Well, everyone who thought that it wouldn’t be long before the Dallas Cowboys would come to regret signing Terrell Owens were right.
After three seasons and just as many lowlights as highlights, the Cowboys are parting ways with T.O. Jerry Jones has played the situation close to the vest up to this point, trying not to give much away, but it looks like he’s decided enough is enough.
Not a moment too soon, or should the Cowboys have continued to not look past the stat sheet?
When T.O. is T.O., he can be a dominant force. Remember how he torched San Francisco for 213 yards and three touchdowns last season?
And then you take into consideration how much of a distraction he can be, and it was easily the right move. Sure, the team takes a hit financially by jettisoning him, and anytime you let go of one of the league’s top players at any position, you lose something. But by making a move for the good of the team (and it is), it’s better in the long run.
Where will he go? As checkered as his resume may be, he hasn’t had an issue finding a new home before, and it won’t be an issue this time. He’s burned his bridges with a few teams, and with quite a few people, but maybe there could be a home for him with the New York Jets (T.O. and the Big Apple…a perfect fit, right?), Oakland (they need a receiver, and Al Davis is, well, Al Davis), Washington (less need, but replace Al Davis with Dan Snyder).
ESPN’s Tim Graham likes the idea of Miami, but as many former faces from Dallas as there are there are now, I’m not sure how excited Bill Parcells would be to reunite with ’the player.’ Still, someone will probably ask him about it over the next few days, just to see whether or not he refers to him as ‘the player’ again.
But he’ll land on his feet, and so will the Cowboys.
Roy Williams didn’t have the expected impact after the Cowboys traded for him last season, but he‘s got the opportunity to become Tony Romo‘s go-to guy now, and we know what he capable of when he‘s playing well. It also doesn’t hurt to have one of the league’s top pass-catching tight ends in Jason Witten, and Patrick Crayton and Martellus Bennett are also reliable options.
Sure, Tony Romo will miss having T.O. to throw to, but now, he won’t have to worry about trying to force the ball to him to pacify his need for the ball. And last year, though his numbers were more than respectable, they weren’t enough to mask his issues with drops in key situations, or any of the other stuff already previously covered.
It goes without saying that the Cowboys do need to make some additions. Not having their first-round pick affects them, considering that someone like Jeremy Maclin could be available where they would’ve been picking at #20, but they’ll cope. Brian Robiskie, Juaquin Iglesias, or Louis Murphy could all be available in the second round or early in the third (they have Cleveland‘s pick at #69).
Getting this release done a little quicker could’ve given them an opportunity to make a run at T.J. Houshmandzadeh or Laveranues Coles, but the perfect option might be coming available soon, with Torry Holt trying to engineer an exit from St. Louis.
Holt is 32, and last season, his run of eight straight 1,000 yard seasons was snapped, when he caught only 64 passes for 798 yards and three touchdowns.
But, he’s got plenty left in the tank, and playing on a team that should be a contender could help bring out the best that he has left. The intangibles are just as important, because Dallas couldn’t possibly think of replacing one malcontent with another (right?). Holt would provide some veteran leadership in the locker room and on the field, and a much-needed breath of fresh air. Like the presence of Isaac Bruce in St. Louis no doubt helped him, he can help mentor the younger receivers and overall do more than just contribute on the field.
It makes perfect sense to me, and if I was in the Cowboys‘ front office, I’d be on the phone to Holt’s agent the second he gets his release from the Rams.
