Since I am a big Terrell Owens fans because of his unique background and personality I appreciate supportive articles about him and dump them in here for safe keeping. Posting anything good about Terrell can be risky. It can destroy one's credibility with those who have a well developed visceral dislike for him. That's an interesting study too.
#4.
With Sherman, Dallas Cowboys receivers are in good hands
01:54 AM CST on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The sun was setting on Dolphin Stadium on Sept. 16 when Terrell Owens scored the Cowboys' third touchdown of the day against Miami.
Fans threw popcorn onto the field as Owens stood next to the goal post and started pretending as if he was filming. He was mimicking the New England Patriots, who had been caught by the NFL for improperly video taping opponents' sideline signals.
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After Owens' celebration, the Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. When a smiling Owens arrived to the sideline, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett hugged him.
There were no hugs coming from wide receivers coach Ray Sherman. Just a stern lecture.
"I think the thing is, there's a time to do certain things and a time not to," Sherman said. "So, I just told him, you have to be careful what you do because those penalties can haunt us as a team. You have to be smart about what you do, and in his own mind, he didn't realize that was a penalty."
Last year, such a lecture spelled potential chaos, especially if former receivers coach Todd Haley was involved. The two didn't get along.
Now, thanks to Sherman's influence, Owens and the rest of the Cowboys' receivers are having a peaceful and productive season.
"It's night and day from what I had," Owens said. "My thing is, I cherish people like that. That was the relationship I tried to have here with Todd last year. I really tried to make a concerted effort for that to happen, and it didn't happen. So I'm very fortunate for Ray."
And it's showing on the field.
Owens has recorded five 100-yard receiving games this season and is on a pace for a career-high 1,590 yards.
Wide receiver Patrick Crayton is also on pace for career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns. Tight end Jason Witten is on pace for a career-high 1,090 receiving yards, which would make him the first tight end in team history to finish a regular season with more than 1,000 yards. They all praise Sherman, whom they call mentor, father figure and uncle. A man they respect.
And it's not just the receivers.
Running back Marion Barber, center Andre Gurode and safety Roy Williams have taken to Sherman.
"It's almost like a big uncle," Owens said. "They often refer to him as that guy on Nutty Professor, the Klumps or something like that. We all joke around and have fun with Ray. The thing is, as receivers, we're not the only ones who have fun with the guy. That tells you a lot about his personality."
Sherman, who has coached with nine NFL teams, is beloved across the league because he doesn't berate players, refrains from using profanity and talks in a calm manner when the games start. During practices, Sherman is louder, and that's because he wants the players to concentrate on working at their craft.
"I had a blast with Ray," said Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who worked with Sherman from 2000-04, when Sherman was Green Bay's receivers coach. "I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Ray. I thought he did a fine job for us. I had a lot of fun with him. Great guy, very bright, very knowledgeable. He's bounced around a lot of teams, but everywhere he goes, he has success and guys just kind of cling to him."
Following the Cowboys' victory over Washington on Nov. 18, Owens was so touched by Sherman's encouraging words during the game he sent a text message thanking him. Owens finished with eight catches for 173 yards and four touchdowns.
"It was an emotional game for him," Sherman said. "He wanted to have the ball in his hands, and I told him to relax and stay patient and stay focused."
Sherman's presence is also felt away from the field.
The wide receivers have a special meeting called Keepin' It Real Thursdays.
It's a day when the receivers meet with Sherman and talk about anything.
Miles Austin said whatever is said in the room stays in the room.
"Have you heard anything about our meetings?" Owens asked.
Nope.
"Well, then," he said.
Owens and Austin said the receivers respect Sherman's ability to keep what's said in the meetings in-house.
A month ago, the coach gathered the wide receivers to his house for fellowship.
MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN
Thanks to Ray Sherman (left), Terrell Owens (front right) and the rest of the Cowboys' receivers are having peaceful and productive seasons.
There were chips and dip and other appetizers with a pot roast as the main dish.
For dessert: a chocolate cake – made by Sherman's wife, Yvette.
In some ways, the Cowboys' receivers are like Sherman's sons.
Sherman lost his son, Ray II, in 2003 to an accidental gunshot wound. Sherman said he doesn't look at his current group as a replacement of his son, but he wants to be more than a coach to his unit.
If anything, he wants his players to know he respects them.
And they do, too.
"Man, he's a boost," Crayton said. "He treats us like men and he talks to us like me and you are having a conversation. He will get on you about making your routes, and he won't belittle you, and that's what you want."
#3. T.O. deserves place among the best ever
Antics aside, wide receiver has delivered and won with every team
By Jonathan Comey
Coldhardfootballfacts.com
updated 12:18 a.m. MT, Mon., Nov. 19, 2007
It’s time to give Terrell Owens his due respect.
Too long, T.O. has been short for Totally Overexposed, or Tantrum Overload, or Terrible Oaf.
But if anything, Owens' achievements have been a Tad Overlooked.
His four-TD performance against Washington today (Owens 28, Redskins 23) was the latest in a long line of successes for Owens, great achievements that have largely been overshadowed by media blowups and childish infighting.
The Cold, Hard Football Facts are clear, however: Terrell Owens, far from being a “cancer,” has been a prodigious winner everywhere he’s been and one of the greatest producers in NFL history.
Let’s cut right to the chase, shall we?
Over his career, T.O. has now started 154 regular season games – and this noted divider of teams, this distraction on the field and off, has won 100 of those games.
Repeat: 100 wins, 54 losses, a 64.9 winning percentage.
Curious how that compares with other great players?
Well, Brett Favre, Mr. Winner himself, who has the all-time record for wins as a starting QB, has a career winning percentage of 63.2 – behind T.O.’s 64.9.
And here’s the clincher: in the 32 games T.O. didn’t start over his career, his teams are a combined 11-21 without him. That’s a 34.3 percent winning percentage, not so good.
Yet Owens has continued to have this ridiculous rep as a “team killer.” Does a team-killer help a club win 65 percent of the games that he starts?
No.
The only thing that’s killed his teams has been his absence – usually by injury, although he was basically blackballed by the Eagles in 2005. Was it for good reason? Perhaps. He's always been a handful, and the Eagles decided that they’d rather lose without him than win with him – a puzzling choice, and one that came to direct fruition. The 2005 Eagles were 4-3 with him, 2-7 after he was forced exile.
But Owens has been to the playoffs with all three of his teams (San Francisco, Philly, Dallas), and has been to the postseason in seven of his 11 seasons as a pro (with trip eight coming in a few weeks).
Including playoffs, he’s scored 118 touchdowns over what amounts to the last 10 seasons, and went over the 1,000-yard mark Sunday for the eighth time in his career (he was well on his way to 1,000 in 2005 before getting benched).
For his entire career, he's scored 128 TDs in 168 regular-season games. His 126 TD receptions in those 168 games averages a clean 0.75 TDs per game.
That's the third best TD-catching pace in the entire history of NFL football. The only two players ahead of him are Hall of Famer Don Hutson (99 TD catches in 116 games; 0.85 per game), who played for the Packers in the 1930s and 1940s and remains the most dominant receiver in history; and Owens contemporary Randy Moss (113 TD catches in 147 games; 0.77 per game).
Does T.O. have some emotional issues? Yes. Is he an ass at times? Sure.
But he’s also one of the greatest players and winners in NFL history, and no amount of media overexposure should deflect from that basic truth.
When it’s all said and done, history isn’t going to remember sit-ups in the driveway, shouting matches on the sidelines – it’s going to remember incredible catches in big games, and numbers that will be among the best ever.
Terrell Owens.
Terrific. OK?
#2. T.O. grabbing headlines for all right reasons
Formerly controversial WR seems comfortable, relaxed with Cowboys
Al Bello / Getty Images file
Terrell Owens, right, celebrates with Sam Hurd after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Giants last Sunday.
IRVING, Texas - His coach calls him “our resident superstar,” meaning it as a compliment.
His quarterback is riding a dazzling wave of success, much of it for throwing him the ball.
And his team, the Dallas Cowboys, is 8-1, the chic pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Could life be any better for Terrell Owens? Why, yes, it can — and it is.
T.O. is not only among the league leaders in catches, yards and touchdowns, he will be in top 10 on the career lists in all three categories in the next few weeks, likely before he turns 34 in early December.
But that’s still not all.
Owens also can proudly note that this deep into a story about what kind of season he’s having there is not a single mention of trouble. Because there hasn’t been any. It’s nothing but smiles from Owens and praise from his bosses and teammates.
“I’m focused this year,” he said. “I know we have something special here with this team. We’re not 8-1 for a fluke. I’m just trying to do my part.”
Skepticism is understandable considering T.O.’s past. Besides, it’s hard not to be happy on a team doing as well as the Cowboys.
Yet his explanation of why he’s changed makes perfect sense, especially when you remember that nearly all the negative headlines in his career come from personality clashes.
“I’m just fortunate to play with a group of guys that believe in me and with a group of coaches that believe in me,” he said.
That certainly wasn’t the case last year, when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signed Owens and coach Bill Parcells made it pretty clear he didn’t want the guy around, constantly referring to Owens as “the player.” Owens made a bad situation worse with how he handled some things, then health became a factor, including an accidental overdose.
Once Parcells left, Jones never hesitated bringing back Owens. After all, if a disgruntled Owens led the NFL in touchdown catches last year, Jones wondered what a happy Owens could do.
Then Jones made several Owens-friendly hires. He turned the team over to Wade Phillips, guaranteeing a relaxed atmosphere. He turned the offense over to Jason Garrett, who played in Dallas with Michael Irvin, so he knows all about talented, flamboyant receivers. And Jones turned the receivers over to Ray Sherman, who is respected and even beloved by players.
The moves weren’t strictly to appease T.O., but they definitely were made with him in mind. The numbers show it was a good strategy.
Owens leads the NFC with 855 yards receiving and his eight touchdown catches are tied for the conference lead. His 50 receptions are seventh in the conference and have him on pace for his most since a career-high 100 in 2002.
Using T.O. as a target or a decoy, Tony Romo has become the top-rated quarterback in the NFC and the yardage leader. He also just signed a $67.5 million contract. Romo has risen from obscurity to stardom by throwing 18 of his 42 career TDs to Owens; no one else has more than eight.
“I trust him, and the fact that he’s going to try and get open every play,” Romo said. “He just wants to win and be a great player.”
It hasn’t all gone smoothly, though.
After opening the season with three strong games, defenses seemed to figure out how to slow Owens. His numbers went way down the next three games. But in the three games since, Owens has produced 103, 174 and 125 yards and four touchdowns, including a 45-yarder and a 50-yarder. His work in a 31-20 win over the Giants last Sunday was decisive.
How did Owens handle the lull? With zipped lips.
“That is me maturing, me growing up,” Owens said. “In the past, I have said things out of frustration. I didn’t feel like my voice was being heard. With these coaches, I don’t really have to do that. They understand the player that I am and what I can do.”
Phillips came into his relationship with Owens with only one preconceived notion. It was a good one, too, regarding the way Owens recovered from a severe leg injury in time to play in the Super Bowl for the Eagles.
“Every doctor said he wasn’t going to make it back, but he came back and played, and played really well,” Phillips said. “That tells me a lot about the individual, as far as being a team player.”
Now that he knows him, Phillips is impressed that Owens works as hard in practice as he does in games.
Before dismissing that as lip service to appease a star player, consider the coach’s actions that support his words.
When Dallas played Philadelphia a few weeks ago, Phillips took the unusual step of making Owens a captain for the week. It wasn’t just a ceremonial thing for the coin toss, either, as he had Owens speak to the entire team after every practice leading up to the game. Owens responded with 10 catches, 175 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win.
Still not convinced? Then consider this insight from Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who has seen Owens’ demeanor in the locker room change from last year to this.
“He’s just more open,” Witten said. “It wasn’t bad last year, he was just guarded. He’s got his guard down now. He’s just one of our teammates.”
The irony about Owens’ bad-boy image is that he’s never been in trouble with the law and he’s always kept himself in great shape. (According to promotional material, you can too through his new fitness product, Bodylastics Terrell Owens Super Strong Man Edition.)
A byproduct of his longevity is his career statistics, which place him among the best receivers in NFL history.
With his next catch, Owens will be alone in 10th place on the career list. He’s about two games from cracking the top 10 in yards and already is No. 4 in touchdown catches. With Marvin Harrison hurt, Owens’ next trip to the end zone will tie them for third place.
Speaking of touchdowns, there is one subject that still gets T.O.’s blood boiling: the NFL’s crackdown on celebrations.
His latest run-in with the league was over a personalized towel he held out for the cameras. His faux pas was that it isn’t licensed by the NFL; it’s only available on his Web site. At $6.99 each; he’ll have to sell more than 1,400 to cover his $10,000 fine.
But what really rankles Owens is that the league-owned NFL Network has used video of his towel-waving to hype the Cowboys-Packers game it will be broadcasting.
“That’s crazy,” Owens said. “It’s like a double-standard. They fine me for it, but then they’re promoing my towel for viewers to watch their games. It’s ridiculous.”
See how much things have turned around? When Owens says something salty these days, he’s right.
#1. Owens separates Dallas Cowboys from the Pack
09:44 PM CST on Monday, November 12, 2007
By Tim Cowlishaw, Newspaper Columnist
When word first leaked out in March 2006 that Terrell Owens was, indeed, about to become a Dallas Cowboy, I thought (and wrote) two things.
One was that it would be the end of Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones. In a lot of ways, it was.
Two was that Owens wouldn't be a difference maker for Dallas because there wasn't enough talent here, particularly at quarterback, to keep him happy.
And last year that was still true, especially when the team limped along with Drew Bledsoe to a 3-3 record. Then we saw the potential of Tony Romo, but it didn't really change things for Owens.
His numbers were gaudy enough, but he didn't have a major impact in victories other than the win at Atlanta. The votes of players, coaches and fans didn't even send a 14-touchdown receiver to the Pro Bowl.
His dropped balls and off-the-field misadventures, which ranged from falling asleep in meetings to passing out on pills, caused owner Jerry Jones to pause before bringing him back for Year Two.
Jones clearly made the right call. And if you believe the Cowboys are now the best team in the NFC, you have to admit that the No. 1 reason is Terrell Owens.
It's true.
It's not Tony Romo, because what separates Romo from Brett Favre? He leads the NFC's other 8-1 team that is trying to lock down home-field advantage for the playoffs.
Romo, who has three more NFL starts than his Green Bay idol has years as an NFL starter, owns a slightly better passer rating. Favre has thrown for a few more yards. But you can't say you like the Cowboys better than the Packers because of the quarterback position, even if Romo has youth on his side.
Romo's motivation to get to his first Super Bowl cannot be any stronger than Favre's desire to get to his last one.
And you're not going to pick Dallas' advantage in the running game as the reason you like the Cowboys better, either. The Cowboys' backs have better numbers for the year. But Marion Barber's last two games have not been his best.
Meanwhile, Green Bay appears to have found something in Ryan Grant. In three starts against Denver, Kansas City and Minnesota, Grant has 66 carries for 278 yards. His 119 Sunday against Minnesota, one of the league's best run-stuffing teams, signaled the arrival of a new back on the block.
As for defense, there's no need even to break it down. Green Bay has allowed 53 fewer points this year than the Cowboys. Even if things have settled down in the secondary with the return of Anthony Henry, you can't give the Cowboys a defensive edge on the Packers.
Owens is where you find the Cowboys' big advantage on the Packers. Favre spreads the ball around to a number of receivers. Even though Favre has passed for the most yards in the NFL, his go-to guy, Donald Driver, isn't in the top 20 in receiving yards.
Owens is posting staggering numbers now – 50 catches for 855 yards and eight touchdowns. He has more 20-yard plays than New England's Randy Moss. You see less of Owens fighting the ball with his hands this year.
My guess is that Cowboys fans who reluctantly cheered for him last year embrace him now. They see where he has a chance to lead the team.
Sure, there are some out there who aren't going to give it up for Owens under any circumstances. Doesn't matter.
What does is that he has a special rapport with Romo that sets him apart from the rest of the NFC. The only other receiver in the conference with more than 700 yards is Arizona's outstanding young Larry Fitzgerald. He has 811 yards. He also has three fumbles.
Owens has none.
Coach Wade Phillips called him a Hall of Famer. I think that's what you call someone with a career line of 851 catches, 12,570 yards and 122 touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens (right) was hard to stop Sunday, catching six passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
They call Michael Irvin a Hall of Famer, and he can't touch those totals, especially the touchdowns (65).
Owens has never had a 1,500-yard season. He is on pace for one this year.
Love him, like him or can't stand him – it all gets you to the same place.
The reason the Cowboys look like something more than a mirror image of the NFC's other 8-1 team is Terrell Owens.
I laughed when agent Drew Rosenhaus sat there in Valley Ranch and called it a "match made in heaven."
I figured anything hatched between Rosenhaus, Owens and Jones had to derive from some venue other than heaven.
And I am in the midst of being proven wrong.
