T.O. Be or Not T.O. Be?

Needless to say, I am not happy.

I have defended Terrell Owens since he left the 49er's on two grounds: he is an amazing talent and he presenting an image that he serves to profit from - he is his own small business.

This needs to be discussed this week in lieu of yet another media attack on T.O. as the cause of his teams pitfalls. Last year it was the Philadelphia Eagles that T.O. single-handedly demolished resulting in the less-than-impressive regular season record of 6-10. And this year, on a team that is headed for the playoffs, T.O. is yet again dragging down his team with his off-the-field distractions. Yes, according to the national media, T.O. is the only reason that the Dallas Cowboys have stumbled into the last game of the season and into the playoffs. Playoffs?!! (Jim Mora fans unite.) Yes. The playoffs, and still the media thinks that Terrell is to blame for the losses the the boys of Big D have suffered this season. And yes, I will be the first to admit that maybe, just maybe, T.O. brings about some of this scrutiny on himself, but even still, he is not to blame for his teams' losses.

Last year in Philly Terrel caught 47 passes for 763 yards and 6 touchdowns in his suspension-shortened season. He also bad-mouthed his quarterback, and said the Eagles would be a better team with Bret Favre. (What team wouldn't?) Apparently, that is enough for the Eagles, and the media, to conclude that everything T.O. does off the field is the reason his team, TEAM, doesn't perform on the field. How about we look at others in the organization. We'll start with Andy Reid who is a perennial "worst coach in the league" candidate. He has constantly struggled with finding the offensive balance a team needs. Throwing 65+% of the time is not a formula for winning. Not until recently, with Jeff Garcia, and the absence of Donavon McNabb's ego, has Reid found this balance, and look where it has gotten him and his Eagles, atop the NFC East with one game left. Maybe Reid is another contributing factor to the Eagles 6-10 mark last season, just maybe. Yes, Terrell created quite a distraction in the Philly locker room, but he was not the sole source of football woes for the Eagles, and is not the sole source in Dallas either.

I am not condoning what T.O. does. I do not think it is right, but he does a lot of things that make me laugh. He entertains me, and if the United States didn't take football so seriously, he would entertain everyone. Take his Lance Armstrong impression during Cowboys training camp for example. He wore an aerodynamic helmet and spandex. Come on people. Laugh. That's funny. Then the sleeping in the end zone on the ball after catching a TD, mocking all of those that criticized him for sleeping late and being late for a meeting. Even funnier.

But then there are things like the spitting incident with the most overrated cover corner in the history of the NFL, DeAngelo Hall. That is not so much funny. Despicable actually. T.O. will now forever be grouped with the likes of Bill Romanowski and Roberto Alomar, but why not grouped with Shawn Taylor, who also spit in the face of an opponent (who's name escapes me). Why? I'll tell you why because Taylor is not surrounded by the second coming of Barnum and Baily's in the form of the national media. Ed Werner, for ESPN, has spent his time outside of the Cowboys facilities in Irving Texas since T.O. signed with the Boys, and if I have to see his goofy grin on my TV one more time with some new story about how T.O. is tearing up the Cowboy's locker room, I might...I might just do something bad. The point is that the media are waiting for T.O. to do something that even slightly resembles trouble-making, so they can blow it out of proportion and pretend like he is the cause for all of the on field troubles the Cowboys have too.

Fortunately for you, I am here to show you that T.O. is not even the cause for a fraction of the Cowboys troubles. Yes, Terrell has dropped a league-leading 14 passes, but for some reason the fact that he has caught a league-leading 12 touchdowns goes otherwise unmentioned by the media. Yes, he hurts his team with his drops. So does Terry Glenn. So does Jason Whitten. Granted not as many as 14, but they also have not broken their hand and have bones held together with screws and have also not been playing the entire season with a tendon injury in the other hand. I don't mean to make excuses for T.O. - those are just the facts. Yes, his 14 drops hurt, but there are numerous other things that attribute to the Cowboys losses. Four actually:

1. Bill Parcells was simply out coached by his former assistant, Sean Peyton. Peyton, who without Eric Mangini's existence would be a lock for coach of the year, walked all over Parcells and the Cowboys on Dec 10 with a final score of 42-17. Two plays in that game stand out: 1. the onside kick that Parcell still loses sleep over, and 2. the double reverse on fourth down that resulted in a Saints first down, sustaining a drive that later counted for 7 on the big scoreboard
2. The Cowboy's defense has also given up about 13 points per game more in the last six games of the season (18.3ish up to 31.0). We should just call them the Allas Cowboys. There just isn't any D anymore.
3. The complete lack of a steady running game. Yes, Julius Jones and Marion Barber III have flashes of brilliance, but they are certainly not a reliable back field that a team can count on for 100+ yds a game.
4. Mike Vanderjagt. Peyton had it right; "Stupid Kicker".

Yes, Terrell is a lot to handle in the locker room, and yes, he is worth it. If the media would stop blowing everything he does out of proportion maybe things would simmer down. T.O. is just being T.O. he has his own website, his own children books ("Little T Learns to Share. HA), and other things. The man has made quite a nice living for himself, by promoting the one thing he loves more than anything in this world - himself, and who can blame him? Business runs the world, and Terrell knows it.

Terrance Newman and the media need to take a deep breath and relax. T.O. may talk a lot, and yes, Mr. Parcells is right. This is a "show-me league", but he is not the only reason the Cowboys have lost some games. As it stands the Boys are moving toward the post season, and the media may want to take notice of T.O. during these playoffs. Here's a hint. He'll be the one standing in the end zone with the football.

Just My Luck

Sad fact: I am a 20 year old Pittsburgh sports fanatic and I have never been inside of Heinz Field, or Three Rivers Stadium for that matter, for a Pittsburgh Steelers game.

That is, until last Sunday. Yes, Christmas Eve 2006, 20 years in the making, I attended my first Steelers game with my lovely girlfriend who scored two tickets for us as my Christmas present.

There is one thing I never realized about a Steeler's game until I attended: Tailgating is not an activity it is a lifestyle. These guys, and ladies, dont mess around. I actually walked by a double-wide trailer painted in the cities black and gold signature colors, with the words "Powered By Cohwer" inscried on the back. My first thought was, who pays for this? And my second was no other team's fan could have a vehicle with a similar motto on the back. Any other team in the league would require a fan to change that insignia at least once every three or four years. Not the Steelers. Trivia Time: Can you name all the coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers since the start of the 1969 season? Answer: Chuck Noll (69-91) and Bill Cowher (91-Present). Yes. The Steelers have had two coaches in the last 37 years. The fact that they have five super bowl victories in the same time is no coincidence. There is somethig to be said for stability, and no body knows that better than the Rooney family and the City of Pittsburgh.

I digress...Back to the tailgating. I applaud anyone that drives downtown in a pickup truck with a keg securely riding shotgun at 7:30 in the morning for a Steeler game at 1. (This actually happened.) The tailgating was a sight in and of itself. There hasnt been this large a group of drunk people with a mutual hatred for Ray Lewis since that night at a club when he allegedly stapped a man.

As for the game, I could not have been more angry. I blame two people, Ben Roethlisberger and Steve McNair. We'll start with Mr. McNair. Just sit down. You are not Bret Favre. You can miss a game if you'd like. You had your hand crushed by the cleat of a 250+ pound lineman. YOUR THROWING HAND. You had to come out and throw for an astonishing 256 yards and 3 TD's with a bleeding and bruised throwing hand, and single-handedly remove any playoff hope my Steelers clung onto. There was a drunken fan right behind me with mirror-like shades who, on every single Baltimore offensive play yelled, "Kill him, Break his legs!" I couldnt help but think to myself, it wouldnt have mattered. McNair would have limped off to the sideline, recieved some sort of "I cant feel my legs, but they still work" shot, and gone out there and finished the game. After the game, McNair proclaimed that he liked pain. Let's see if he reiterates that statement when him and his Ravens get bounced out of this years playoffs. You like the pain of losing, Steven?

Speaking of pain: Ben Roethilsberger. If you know me, you know I am not fond of this individual. He has been a beneficiary of an offense, and a team, that does not need a elite quarterback to win games. Last year and Ben's rookie season, he did a nice job running the offense and stacking up wins. But this year, its not happening. I am not sure why, but I am sure that last Sunday against Ray-Ray and that vaunted Baltimore D, Ben was afraid. Afraid and confused. His feet were not set for a single pass attempt. He did not know what to do. He, quite honestly, looked like a rookie quarterback. Something Ben has never looked like, even in his first year filling in for the incompetent Tommy "Gun" Maddox. The Balitmore defense led by Ray-Ray and Ed Reed outplayed and intimidated Ben and the Steelers offense, and McNair did the rest.

The best part of the game was when I first walked through the little walk way and out to the stands with a clear view of the teams warming up on the field. I felt like Mr. Ruettgier when he gets to see Notre Dame Stadium in the 1993 blockbuster Rudy. That was without a doubt, "The greatest sight these eyes have ever seen." The worst part? Most likely the loss, but with the lack of a deep threat reciever, or any play-making reciever this side of Hines Ward, and a consistant running back, I guess us Steelers fans are going to have to get used to it. Our defense is done winning games for us. They have tried, (four turnovers against Baltimore) and the offense still cant translate turnovers into points.

Dont get too worried. This is not all Steelers all the time, just this one because it was my first ever complete Pittsburgh Steelers experience, and it couldnt have been better; with the exception of a win and a possible playoff appearance after starting the season 2-6. No playoffs and one game to play. No motivation right? WRONG. Beating Cincy and keeping them home for January may just be the next best thing.