I'm not talking about us being the #1 team in the NFL, unless you count Peter King's prediction that we will win the Super Bowl. I'm not talking about the fact that the Terrell Owens Dallas Cowboys jersey is currently the #1 seller, according to ESPN. So what am I talking about?
We are the #1 "things to watch for in NFL training camps". Almost every story talking about training camps lists the "T.O. story" as the #1 item of interest. MSNBC is no different.
Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones is clearly tired of the fact his team hasn't won a playoff game in a decade and so he gave it off-season shock therapy. Now the question becomes who will need further counseling -- his team or his newest acquisition?
Jones' decision to hire mercurial wide receiver Terrell Owens was a major gamble. Owens is a difference maker and a game breaker. He's also a self-absorbed headache. Jones is betting T.O. will be on his best behavior this year, as he was his first season in Philadelphia before he went after quarterback Donovan McNabb and split the team into warring factions. If he is, he has the talent to not only score touchdowns but to lift the play of fellow wideout Terry Glenn and resurrect the career of Drew Bledsoe. If he isn't, he has the personality to destroy the locker room and send Bill Parcells screaming into early retirement.
His recent off-season comments about his perceived importance in Dallas' offense and Parcells' sure desire to get him the ball seem ominous but time will tell if T.O. will need a timeout or opposing defensive coordinator's will need a tranquilizer.
Owens comments about Parcells' desire to get him the ball just seems like common-sense to me. What coach wouldn't want to get one of the top playmakers in the NFL the ball as often as possible?
Alas, when it comes to ranking the teams going into training camp we aren't #1, but at least we are usually ranked in the top 10. So it goes with this DFW-ST article.
The Cowboys spent more than $40 million in signing bonuses to add some high-profile players, none bigger than wide receiver Terrell Owens. Owens, who signed a three-year, $25 million deal, instantly becomes the biggest name in Dallas. Bill Parcells has playmakers on offense in Owens, wide receiver Terry Glenn, tight end Jason Witten and running back Julius Jones, a veteran quarterback in Drew Bledsoe and an aggressive 3-4 defense with potential stars in second-year players Marcus Spears and DeMarcus Ware. The Cowboys are planning on winning now in what could be Parcells' final season.