up better numbers this season barring injury, I’m looking at 4500+ yds and 40+ TDs.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 23, 2008 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plus Romo gets the ball out quick

One thing I noticed last season was how quick he was from snap to release. He didn’t take long to read the defense and go through his progressions, and his actual release was rapid, one quick step forward and throw.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 23, 2008 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

right on Tom, no qb has a quicker release in the league

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 23, 2008 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But no one gets a clean pocket

that much anymore. The better lines provide it most of the time, but there will always be breakdowns either due to great coverage, OL mistakes or well executed blitzes. That’s when Romo pays off in spades.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 23, 2008 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes sir

it sure is fun to watch..

"You can't win until you're not afraid to lose"

by Wmillion on Jul 23, 2008 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know dunk

Other than the SB, I rarely ever saw Brady or Manning operate without a clean pocket.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 24, 2008 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm glad you said during the season

because there is absolutely no way we could win the playoffs with Johnson, absolutely no way. Defense and a good running game will only get you so far, in the playoffs your qb better make plays or you’ll lose, its that simple.

And Brad Johnson is no where near a play making qb.

That being said, I still say we’d be hard pressed to go better than 9-7 without Romo.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jul 23, 2008 8:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

2nd Tier

Behind who?

I can only think of one LT that is hands down better then Flo.. That is Walter Jones.

"You can't win until you're not afraid to lose"

by Wmillion on Jul 22, 2008 4:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

here's another, jonathan Ogden, and he just retired

Pace, Jones and Ogden are and were elite Tackles, Flozell is behind them.

by Deke on Jul 22, 2008 4:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ogden

Wasn’t better then Flo last year, neither was pace. Are you talking about the current NFL or 2 years ago?

If your are saying Tier 1 is only going to have one guy in it, then I can agree, but Flo is the 2nd best Tackle in the league right now.

"You can't win until you're not afraid to lose"

by Wmillion on Jul 22, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

pass blocking

Flow may not be the best in run blocking, but I think he’s in the top tier in pass blocking which is absolutely critical for everything else to work.

by scottmaui on Jul 22, 2008 4:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

we know Flozell is the best in the league for false starting, that I'll give you.

by Deke on Jul 22, 2008 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

true that. but he’s so good at pass protection that they give him a pass on the false starts and consider that an acceptable price for his skill at the position.

by scottmaui on Jul 22, 2008 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

tru dat

we”ve seen games without FLO,(offense looked bad, seemed like nobody was blocking),seen games without T.O.(offense much slower,not too productive),
got a taste of Romo being out of the game(barely get a first down),
its obvious that we need everybody in place, in order to fullfill our goal, i guess im saying that all players hold equal importance for their position, & were”nt the same team with anybody out.
i keep going back to the running game, i think it could be the best combo we”ve seen in quite a while(outside Emmitt & Tony D)

by bleedn blu on Jul 22, 2008 4:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

STOPPPPPPP!!!!!

This is incredibly unlucky to even think about.

You’ve been warned Brandon!

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 22, 2008 5:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

My favorite quote so far from Wade-P on Ham

because it means ears-pinned-back-pressure.

“It looks like we may play a little more man-to-man, and he’s really good at playing the free safety side. I think that’ll add even more to what he can do and what we can do.”

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 22, 2008 5:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

heck yeah

now more soft zone BS. we’re coming after you baby. i can’t wait to play the iggles and giants and pop manning and mcnabb in the mouth.

by Tuna Helper on Jul 22, 2008 5:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

soft zone!!!

Nothing makes my skin crawl more than hearing that term or watching it. If we play that more than five percent with the talent we have at corner this year, I’ll need a new pioneer flat screen.

by Deke on Jul 22, 2008 6:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ditto

I hated watching the “Automatic-10-yard-third-down-pick-up”.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jul 23, 2008 5:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

At least 2 corners who can play excellent man, Newman and Pac

Maybe Jenkins and Scandrick will be able to down the road. Yeah, I think Ellis ,Spencer and Ware are foaming at the mouth to get after the QB this year. Canty, Tank, Rat, and Hatch as well.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Jul 22, 2008 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Wade, don't jinx us!

Man, I don’t want a single member of the Cowboys organization (from Jerry Jones to Romo to the janitorial trainees) to even MENTION the words “Ring” or “Super Bowl”.

You can't have Thunder without Lightning.

by Nelson... on Jul 22, 2008 10:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs