Show-Friends, or Show-Business?

Terrell Owens was released because Romo’s feelings were hurt, but does his abrasive personality negate his value to a team?

We’ve all been there before. Anyone who has ever held a job for any length of time has faced a situation where ones quotidian work routine is disrupted by a co-worker with whom one doesn’t get along. The vast majority of us simply cope as best we can, tune out the annoying colleague, and get on with our jobs. Likewise, employers must routinely put up with grating or annoying personalities among their subordinates; however, assuming that nothing illegal is transpiring and that the offending party in question is competent, does his job, and allows others to do their jobs, petty grievances are tolerated. In the current job market certainly, 99% of employees, including the middle-managers who supervise them, have few other options but to cope. Yet cope we all do, from the $20,000 per year retail slave, to the $100,000 per year professor, or the $500,000 per year doctor, lawyer, or what-have-you. If the annoying employee is productive, he is a useful asset to his employer.

Were one seeking evidence that this practical accommodation with reality does not apply in the world of professional sports, one need look no further than the case of troubled wide receiver Terrell Owens. Owens, unexpectedly released by the Dallas Cowboys in the early morning hours of March 5, has a well-documented history of being churlish, childish and immature at worst, and being idiosyncratic at best. In each of Owens’ three stops thus far in the NFL, his departure was precipitated by friction with the team’s starting quarterback—Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia, and Tony Romo (by way of tight end Jason Witten) in Dallas.

In the first two instances, Owens—who has always had an exemplary record of conduct off of the field—was guilty of what might be most charitably described as breaches of etiquette. Rather than privately complain that Jeff Garcia’s lack of arm-strength was limiting the 49er offense in 2003 (which it was), Owens complained in the media, throwing in a childish knock on Garcia’s perceived effeminate mannerisms to boot. Rather than privately complain to Philadelphia Eagles’ management that he was underpaid (which he was) after the 2004 season, he complained in the media; moreover, Owens poured kerosene on the fire by publicly criticizing Donovan McNabb’s choke-job performance in the final three minutes against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX—the same game in which Owens played on a broken ankle, catching 9 of 10 passes thrown to him for 122 yards. Though what Owens said was publicly confirmed by Freddie Mitchell, Hank Fraley and other Eagles, he was vilified in the local press, and his departure from the team a foregone conclusion.

Flash forward to 2008, when Owens, apparently learning from his past mistakes, attempted to address his concerns privately with the Cowboys’ coaching staff. Not just Owens, but fellow receivers Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton as well, all approached offensive coordinator Jason Garrett with concerns about his play selection, Romo’s practice habits, as well as his in-game decision making. After Dallas’s season-ending loss to the Eagles, it is true that Owens made publicly disparaging remarks about Jason Garrett’s offense—then again, so did Tony Romo.

The result: Owens was released because Romo’s feelings (and Witten’s) were hurt, and they didn’t like T.O. anymore—waah! To be fair, they were no more cry-babies than were McNabb and Garcia. The consequences of Owens’ departure from the 49ers and the Eagles were nothing short of catastrophic—Jeff Garcia, though he made a fluke Pro Bowl appearance for Tampa Bay in 2007, has not passed for 3,000 yards nor won 10 games in a season since 2002, with Terrell Owens. McNabb has not been back to the Pro Bowl since 2004, which also saw the only 100+ passer rating of his career, with Terrell Owens starting. Though Owens is indisputably a jackass, grown adult men who make $10 million per year should reasonably be expected to be professionals and attend to their job-related tasks.

Owens’ career trajectory would not be surprising were he not also incredibly and consistently productive. It isn’t just his career production that is impressive—he ranks 2nd all-time in receiving touchdowns, 5th in receiving yards, 6th in receptions—but he is still, at age 35, one of the more productive receivers in the league. Despite having the old and decrepit Brad Johnson at quarterback for three games, Owens still finished the 2008 season with over 1,000 yards, and his 10 receiving touchdowns were good for fifth in the league. More importantly, his 15.2 yards per reception average was exceptional—better than Andre Johnson’s (13.7), Larry Fitzgerald’s (14.9), Brandon Marshall’s (12.2), or Reggie Wayne’s (14.0). The assertion by those seeking to rationalize the Cowboys’ decision to release Owens—that he is no longer “elite”—depends quite heavily on just how one defines that term. He remains one of the 10 best receivers in a league that features 70-80 wide-outs that might be reasonably termed “starters”—if that isn’t “elite”, it is close.

When owners start making personnel decisions based on bad press or locker-room spats, rather than on in-game production, the team suffers. The 49ers voluntarily decided to trade an elite receiver, and have not gotten so much as a whiff of the playoffs since 2002. The Philadelphia Eagles have made playoff appearances in 2006 and 2008, but have yet to approach the dominance that they displayed during their 2004 Super Bowl run with Owens on the roster.

In 21 games as a Philadelphia Eagle, Terrell Owens scored 20 touchdowns. In 47 games as a Dallas Cowboy, he scored 38 touchdowns—rates of per-game production only exceeded in NFL history by Randy Moss. The NFL has long sought to achieve parity and competitive balance, and has succeeded. In a league where the 9-7 Arizona Cardinals defeated the 9-6-1 Eagles to reach the Super Bowl, the margin of error in personnel decisions is slim. Teams cannot afford to choose friends over business.

Those that do so tend not to win Super Bowls.

—————————————————————

Jox Populi is a weekly sports column by Observer Staff Reporter Justin Jones. Justin can be reached at justin@BearGlasgowObserver.com