After three years of drama, strife, and zero playoff wins, the Dallas Cowboys released star wide receiver Terrell Owens last night, according to ESPN and the Dallas Morning News. Owens had shown his typical flashes of brilliance in Dallas, but had mostly tormented quarterback Tony Romo and driven the team’s coaches crazy. And now, as he looks for another team, the inevitable question arises: He’s not going to come here, is he?
Owens loves attention, has played for three of the league’s marquee franchises (49ers, Eagles, Cowboys), and would leap at the opportunity to play in New York. And both the Giants and the Jets could use a big-play wide receiver; the Giants may or may not have Plaxico Burress back, and the Jets just lost Laveranues Coles to the Cincinnati Bengals. Surely, there has to be a temptation for both teams to at least kick T.O.’s tires, particularly for the Giants, who have enough talent elsewhere to suggest that Owens might be the one to push them back over the top.
But don’t worry, sports fans: Neither the Giants nor the Jets seem insane enough to make a full-fledged T.O. pitch. The Jets have a new coach and a new quarterback, both of whom would be overwhelmed by the madness Owens brings. The Giants could use Owens more but are probably even less likely to go for him. Tom Coughlin learned his lesson with Burress, who, as troubled as his season was, has generally never been as disruptive a presence as Owens. Both these teams are run by grown-ups. Teams run by grown-ups never want T.O., no matter how badly they might need a wide receiver. So, hello, Washington! (Or Oakland.) Daniel Snyder and Al Davis are probably the only two men left in the NFL who would deal with Terrell Owens.
