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All T.O. all the time

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By Dave Halprin
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Get used to it. If the rumor turns out to be true and we sign Owens over the weekend or on Monday, then the topic of conversation will be Terrell Owens pretty much 24/7 around Valley Ranch. Every move he makes will be analyzed, every utterance from Terrell's mouth with be scrutinized for hidden meanings and perceived slights.

What I'm curious to know is where does Bill Parcells stand on this? Is this strictly a Jerry move and it's being forced on Parcells? Did Parcells conclude that he can handle T.O. and needs him to win it all? Did Bill and Jerry agree and decide that there's a big risk but also a big reward with Owens; so let's get it done and see what happens? Inquiring minds want to know.

Tim Colishaw has one of his better articles up appropriately titled: "It appears the ego has landed". Nice. Here are some choice quotes from the article.

That's when Jerry Jones rolls out the welcome mat for Terrell Owens, and he will gleefully stomp on it as he did the Texas Stadium star in 2000. Then the discussions begin on whether Owens or Jones is the most despised sports figure in town.

The bottom line: T.O. is bad news for the Cowboys, bad news for local beat writers who must chronicle his antics on a daily basis and great news for columnists, who thrive on easy topics, i.e. targets.

So after this move takes place, if anyone out there is still trying to sell the line that Parcells calls all the football shots for Dallas, consider that person either uninformed or insane.

You can expect Owens to be a Cowboy this season and you can expect Parcells to be an ex-Cowboys coach in 2007.

You don't need any more evidence than what is out there. Owens is a marvelous talent incapable of putting the needs of a team ahead of his self-interest. He has taken the role of "it's all about me" whiny millionaire athlete to a level that Barry Bonds or Stephon Marbury can't approach.

I think we can safely mark down Tim Colishaw in the "No to T.O." column.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Johnson spoke to Randy Galloway and gave his take on signing T.O.

"To me, it depends on how secure the coach is," [Johnson] said. "If he's got a five-year deal, then I wouldn't mess with a Terrell Owens.

"But if I'm in a situation where I needed to win this year, then, yeah, I'd do it. Go ahead, give it a try. What is there to lose for a coach?"

"I don't mind a little tension on a good team," Johnson said. "But on a struggling team, it will destroy you. And in the long run on any kind of team, it's not good.

"With Terrell, he's going to be disruptive. He's going to be yelling at Drew [Bledsoe], he's going to divide your locker room. It may be sooner, it may be later, but it will be a negative for your team.

"If you want his talent, you've also got to be willing to accept that."

All discussion about T.O. coming to Dallas is academic now - if the rumors are true - and pretty soon the "ego will land". Our football future will be tied to a petulant, selfish, ego-maniac who has talent to spare on the football field.

Good luck to us.

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