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Is it also a relief knowing you won't have to schedule weekend activities around watching a Philly playoff game?
From PFT...
POSTED 11:38 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:09 p.m. EDT, August 13, 2006
JONES TRYING TO AVERT T.O-TUNA MELTDOWN?
There's an odd item in Sunday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding the potential volcano that currently is rumbling beneath the Cowboys' training camp in Oxnard.
Per Mac Engel, Cowboys owner/G.M. Jerry Jones says that he has sent a message to receiver Terrell Owens that the star receiver needs to get used to practicing at "75 percent."
It's not clear whether Owens actually got the message, since Jones communicated it to "some of Owens' trainers," an apparent reference to T.O.'s personal rehab crew that has been brought to camp to help him recover from a hamstring problem so severe that an MRI showed, well, no damage at all.
"Terrell only knows one way: that's at 100 percent," Jones said. "As he goes on into his career, if he can consistently practice at that 75 to 80 percent [level], that will help. It's not a criticism."
If it's not a criticism, what is it? It's not like Owens is a rookie who's trying to find his way in the mystical world of the NFL. He has shown in the past that, whatever happens in the preseason, he's ready to roll come September.
So why wouldn't Jones have the discussion directly with Owens? Does Jerry fear that, given T.O.'s reputation, there's no way to speak to him about the situation on a face-to-face basis without Owens presuming that he's being attacked or challenged?
And would Owens be wrong to view the "message" in such terms? The root of the situation is that Owens genuinely believes that he can't practice, and the team genuinely disagrees. Thus, the team essentially is challenging the player's assessment of his own health and condition.
Regardless, we think that the message here didn't originate with Jones, but with coach Bill Parcells. As we've recently explained, Parcells is privately telling folks "I told you so" about the decision to sign Owens, and that Parcells hates guys who won't practice or play in pain. Given, however, the intense media scrutiny of the Owens situation, and the consequences of a premature eruption of Mount Receiver-ass, the Tuna realizes that he can't handle the situation in the way that he has handled similar cir stances in the past.
In that regard, Owens already has won, by forcing Parcells to alter his nature. We assumed that Parcells would be knee-deep into T.O.'s rear end come training camp, in an effort to force him to snap, if at all, before the regular season starts.
Instead, Parcells is tiptoeing around Prince Terrell, likely because the veteran coach knows in his heart that, if he unloads on Owens, the Cowboys will be right in the middle of the same problem that the Eagles experienced a year ago.
Regardless of whether the ultimate motivation is to enhance the environment for winning or to avoid giving the media and/or the Eagles the satisfaction of seeing the situation in Dallas explode, our guess in light of Jones' remarks is that Parcells is getting closer to the end of his rope, and that he's giving the guy who writes the checks one chance to get Owens onto the practice field before the Tuna takes matters into his own hands.
Thus, with the first real game only four weeks away, we stand by our belief that there's a distinct chance that, come September 10, either Owens or Parcells will not be with the team.
In this regard, keep in mind that the Cowboys will avoid any responsibility for Owens' $5 million salary if he is not on the roster when the season opens. Though the remaining $3.4 million of his $5 million signing bonus would accelerate instantly against the 2006 salary cap, the net hit would actually be a gain on $1.6 million in cap space, if Parcells ultimately insists that Owens be released -- and if Jones agrees.
We're not suggesting that such an outcome is likely or even probable at this point. But it's definitely possible, and it's significantly more possible than it was when camp in Dallas opened.
aaaaaahhhhhhhhh. Such a relief to know that the media circus will be perfoming its act in Dallas this year instead of Philly. Enjoy the ride Cowboy fans.
Is it also a relief knowing you won't have to schedule weekend activities around watching a Philly playoff game?
do you ice not wish mcnabb was as clutch as tiger woods
Is it also a relief knowing you won't have to schedule weekend activities around watching a Philly playoff game?
Eh. Wouldn't bother me if they didn't make the playoffs. I don't live and die with sports the way I used to. To tell you truth, I'd have more fun watching TO destroy the Cowboys than I would watching the Eagles make the playoffs.
Already used to it, we didn't have to last year either. We needed a break after all of those straight playoff seasons.
Yeah, that going to the playoffs thing is just boring and old
I think TO has a lot to lose if he doesn't workout in Dallas. Parcells wants to win another SB so bad, he can taste it in his throat like great SA barbeque. I would be surprised if this blows up any further.
Don't get me wrong now T Park. It's not that I don't want to see the Eagles in the playoffs. Of course I would. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over it if they don't.
Yeah, that going to the playoffs thing is just boring and old
But I'm not worried about it. At this point I'm 100% sure they'll make the playoffs, IF the key players can stay healthy this season.
its so funny that "to" is already creating problems. what a deuche bag...
The "problems" are being so over-hyped by the ass-whip reporters it's hilarious...
TO will be fine this season...
The "problems" are being so over-hyped by the ass-whip reporters it's hilarious...
TO will be fine this season...
Good luck
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2549595
I know he wants me out there on the football field. And I told him, 'Bill, I want to be out there just as bad as you want me out there,' " Owens said Monday after he missed his 12th straight practice with the Cowboys because of a hamstring problem. "It's just a situation where we all have to be patient with one another."
When Glenn came out without pads Monday, Parcells appeared agitated with the receiver during an animated conversation.
There haven't been any similar talks between Parcells and Owens.
"I don't know the player very well. I just have to give him the benefit of the doubt right now," Parcells said when asked earlier Monday, before he knew Owens would miss practice. "I don't want to jeopardize him for the season. So right now I am erring on the side of caution."
Still, Parcells made it clear he wants Owens back on the field to work with quarterback Drew Bledsoe and the rest of the offense.
"We need to see something here pretty soon. That is the truth," Parcells said. "We need to get him into the offense. Right now, he has missed a lot of work."
Call me when the games matter.
If T.O. played and had a good game, the same posters who are on Terrell-watch would be saying "its only pre-season" and they would be right. If Owens pulls this crap in the regular season, that will suck but right now, his diva-ness means nothing.
Whistling past the Graveyard?
Sounds like his "diva-ness" is starting to mean something to Jerry and Bill.
Where have I heard this before?The "problems" are being so over-hyped by the ass-whip reporters it's hilarious...
TO will be fine this season...
It sounds so familar. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm sure it will come
to me sooner, or later.
Yeah, you know, this does sound really familiar. Can't really place it......
Is it just me or has someone harpooned The Tuna in the ass? That guy says whatever he wants to about everyone, until now. WTF?
"err on the side of caution"? Since when did he give a rat's ass?
Not at all. If this were the regular season and I took the same approach, then I would be whistling away!Whistling past the Graveyard?
I just don't feel its something to get riled up over. I know Cowboys fans who are tiptoeing the ledge just as bad as Non-Cowboys fans are ready to call the season a bust. Its all quite amusing and pretty stupid IMO.
I know you are looking to bury the Boys every chance you get Ice, but seriously its only pre-season.If he pulls this crap when the season starts, you will drop your T.O. is a cancer smack and I will be with you. I just don't think its a time to panic.
Yeah but, you know I have to bust the balls of Cowboys fans every chance I get. I just wouldn't be doing my duty as an Eagle fan if I didn't. I had to hear AAAAAALLL about it last season when TO was destroying the Eagles. Now it's time for a little payback.Not at all. If this were the regular season and I took the same approach, then I would be whistling away!
I just don't feel its something to get riled up over. I know Cowboys fans who are tiptoeing the ledge just as bad as Non-Cowboys fans are ready to call the season a bust. Its all quite amusing and pretty stupid IMO.
I know you are looking to bury the Boys every chance you get Ice, but seriously its only pre-season.
Seriously though. Considering TO's past, I'd be getting a little concerned right about now if I were a Cowboys fan. A lot of Cowboys fans were talking the "Parcells isn't a pussy. He'll keep TO in line. It's his way or the highway." Uh-huh. Looks like Owens is keeping Parcells in line. Parcells is having to adjust to Owens' way of doing things instead of the other way around. And don't think that the other players haven't noticed.
But the BIGGEST problem you have to worry about now is the media. They have something juicy regarding TO now, and they're going to run with it as much as they can. You can expect those kinds of destractions all year.
Last edited by IceColdBrewski; 08-15-2006 at 09:38 PM.
I agree Ice. If you weren't busting all things blue Star...I would be concerned.
Well we all know you didn't...
So we will...
Cuz if we get to the superbowl we will not lose.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/15285329.htm
Eldorado's TO saga deepensBy RANDY GALLOWAY
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
OXNARD, Calif. - The most impressive specimen of a player on the practice field here Tuesday was none other than some guy named Owens.
The size. The power. The speed.
Man, was he fast. And was he something to behold.
One-hundred-yard sprints at max RPM. I saw two of them, and he might have done more.
To watch that, and Bill Parcells apparently was sneaking a view from the other practice field, you'd have thought this guy named Owens was the healthiest player in Cowboys camp.
And certainly the most well-rested.
Absolutely no way, I'm thinking, that after that public display in the morning this guy named Owens wouldn't finally be back in uniform and tearing it up in the afternoon practice session.
Wrong, stupid.
At 5 p.m. PDT, this guy named Owens showed up in sweats, once again climbed atop the same sideline stationary bike that now has his permanent butt print, and started slowly peddling away.
Make it 14 consecutive practices over the last two weeks that Eldorado Owens has now missed.
It's a hamstring problem, don't you know.
A guy runs 10-flat 100s in the morning as 80 other players practice in full uniform, and then the same guy gives himself yet another hamstring pass in the afternoon.
But there was also another impressive individual workout session by Owens in the afternoon.
The picture of heath, he is. And still no practice.
A classic battle continues in this camp.
A battle of authority, egos and manhood.
Big Bill in one corner, Owens in the other.
Round 1 has clearly gone to Owens.
He is beating Parcells at Parcells' game: Intimidation.
I don't know if Parcells has ever lost one of these in all his coaching days.
Some say he had to be cutting Lawrence Taylor a lot of slack way back there, but most of that was supposed to involve Taylor's off-the-field issues.
Owens flat doesn't want to practice, obviously. Parcells is a stickler for players being on the practice field.
In an interesting contradiction Monday, Parcells was seen berating receiver Terry Glenn for missing work with blisters on the bottom of his feet.
Less than 20 yards away, Owens sat on a bike, with no one blistering his ears.
Parcells is losing this battle. Forget the personalities involved; it's very bad for a football team when the coach is not in total charge.
That goes double for a coach with the pedigree of Parcells.
As Owens was doing from his very first missed workout in this camp, and was still doing Tuesday, he has strongly marked his territory.
Owens is in charge of Owens. No one else is in charge of Owens.
He will practice, and he will play, when he says he's ready to practice or to play.
(Where are all you Cow sheep who were telling me that Owens would be a saint in his first year here, because he had been in Philly? By the way, the same sheep said he would never push a Parcells like he did a nice guy named Andy Reid in Philadelphia.)
It took Eldorado less than a week in Oxnard to become a major distraction. And excuse my told-you-so, but this is just the start.
Even a minimum amount of research revealed that Owens was a problem his first year with the Eagles, but much of it stayed under wraps because the Eagles were so good that season.
Owens was a prime reason for them being Super Bowl good.
If it's any consolation for the Cowboys, at least all of this is out in the open in Oxnard. Let there be no mistake or confusion about what is happening right from the start.
A popular theory here is Owens will practice today, maybe Thursday, so he can play on national TV on Monday night.
Another theory is that Parcells, remarkably docile so far on Owens, will have had a "come-to-Jesus" meeting with Owens by today.
A practice-or-else line drawn in the dirt.
Team insiders say Parcells is seething over Owens.
But I'll have to take their word for it.
The man sure seems calm.
When asked Tuesday about Owens' impressive display of power sprinting that morning, Bill had patience with the questioner.
"He also ran yesterday," he answered. But then finally backed off the topic by adding, "I really don't have much to say. This subject is getting redundant."
Parcells can't win here. This Owens muscle-flexing will end when Owens decides it will end.
There is only one way to beat this kind of ego. Don't sign him in the first place. Don't give him 10 mil guaranteed. Jerry, are you listening now?
You invite trouble, there will be trouble.
This kind of trouble can make you on Sunday, but the track record says Owens will eventually break you.
When in this training camp does Parcells reach his breaking point?
Those 100-yard sprints were mighty impressive Tuesday morning. Impressive in speed and power, but also in Owens' flexing his you-can't-touch-me authority for all to see.
Imo, TO has earned his money, in both Frisco and Philly. The Cowboys have stepped up to the plate and gave him what he was worth. I just cannot see him getting into it enough with Parcells to cause a split.
He might be high maintanence but his playmaking ability is rare. I am jealous. I didn't want the Cowboys to get TO. He could go anywhere but Dallas.
I don't expect any major problems out of TO in Dallas. Parcells has worked wonders with these types of players in the past.
Namely, Keyshawn Johnson. He was a problem child in Tampa, but tamed himself considerably once he was reunited with Parcells in Dallas. Parcells is a disciplinarian who runs a tight ship. He won't allow any of TO's bull to become a distraction.
What? It had already become a distraction. Why does this thread even exist if there wasn't some type of distraction? There are player quotes saying it was a distraction.
Unnamed Cowboys player from recent Michael Silver article from SI.
"Before T.O. got back out there, a lot of people were starting to second-guess Bill," the player said. "For the first time ever, he'd shown a little weakness, like he might not be totally in control, and like he didn't know how to handle this situation. Because, let's face it, it's been a total spectacle so far.
"We all just sat and wondered, 'Who's gonna win this battle?'" the player added. "As a player, you can't help but get distracted when something like that is going on. The guy comes out last every single practice, has somebody carrying his helmet and is always putting on his uniform at the last minute, and then he's out there riding the bike and drawing attention to himself. Even if he's not trying to be a deterrent -- and he clearly is -- it's obvious that the coach isn't happy.
"The bottom line is, he appeared to be healthy and wasn't practicing. So we'd sit and wonder, Who's gonna win? How's it gonna go down?'"
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstoryn...o.353f966.html
Owens fined for missing team meetings
02:17 AM CDT on Sunday, August 27, 2006
By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING – Cracks are starting to become more evident in the relationship between Terrell Owens and the Cowboys.
Now, the Cowboys have to ensure those cracks don't create a fissure that can't be repaired.
Terrell Owens, who has missed 19 of 31 practices since the start of training camp with a strained left hamstring, missed a team meeting and a rehabilitation session and was late to an offensive meeting Friday.
"That's our club business. That's going to be accounted for," owner Jerry Jones said at halftime of Saturday's 17-7 win over San Francisco.
Owens was fined $9,500.
When asked if there was any problem between Owens and the club, Jones said, "We're going to be fine."
Several sources said Owens has been fined for being late to multiple rehabilitation sessions.
Owens could not be reached for comment. He did not attend the game, which is not unusual for injured players in the preseason because coach Bill Parcells doesn't like players who aren't playing to be on the sideline.
The strained hamstring Owens suffered during the first week of training camp could create a conflict between Owens and Parcells. Parcells is a stickler for having players practice.
He believes that because football is a game of repe ion, players who don't practice can't thrive because they inevitably make mistakes that cost games. Rare is the player on a Parcells team who plays on Sunday after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday, the two heaviest work days during the regular season.
Twice in the last week, Owens has mentioned that he played well in San Francisco the second half of one season without practicing.
Owens, who returned to practice Aug. 16, managed only five practices before saying he aggravated his hamstring because of too many repe ions in practice. Passing game coordinator and receivers coach Todd Haley is responsible for practice repe ions.
"There's no question our best thing to do is get him well," Jones told Ch. 11 after the game. "I want him out there and would've wanted him to make every practice.
"I understand that, and everyone else does, too. He wants to be out there, too. ... I know this: When he's healthy, he's going to help us win these ballgames."
Since the Cowboys signed him in March to a three-year, $25 million deal, including $10 million in signing bonus and salary this year, Owens has talked about learning from his mistakes and being a better teammate.
Philadelphia suspended and deactivated him for the final nine games of last season before releasing him in March. Less than a week later, he signed with Dallas.
Owens has made an effort to fit in. He met the team's chartered flight when it arrived at Point Mugu for training camp, greeting teammates with hugs and handshakes. He also threw a barbecue for teammates on their first off day of training camp.
Owens' combination of size (6-3, 226 pounds) and speed makes him one of the NFL's most gifted players. His at ude and conflicts with teammates in San Francisco and Philadelphia have made him one of the league's most notorious players.
He can be combustible.
But Jones has said he doesn't think a serious problem will develop between Owens and Parcells – two strong-willed men who like confrontation – because they will manage their relationship carefully.
Time will tell if the cracks can be fixed.
E-mail [email protected]
T.O. TIMELINE
Some of Terrell Owens' comings and goings since the start of training camp:
July 26: Drives from Los Angeles to greet team at Naval Air Station Point Mugu
July 28: One of four people named as a witness to a June 10 bar fight in Dallas
July 29: Last player on the field for first practice before a record crowd of 5,500
Aug. 2: Misses first practice with sore hamstring
Aug. 4: MRI conducted on left hamstring
Aug. 5: Misses scrimmage
Aug. 7: Fan accuses T.O. of faking injury while he signs autographs
Aug. 7: Says he's flying three of his own medical professionals and his hyperbaric chamber to help heal him and rules himself out for preseason opener
Aug. 9: Wears a blue Team Discovery cycling jersey and a silver biking helmet on exercise bike, which he's been riding during practice for a week
Aug. 12: Misses preseason opener against Seattle; owner Jerry Jones says Owens needs to learn to practice at 75-80 percent
Aug. 16: Returns to practice
Aug. 19: Ruled out for second preseason game against New Orleans
Aug. 21: Misses New Orleans game
Aug. 22: Says too many practice repe ions aggravated hamstring injury and misses practice
Aug. 25: Misses meeting and is fined
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