Oct. 17--Just when we thought the NFL circus had finally left town -- or at least the carnival of calamity that had come to symbolize everything about the once-proud Rams franchise -- here comes a bigger and wackier three-ring show lurking on the horizon.
So now that the chaos has calmed down and the positive vibes have accelerated for the Rams with Jim Haslett and the rest of the football men assuming control of Rams Park, our dysfunctional eyes can move on to higher-profiled madness. And here come the Dallas Cowboys as the headliners in Sunday afternoon's high noon showdown at the Edward Jones Dome.
Formerly known so immodestly as America's Team, now they are simply Jerry's Kids, and I think you get my drift on that not-so-subtle innuendo.
Jerry Jones has assembled some of the best collection of talent in pro football in Dallas, but the eccentric Cowboys' owner has also managed to accumulate some of the NFL's greatest emotional headaches, too. And all that craziness seemed to reach a crazy confluence over the past few weeks.
Their controversial cornerback/walking disaster area Adam Jones was expelled from the NFL again. Their high-strung, prima donna wide receiver Terrell (T.O.) Owens seems to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown every other day, and their starting quarterback/tabloid hunk Tony Romo has decided that he wants to play this weekend with a broken pinkie finger and risk even further injury.
And in the middle of this crazed and confusing swirl stands Jerry Jones, the owner/team president/general manager who this week added a few more impressive titles to his shingle. Jones made news on Thursday when he played the dual role of practice pass catcher and medical expert. According to Jones, he thinks Romo might be ready to play against the Rams. "It looks promising. Yeah, he threw me several balls. Knocking them in there very good," said the owner/team president/general manager/pass catcher, who isn't a doctor but apparently plays one on TV.
There is never a dull moment with the Cowboys. Because of Jones' intentions to create this sensational buzz around his team -- not to mention their impressive won-loss record -- you are forced to deal with some of his eccentricity if it means consistent trips to the playoffs, and a legitimate annual run at the Super Bowl.
But the cost of winning can be a bit uncomfortable for Jones. And so it was that this week was another one of those moments where you wonder if you wanted to praise his genius or measure him for a straitjacket. This was the week when all his bold talent gambles came back to bite him. The week started with Jones awkwardly explaining away Pacman's latest public humiliation, being suspended because of the "zero tolerance" edict by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Yet Jerry recovered quickly by engineering a trade with the Detroit Lions to acquire top-notch wide receiver Roy Williams, which may have dramatically improved Dallas' chances at the postseason, but also immediately created a potential trigger for the mercurial T.O., who may not like sharing the stage with another receiver of such obvious Pro Bowl talents. Former Cowboy and current NFL Network commentator Deion Sanders, a surrogate of both T.O. and Pacman, went on his network and ripped Jones for making the trade.
First Deion insinuated that Jones gave up so much for a "No. 2 receiver," particularly because Sanders said Williams was, among other things, lazy. Then he wondered if Williams was willing to "play second fiddle? Because T.O. is the man in Dallas," Deion said. "Is he ready to do that?"
If you are a longtime T.O. watcher, you know that Sanders is Owens' unofficial spin doctor, which means if Prime Time is saying it, T.O.'s thinking it.
So it is noteworthy that Sanders also raised the issue of whether this trade was part of a long-term conspiracy between offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Romo and the owner to de-emphasize T.O. in the offense.
