They say he's a team killer. That he’ll tear up the locker room, turn his quarterback into a defensive player and basically be the player who prevents a team from winning, rather than helping it do so.
Terrell Owens has been accused of all of that.
He's also a hell of a football player.
That's why his imminent signing by the Dallas Cowboys is a great move for the Cowboys. The Cowboys have an edge that other teams that have had Owens didn't.
They have Bill Parcells.
The man knows how to handle players. Parcells can be a real pain in the ass to play for, his demanding, sarcastic ways not often endearing him to the players. But they respect him. They do what he says. They play for him.
He also knows what buttons to push, which will be important with Owens.
Like I've said in the past, Owens isn't nearly as bad a guy as he's been portrayed. He's different, selfish, odd, opinionated, ego-centric and a bunch of other things that won't exactly make him the greatest locker-room presence.
But he isn't bad. You don't hear of him on any Love Boat excursions. You don't hear him beating his wife or getting arrested for DUI.
Does he have issues? You bet. He's an attention addict, a guy in need of 30 days of rehab perhaps to cure it.
T.O: Hi, I'm Terrell Owens and I can't stop talking about myself. Please help me.
Counselor: You need to help yourself.
T.O.: Oh, in that case I'm cured.
