TO vs Irvin:
Owens is a great player once he has the ball in his hands, other than that he is useful only as a decoy IMO. He drops way too many passes, loses concentration on the game if he isn't the focus of the offense, can be an awesome blocker when he wants to be but unfortunately that isn't very often, and goes out of his way to be a distraction and bring division to any team he plays for.
Irvin was an outstanding receiver and a very effective blocker until the later years of his career when he stopped doing it very often. He also had times when he would not be into the game, again this was later in his career. In his prime he was one of the best WRs in the game and was a threat on every play. Irvin took every opportunity to draw attention to himself both on and off the field with his 1st down antics and the way he dressed.
I never liked Michael Irvin and still don't. When he got busted for drugs and hookers he never seemed to be repentant for anything except that he got caught. The fact that he got busted later for the same thing showed that indeed he did not change. What he did to his wife and family through all of that stuff, not to mention to his teammates, and then didn't have the character or integrity to make changes in his life was what truly galled me.
Irvin most defintely hurt this team just as TO has hurt his teams, the difference to me is that Irvin's teammates, his QB in particular, stood behind him all along while Owens has alienated his teammates, in particular his QBs, at every turn.
They are very much alike which is why Irvin likes Owens so much. I don't like either guy and would never want a player like Owens, Moss, or Irvin on my Cowboys team regardless of how talented they are.
Michael did a lot of great things for us on the field but ultimately he hurt us just as much and his legacy will continue to affect this team for many years to come. Maybe that's a good thing in that we will avoid like the plague any player who resembles his ilk in the future.
I know many here will call me crazy and question my loyalty to the team but my loyalty IS to this TEAM and not to the individual players. I rooted like crazy for the guys I liked and wished we had never signed guys like Irvin or Deion no matter what they did for us because IMO they disgraced the uniform they wore. Just my opinion.
...I'm also aware of all Irvins issues and what he did to the face of the franchise, BUT in my mind he never tried demean the team and purposely drag other players down in the way TO is. When someone puts themselves above their team....they have gone way to far.
