Wow! I got up this morning and saw this thread had grown another 10 pages. Couldn't believe. And I was stupid enough to go through all the pages and catch up on the argument. Some pretty decent thoughts.
For those supporting Owens, here are some things to consider in your arguments:
• The media did not derail, destroy or affect this team this year alone. They are A reason for the downfall. Not THE reason. (now I feel like lew with all the random all caps)
• Anytime someone within an organization seeks the media to get their thoughts public, it's going to create dissention. There's no two ways around it. What was TO's rationale for going to the media? What was the end result he was looking for? More passes his way? Well, he achieved that immediately after those comments, and he dropped more.
• One thing I don't agree with Hos on is playing the game. The highest level of football I played was junior high, but I have a pretty good understanding of the game. However, there is something to be said about playing. 5, if you can't understand that there is a certain level of importance by playing the game, you're wrong. Does that mean you have no understanding? I'm not saying that. Whether or not you have played does create two different chains of thought.
• TO might not have created the distractions that he did in SF and Philthy, but his track record suggests we are one spark away from an inferno. I don't want to see that happen. But, he's already thrown JG and Romo under the bus publicly. That's not the way to do it. I agree with the meeting he had with JG, but then to discuss it in the media was wrong. What was his agenda there? IMHO, TO is a cancer. Like he said about Garcia, if it walks like a rat and talks like a rat...
• I believe Jones would cut Owens if he could. He made it clear that in order to re-sign Ware, they couldn't cut Owens (or anyone else with a high-dollar contract, but specifically mentioned TO). Even the owner, to some extent, is getting exhausted by all of this.
• My final thought is this. No one opposite the TO apologists, from what I remember in the 34 pages of this thread, said get rid of TO. If I missed that, I apologize. But, the fact is, we understand his talent and what he contributes to the team. What we don't like is the direct or indirect distractions he causes; the divisiveness in the lockerroom; the negative attention. If he could learn to keep his mouth shut and address concerns to JG, Wade or Jerry and leave it out of the media, I guarantee you most of us would be fine with him. But, it's the attention he creates that raises the red flag. It's not just us. Everytime there is something on the news about the Cowboys, it usually involves TO. And let's face it, if it wasn't for the media, you wouldn't be getting any information on the Boys. Whether or not you like them, you need them.
