SN Breer: Five reasons why Jerry Jones cut Terrell Owens

[WoodysGirl]

Posted: March 5, 2009

The NFL world took Terrell Owens' ouster like a sucker punch, but the truth is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent a lot of time preparing for this fight.
Some within the Cowboys organization have been calling for Owens' release since the Philadelphia Eagles clobbered Dallas 44-6 in the season finale. The due date for Owens' $3.1 million roster bonus, June 1, gave team officials time to decide on whether that was prudent.
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So why in the first week of March?

Because of the heavy financial implications ($9.675 million in dead money on the cap), Jones commissioned his own exhaustive study on the decision. By making the move now, the team can go into its offseason program, set to kick off in late March, without the question hanging over its head.

"In the aftermath of the season, we talked about change," Jones said in a news release. "This is a decision that was made based upon consideration for an entire team. We will move on now with a new team -- a new attitude -- and into a new stadium."

This wasn't a kneejerk decision.

Jones' cryptic comments Feb. 17 led some to believe Owens would be returning for the '09 season. But that weekend, at the NFL Scouting Combine, Cowboys officials cautioned others around the NFL against making that assumption. They knew the decision-making process was ongoing
Behold: Less than two weeks later, Owens was released.

"It's a good move to do it now because there won't be any lingering questions," former Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson said. "If they went to minicamp with the same questions -- What about T.O.? Should he be on team? -- that's a distraction. You're talking about issues other than football. By doing this, you eliminate that."

Here are five reasons why Jones needed to make this move, outside of the obvious decline in production T.O. experienced last fall:

1. A youth movement afoot
With the release of Owens, backup quarterback Jon Kitna is the Cowboys' only skill-position player in his 30s.

"I look at this as more of a strategic move relative to personnel than I do something wrong with Terrell," Jones told the NFL Network.

There is merit to that line of thinking. With the offseason program starting in a couple weeks, Cowboys officials thought it important to move forward without questions.

Tony Romo knows who his receivers will be. [URL="http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:fantasyPopup('nfl',%206766)"]Roy Williams[/URL], Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten will work as a unit with him, as will a stable of talented running backs. The offense can grow in the form it will be come September. And youthful talent, be it Williams or Felix Jones, no longer will be forced into subservient roles.

2. A quarterback's development
No longer will Romo have to think, "Well, I haven't thrown to Terrell in a while," and worry about the repercussions. Owens was targeted, according to Stats, Inc., 140 times last season, ninth most of any NFL receiver. In four of 12 starts in '08, Romo threw to him more than 10 times.

And it wasn't enough to keep Owens happy.

A big part of a quarterback's development is seeing the whole field and finding the open man. With the Cowboys' weapons, the time is now for Romo to flourish. Releasing Owens grants him the clear head to do that.

3. Respect for a coach
Take it from those who know: The relationship between Owens and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was just about irreparable.

When Garrett lost out to Steve Spagnuolo for the St. Louis Rams' coaching job, Jones was backed into a corner, between his superstar receiver and a coordinator who, with a $3 million salary, has all but been named Wade Phillips' replacement.

"Everyone liked his work ethic, and the bottom line for some people was that, especially on a high-profile team, his work would carry him through," said one source close to the situation. "But I know T.O. didn't have a lot of respect for Jason, and that led to the demise of their relationship. (Owens) told him that personally, and once he did that, there was no going back."

4. A call for leaders
Romo is 29. Witten and DeMarcus Ware are 26. They must be team leaders.
With the charismatic Owens roaming the locker room, they lacked the juice to command the team. Now, those players, and other 20-somethings, can graduate to the head of the class.

"He was calling out Witten, calling out Romo, calling out Garrett," another Cowboys source said. "I mean, those are three pretty good guys."

Now, guys like that don't have to worry about looking over their shoulders when grabbing the team by the throat.

5. No more excuses
Some players loved Owens. Others didn't. Similar differences of opinion existed at the coaching and management levels.

But most would agree: Owens wasn't the only problem in the Cowboys' underachieving '08 season. Thing was, he absorbed so much blame that other big-money players who didn't play to expectations skated from criticism.

That crutch is now gone. And the message has been sent from the top.

If Jones can cut Owens, a player he loved, then everyone's on notice.

Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=524673

 

[fortdick]

If Jones can cut Owens, a player he loved, then everyone's on notice.

This may be the most telling thing to come from this whole soap opera. If everyone learns that they are not bigger than the team, then they can start winning.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I can see these being some of the reasons he was cut. Some of them make sense, some I'm not so sure about.

 

[Hostile]

I miss Breer at DMN.

 

[pgreptom]

I miss Breer at DMN.

I do, too.

This guy was the best thing to hit the DMN' since... geeze, I don't know.

I hardly even read DMN articles anymore.

His game breakdowns were always nice.

 

[viman96]

Good read and I agree with a lot of it.

 

[sonnyboy]

This may be the most telling thing to come from this whole soap opera. If everyone learns that they are not bigger than the team, then they can start winning.

Outstanding Article and I'm against the move.

But since I'm a Cowboy fan first and foremost I'm on board hoping for the best.

Great article on why it was done and what good should and needs to come out of it.

I certainly agree with the notion that it sends a strong message from Jones to the players.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Beer is a good reporter... He made a great point about Jerry Jones cutting players he loved because Roy Williams and T.O. certainly fit into that category.

 

[theogt]

Is he saying Owens told Garrett to his face that he didn't have much respect for him?

 

[sonnyboy]

Listening to Jerry, I got the feeling that furture cap implications may have been the deciding factor.

There's only so much money to go around. Making this move now will certainly free-up 2010 and 2011 dollars.

In the final analisys, he guess he saw the offensive talent around Owens, the promising youth behind him and the cap dollars we'll need to allocate to players like Ware, and it all added up to releasing Owens now.

 

[Big Dakota]

Listen up all you young athletes that haven't been brought up with a lot of structure or discipline in your lives, there is a thing called respect for others and on a TEAM there is a chain of command. Some of you guys that haven't had much of either in your upbringing didn't ever learn that, but kudos to Jerry for sending the message, the nuts aren't gonna run this house.

 

[Iago33]

Is he saying Owens told Garrett to his face that he didn't have much respect for him?

That's the way I read it.

 

[CoCo]

Is he saying Owens told Garrett to his face that he didn't have much respect for him?

That's how I read it. Also, I find it believable given all we've heard about TO's style.

Now, marry that with Greg Ellis' comments that despite his abrasive style if you stop and examine what TO says its all (all is probably an exaggeration)based in truth.

The result is that TO called out the OC publicly and backed it up to Garrett's face. Romo and others (Roy11? Crayton? honestly I'm struggling to recall) followed suit with some public comments of their own although a bit more tame.

Theoretical Conclusion by Jones: While Garrett admittedly struggled, (ie TO did tell the truth) public criticism of coaches may get you ousted. Here is where I conclude that even though others followed TO's critique and Newman also made some comments, its TO that is being blamed for creating that culture of public criticism and that while the others will get back in line with a hand-slap there is doubt as to whether TO ever would.

That, and the fact that there is some thought that perhaps his skills are noticeably declining (he'll be 36 this season) yet he's a heavy cap cost, combined with Jones wanting to at least give Garrett one more chance as OC and perhaps even still plans for him to be the HC someday, and TO is now on the streets.

That is my current theory anyway.

What's interesting is that Mr Wildcatter decided against going for broke with the team potentially on the cusp of big things. At this juncture, Jones took the safe route which is not his nature. Its probably in part why the decision took this long. It was one hairy decision rife with all sorts of assumptions and speculation about what would happen with TO still here

 

[Real1st]

Listen up all you young athletes that haven't been brought up with a lot of structure or discipline in your lives, there is a thing called respect for others and on a TEAM there is a chain of command. Some of you guys that haven't had much of either in your upbringing didn't ever learn that, but kudos to Jerry for sending the message, the nuts aren't gonna run this house.

This.


Players are not above coaches. T.O. still hasn't learned that in his 10+ year career. A very good message for jerry to send.

 

[Luther]

I miss Breer at DMN.

Agreed

 

[CoCo]

This.


Players are not above coaches. T.O. still hasn't learned that in his 10+ year career. A very good message for jerry to send.

But I suspect this decision is about way more than that. Otherwise, Newman and others might be packing their bags as well.

It actually parallels Jimmy's famous "toughness" with players who screw up. It only costs you your job if the team can afford to do without you. Jerry couldn't cut Newman, nor Romo, and I suspect he feels those folks can walk that public criticism line a bit more skillfully than TO.

But in the end this cut doesn't mean everyone must bow to coaches & management in all things. Just that the rest of your act better be pretty solid if you choose to do so. Same as Jimmy.

 

[Hypnotoad]

"But I know T.O. didn't have a lot of respect for Jason, and that led to the demise of their relationship. (Owens) told him that personally, and once he did that, there was no going back."

This is a problem you get when you bring younger people to be coaches or coordinators. The older players with more experience in the league think they know better.

Surprising that TO did that. He probably has poisoned most of the locker room against Garrett.

This further cements that the decision cutting him was correct.

 

[SMCowboy]

Hearing again that TO had no respect for Jason Garrett, is a HUGE red flag to me. What is wrong when TO has no respect for Garrett (who has interviewed with a couple of different teams two years in a row for a head coaching job), and Todd Haley who in his second year after leaving us, is now a Head Coach in the NFL.

 

[cowboyjoe]

Hostile, wasnt this the guy that wade phillips asked him for advice?

the main thing to me, now no one gets a free ride no more. Romo, Newman, Witten, Ware, no one! All are accountable and they cant blame T O now.

Now its up to them, no one else and the coaches!

 

[SMCowboy]

But I suspect this decision is about way more than that. Otherwise, Newman and others might be packing their bags as well.

It actually parallels Jimmy's famous "toughness" with players who screw up. It only costs you your job if the team can afford to do without you. Jerry couldn't cut Newman, nor Romo, and I suspect he feels those folks can walk that public criticism line a bit more skillfully than TO.

But in the end this cut doesn't mean everyone must bow to coaches & management in all things. Just that the rest of your act better be pretty solid if you choose to do so. Same as Jimmy.

You are right to a point. But, I never got the impression that Romo and/or Newman or anyone else on the team right now specifically didn't have any respect for Garrett or any coach on the team.

There is a difference between complaining about what is going on, and not having any respect for someone. While Romo definately did complain some with how the offense was running, I have never gotten the impression that Romo doesn't not only respect Garrett but also like Garrett both as a person and as a coach. The way I read the article and what I had heard before, TO not only complained about how the offense was running, he didn't respect Garrett as a coach. There is a HUGE difference between the two.....