I never thought it would happen

[mr.jameswoods]

Those of you who know me are aware that I'm a cynic. I have always detested the hypocrisy associated with sports. For decades, sports has always preached about character but turned a blind eye if a player could produce. This issue has always saddened me. As kids, we are taught sportsmanship and to show respect for your teammates and even your opponents at the completion of a game. It seemed as you climbed the ladder of organized sports, the issues of character and sportsmanship were tossed aside. Sure, if a player failed to produce and was a nuisance on the field, he would be lambasted by the media. There are several examples of this but Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Then there are players who produce but are devoid of sportsmanship and yet are praised. Bill Romanowski is a fine example for this. For years, Romo behaved like a thug but yielded results on the field so the media depicted him as a man of great fortitude that just happened to be too aggressive. Even the "great" Tom Osbourne at Nebraska gave Lawrence Phillips a tap on the wrist after he assaulted his girlfriend and was jailed.

This is the first time, I have seen a professional or collegiate sports organization do the right thing. TO is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. One could argue he would add 3 or 4 wins to the Eagles record just by himself. But I'm glad the Eagles organization and coach Andy Reid did the right thing and placed character above winning. I thought I would never see the day. It's nice to know that these values haven't completely escaped our world. It's nice to see the bad boys not get away with it for once.

[joseephuss]

Those of you who know me are aware that I'm a cynic. I have always detested the hypocrisy associated with sports. For decades, sports has always preached about character but turned a blind eye if a player could produce. This issue has always saddened me. As kids, we are taught sportsmanship and to show respect for your teammates and even your opponents at the completion of a game. It seemed as you climbed the ladder of organized sports, the issues of character and sportsmanship were tossed aside. Sure, if a player failed to produce and was a nuisance on the field, he would be lambasted by the media. There are several examples of this but Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Then there are players who produce but are devoid of sportsmanship and yet are praised. Bill Romanowski is a fine example for this. For years, Romo behaved like a thug but yielded results on the field so the media depicted him as a man of great fortitude that just happened to be too aggressive. Even the "great" Tom Osbourne at Nebraska gave Lawrence Phillips a tap on the wrist after he assaulted his girlfriend and was jailed.

This is the first time, I have seen a professional or collegiate sports organization do the right thing. TO is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. One could argue he would add 3 or 4 wins to the Eagles record just by himself. But I'm glad the Eagles organization and coach Andy Reid did the right thing and placed character above winning. I thought I would never see the day. It's nice to know that these values haven't completely escaped our world. It's nice to see the bad boys not get away with it for once.


Stay a cynic James. This wouldn't be happening if Philly was 7-1 instead of 4-4. :D

[blindzebra]

One could argue that they are in fact giving Owens what he wants.

This is a calculated hi-jacking of the season by Owens and his sleazy agent. Holding out but going to camp, faking injuries, refusing to talk, disrespecting coaches and teammates, getting into fist fights, faking apologies, etc.

It's all led to this, and it is exactly what TO wanted, his freedom and the ability to suck up the spot light and play the victim.

[LaTunaNostra]

Well, I guess I am even more cynical than you are James, because I see this as the epitome of the expedient act. There is NO WAY TO could have stayed...the locker room would be lost if he had been allowed to.

I don't see where Lurie, Banner, and Reid did anything they weren't forced into a corner to do. I saw marginally more integrity in Guden's dismissal of Key, and much more in Jerry and Bill's release of Quincy. Of course, suspending a player who is arguably the best at his position looks like it takes more stones, but the Philly FO's hand was totally forced.

Once TO lost so much control he was fist fighting with Douglas and challenging the rest of his teammates to fight, the FO could not trust him not to meltdown on a steady basis.

Next meltdown could have been public, and then no on would have had mercy on Lurie and Reid.

[ABQCOWBOY]

Do yourself a favor TO. Invest in a small tube of LockTight before you manage to lose what few screws you have left in the head of yours.

Contract Ploy on TOs part IMO.

[mr.jameswoods]

Stay a cynic James. This wouldn't be happening if Philly was 7-1 instead of 4-4. :D

But Philly isn't 1-7 and it's not like the Giants are 7-1 and the Cowboys are 6-2. And considering they only lost to the Redskins by a TD last week, I think the Eagles deserve credit. They are making a sacrafice.

[Doomsday101]

But Philly isn't 1-7 and it's not like the Giants are 7-1 and the Cowboys are 6-2. And considering they only lost to the Redskins by a TD last week, I think the Eagles deserve credit. They are making a sacrafice.

I agree and frankly Reggie Brown looked pretty decent out there in place of TO

[mr.jameswoods]

Well, I guess I am even more cynical than you are James, because I see this as the epitome of the expedient act. There is NO WAY TO could have stayed...the locker room would be lost if he had been allowed to.

I don't see where Lurie, Banner, and Reid did anything they weren't forced into a corner to do. I saw marginally more integrity in Guden's dismissal of Key, and much more in Jerry and Bill's release of Quincy. Of course, suspending a player who is arguably the best at his position looks like it takes more stones, but the Philly FO's hand was totally forced.

Once TO lost so much control he was fist fighting with Douglas and challenging the rest of his teammates to fight, the FO could not trust him not to meltdown on a steady basis.

Next meltdown could have been public, and then no on would have had mercy on Lurie and Reid.

The Eagles could have easily suspended him for a game and fined him additional money. Andy Reid could have pulled a Steve Mariucci and argued that his players are like a family and families fight blah blah. They could have spinned it if they truly wanted to but the Eagles said NO.

You have to give the Eagles credit. They didn't extend his contract in the offseason which other teams would have eventually caved into doing. Even the 49ers were wanting TO to stay prior to his departure to the Eagles. The 49ers still wanted him even after he bashed their organization. The Eagles have stood by their principles.

[joseephuss]

But Philly isn't 1-7 and it's not like the Giants are 7-1 and the Cowboys are 6-2. And considering they only lost to the Redskins by a TD last week, I think the Eagles deserve credit. They are making a sacrafice.

I agree with you. It is good to see. They are also making a smart move. They could just out right release him today and be done with the rest of his salary once another team picked him up. They don't give up a good player to any competitors.

[blindzebra]

But Philly isn't 1-7 and it's not like the Giants are 7-1 and the Cowboys are 6-2. And considering they only lost to the Redskins by a TD last week, I think the Eagles deserve credit. They are making a sacrafice.

Nobody is good enough to outweigh the baggage he was bringing, nobody.

They will be a much more dangerous team without the distractions. They will pull together and rally, I suspect their defense will regain some of that fire they have been missing.

[Doomsday101]

"I came here with hopes of playing with a guy like Donovan who has obviously made me a better receiver. A receiver is only as good as his quarterback, and I thank God for Donovan. It started out when we played our first preseason game at the Linc. We showed the world and made a statement, and we're trying to finish it up here."


My how times have changed. LOL

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/07/29/gallery.to/content.11.html

[trickblue]

Those of you who know me are aware that I'm a cynic. I have always detested the hypocrisy associated with sports. For decades, sports has always preached about character but turned a blind eye if a player could produce. This issue has always saddened me. As kids, we are taught sportsmanship and to show respect for your teammates and even your opponents at the completion of a game. It seemed as you climbed the ladder of organized sports, the issues of character and sportsmanship were tossed aside. Sure, if a player failed to produce and was a nuisance on the field, he would be lambasted by the media. There are several examples of this but Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Then there are players who produce but are devoid of sportsmanship and yet are praised. Bill Romanowski is a fine example for this. For years, Romo behaved like a thug but yielded results on the field so the media depicted him as a man of great fortitude that just happened to be too aggressive. Even the "great" Tom Osbourne at Nebraska gave Lawrence Phillips a tap on the wrist after he assaulted his girlfriend and was jailed.

This is the first time, I have seen a professional or collegiate sports organization do the right thing. TO is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. One could argue he would add 3 or 4 wins to the Eagles record just by himself. But I'm glad the Eagles organization and coach Andy Reid did the right thing and placed character above winning. I thought I would never see the day. It's nice to know that these values haven't completely escaped our world. It's nice to see the bad boys not get away with it for once.

Landry cut Hollywood Henderson loose long before this...

Some teams/coaches have integrity...

[joseephuss]

Nobody is good enough to outweigh the baggage he was bringing, nobody.

They will be a much more dangerous team without the distractions. They will pull together and rally, I suspect their defense will regain some of that fire they have been missing.

Line play is the key. Their offensive line as not played well. Their once deep and quality defensive line is not as good. It has been a little more than missing fire, it has been poor play. They can still win games. Dallas can't worry about what other teams are doing. The Cowboys have to concentrate on executing their own schemes and game plans.

[mr.jameswoods]

Nobody is good enough to outweigh the baggage he was bringing, nobody.

They will be a much more dangerous team without the distractions. They will pull together and rally, I suspect their defense will regain some of that fire they have been missing.

Let's be honest, most teams babysit the player as opposed to disciplining him especially if he is the best at his position and one of the best overall players in the league. We have all observed situations in which the team will acquiesce to the players demands in some manner either by taking him back or publicly apologizing to the player etc. TO was a distraction last year too but Andy Reid and McNabb acted like the bigger men and thus eliminated a major distraction.

Obviously, this decision wasn't based purely on principle. Of course they are aware that his distraction would hurt the team. However, the Eagles have stood to their guns and refused to extend his contract or baby him by celebrating his 100th TD catch. Their decision to cut him outright especially when they lack no other receiving thread and when they have 8 games left in the season takes balls.

I think more teams will start following the Eagles' example and show no hesitation if a player starts to get out of line. It's nice to see the tide is turning and it's "cool" to release headaches regardless of their talent.

[blindzebra]

Line play is the key. Their offensive line as not played well. Their once deep and quality defensive line is not as good. It has been a little more than missing fire, it has been poor play. They can still win games. Dallas can't worry about what other teams are doing. The Cowboys have to concentrate on executing their own schemes and game plans.

I agree, but nothing is more dangerous than a team with a taste for winning that is suddenly the underdog and being written off.

[LaTunaNostra]

The Eagles could have easily suspended him for a game and fined him additional money. Andy Reid could have pulled a Steve Mariucci and argued that his players are like a family and families fight blah blah. They could have spinned it if they truly wanted to but the Eagles said NO.

You have to give the Eagles credit. They didn't extend his contract in the offseason which other teams would have eventually caved into doing. Even the 49ers were wanting TO to stay prior to his departure to the Eagles. The 49ers still wanted him even after he bashed their organization. The Eagles have stood by their principles.
Well, I don't think they dared suspend him for a game. When he returned , he'd have fermented just that much more.

Here is a man who has been doing a not particularly slow burn sunce January. A man never noted for the ability to control his emotions. One who some of us doubted would have the self discipline to make it thru camp without a meltdown.

His fist fight and taunting of his teammates were a very strong warning that someone was eventually going to get hurt.

I feel the Eagles had no choice.

In the next few weeks, I suspect we hear even more horror stories about how far things had gotten.

[mr.jameswoods]

Landry cut Hollywood Henderson loose long before this...

Some teams/coaches have integrity...

With respect to Hollywood Henderson, he wasn't the most dominant player at his position at the time. And it's not like he was booted off the team because he was simply mouthing off.

In the past, most coaches tolerate players who are cocky if they clean off the field and demonstrate a good work ethic. They just attribute their cockiness to their competitive nature.

I never thought I would see a team have the balls to kick off a player who was the best at his position, clean off the field and demonstrated a great work ethic.

Joe Montanta was quoted as saying he couldn't really comment because he had never seen a situation like Terrel Owens before. Usually if a good player gets kicked of the team, it's due to drugs or crime-related acts.

[blindzebra]

Let's be honest, most teams babysit the player as opposed to disciplining him especially if he is the best at his position and one of the best overall players in the league. We have all observed situations in which the team will acquiesce to the players demands in some manner either by taking him back or publicly apologizing to the player etc. TO was a distraction last year too but Andy Reid and McNabb acted like the bigger men and thus eliminated a major distraction.

Obviously, this decision wasn't based purely on principle. Of course they are aware that his distraction would hurt the team. However, the Eagles have stood to their guns and refused to extend his contract or baby him by celebrating his 100th TD catch. Their decision to cut him outright especially when they lack no other receiving thread and when they have 8 games left in the season takes balls.

I think more teams will start following the Eagles' example and show no hesitation if a player starts to get out of line. It's nice to see the tide is turning and it's "cool" to release headaches regardless of their talent.

I could say none of it is on principle, because this entire thing was orchestrated by Rosenhaus. They forced the Eagles hand, and TO would have kept raising the bar on his behavior, if they had not done this.

TO and the sleazebag will be on ESPN talking about how TO is the victim and all he wants to do is win. Care to bet on it?:D

[WV Cowboy]

Landry cut Hollywood Henderson loose long before this...

Some teams/coaches have integrity...
Oh my gosh, you just ripped open a scar from my heart.

I hated that day, because I loved Hollywood Henderson.
What an amazing athlete he was.
You don't see LB's returning KO's any more.

Amazing, ... the patience of Landry.

We will wait a long time before we see another Landry.

[Sarge]

Stay a cynic James. This wouldn't be happening if Philly was 7-1 instead of 4-4. :D

Exactly........

[mr.jameswoods]

Well, I don't think they dared suspend him for a game. When he returned , he'd have fermented just that much more.

Here is a man who has been doing a not particularly slow burn sunce January. A man never noted for the ability to control his emotions. One who some of us doubted would have the self discipline to make it thru camp without a meltdown.

His fist fight and taunting of his teammates were a very strong warning that someone was eventually going to get hurt.

I feel the Eagles had no choice.

In the next few weeks, I suspect we hear even more horror stories about how far things had gotten.

What's great about this act, is that it will set a precedent. I don't think teams will no longer fear removing their best player. In the past, teams have put up with these narcissistic crybaby type of players because they were good and had no choice but to babysit them. I think things have changed and teams are no longer going to put with the Terrel Owens and Allen Iversons of the world.

[trickblue]

With respect to Hollywood Henderson, he wasn't the most dominant player at his position at the time. And it's not like he was booted off the team because he was simply mouthing off.

In the past, most coaches tolerate players who are cocky if they clean off the field and demonstrate a good work ethic. They just attribute their cockiness to their competitive nature.

I never thought I would see a team have the balls to kick off a player who was the best at his position, clean off the field and demonstrated a great work ethic.

Joe Montanta was quoted as saying he couldn't really comment because he had never seen a situation like Terrel Owens before. Usually if a good player gets kicked of the team, it's due to drugs or crime-related acts.

HH was certainly a top-tier player... and certainly a well-known name...

The final straw was him hamming it up on camera during a Cowboys loss...

He stated he was shocked that Landry cut him...

[kartr]

I think the Eagles organization is snookering everybody. Getting rid of an unpopular player makes them look like the good guys and deflects attention away from the Eagles bad defensive play and the lack of a running game. Those things are hurting the Eagles more than anything and TO gives them a convenient excuse for not playing well this year. Next year when they aren't playing well and TO is long gone, they're going to have some serious explaining to do about how a super bowl team could have fallen so quickly and TO excuse ain't going to play. I would have told my players to just ignore TO's antics and let him finish the season out and try and make the playoffs and afterwards, just release him. Cutting him now or just sitting him doesn't help them or TO. It actually hurts both parties. I think both sides have let their egos dominate their good sense.

[dallasblue05]

Stay a cynic James. This wouldn't be happening if Philly was 7-1 instead of 4-4. :D

Wether you meant it or not, I agree with this, very well put. It is hard to say though, because Andy Reid is that kind of guy, but you have to wonder if he'd done it if they had a real shot, he sure wouldnt have last year, thats a fact!!

[mr.jameswoods]

Wether you meant it or not, I agree with this, very well put. It is hard to say though, because Andy Reid is that kind of guy, but you have to wonder if he'd done it if they had a real shot, he sure wouldnt have last year, thats a fact!!

I would agree with all of you if the Eagles were 2-6 but the fact that they are 4-4 with 8 games remaining and the division leader is only 2 games ahead leads me to think otherwise.