Terrell Owens: Public Perception VS Private Reality

So the big news came down tonight and even in his downfall, Terrell Owens can still steal the lime light from others. Don't believe me, ask Manny Rameriez who finally signed a contract with the Los Angels Dodgers and was bumped to the back-burner by the release of Terrell Owens from the Cowboys. Like I said, even in his disgrace, T.O. finds a way to be the talk of the town.

Sadly, the T.O. we have all come to know from his end zone celebrations to his off color remarks to the media is not the real Terrell Owens. I have had the opportunity to meet him while covering the Cowboys for a sports newspaper in Dallas I use to write for and I can honestly say that when the cameras and media are not around, T.O. is one of the kindest and respectful people you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. However, he will never be seen that way, because he has blown it in the court of Public Opinion with his antics and SNL-like attitude on the field.

the T.O. I got the chance to meet was one that always said, "please" and "thank you" and never had a mean word to say to anyone. He always smiled and spoke to anyone that was around him. after spending just 10 minutes with him, you felt you had known his for years. he treats people with respect and like a life-long friend. this is the T.O. that should have be revealed to the media and the world instead of the brash arrogant T.O. we have all come to know over the years.

Instead, we know the T.O. that calls out his quarterback after a Super Bowl loss and says he quit on his team (Donovan McNabb). the same T.O. that after leaving San Francisco made the suggestion that his former quarterback, Jeff Garcia, was gay. And yes, the same T.O. that cried to the media that Tony Romo and Jason Witten were having secret meetings in their hotel room to draw up plays to exclude T.O. and cut down on his catches. The best of it all was the T.O. who has his agent call a press conference outside T.O.'s house and while the agent speaks to the media, T.O. does sit-ups in the background.

There is also the funny and some-what entertaining T.O. with all of his touchdown celebrations. Here is a brief listing of some of the more famous/infamous celebrations and the teams he was with when he unveiled them to the world.

Celebrations for San Francisco
While playing the Atlanta Falcons on January 9, 1999, Owens caught a long touchdown pass and proceeded to mimic the "dirty bird", the Falcons’ signature touchdown dance. However, Owens performed a slashing of the throat gesture at the end of the dance, which quickly silenced the crowd.

On September 24, 2000 in Dallas, Terrell Owens showed off his excitement after his two touchdown catches by running from the end zone to midfield and celebrating on the Dallas Cowboys' famous star logo. The second time Owens made a trip to the star, then Cowboys safety George Teague hit him during the celebration. Teague would be ejected for his actions, while Owens was suspended for a week by his head coach and was fined $24,000 which was equal to a week's pay. The celebration and subsequent hit were named one of the ten most memorable moments in the history of Texas Stadium by ESPN in 2008.

During a Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2002, Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown, and then gave the ball to his financial adviser, who was in the stands. He was fined for this stunt.

On December 15, 2002, in a home game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens scored a touchdown and ran to a row of cheerleaders beyond the end zone. He reached out and asked to borrow two pompoms from a 49ers cheerleader, which he then playfully shook, doing his own brief spontaneous routine before dropping them to the ground.

On November 17, 2003, the 49ers hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Monday night game, and Owens wore a wristband with the words "The Answer" emblazoned on it. Just over eight minutes into the game, he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Tim Rattay (who was starting at quarterback because Jeff Garcia was injured), and excitedly pointed to the wristband after reaching the end zone to draw attention to it. After the game (won by San Francisco 30-14), Owens was asked by a sideline reporter the significance of the slogan on the wristband, and he replied: "Because I am The Answer." "The Answer" is the widely known nickname of NBA star guard Allen Iverson.

Celebrations for Philadelphia
The "Bird Dance", "The Bird" or "Wing Flap" became T.O.'s trademark dance with the Eagles. During the 2004 season, the Birdheadz (The Original 'Ol Head, Whey Cooler and DJ Holland) a local Philadelphia group came up with a song named "Flying with the Birdz, Do the Bird". The Birdheadz first came up with it during the Eagles 2003 playoff run. T.O. did the "Bird Dance" frequently during the 2004 season after a big play or TD. After the Super Bowl in '04, New England players did a version of the "Bird Dance" with their celebrations.

He imitated and mocked the trademark pre-game ritual dance of Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis after scoring a touchdown while playing against the Ravens in the 2004 season.

After catching a touchdown from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb during a game in Cleveland, Owens ran through the end zone and tore down a hand-made sign which read, "T.O. has B.O.".

After scoring his 100th career touchdown in Philadelphia, he pulled a towel from his waist, folded it over his arm, and then placed the football in the palm of his hand, holding it over his shoulder and pretending to serve it up to the opposing team like a waiter would present a meal.
After scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in 2004, Owens celebrated by doing six sit-ups in the end zone, one for each touchdown he had scored at that point in the 2004 season.

Celebrations for Dallas
After catching a touchdown against the Washington Redskins on November 5, 2006, Owens pretended to take a nap, using the football as a pillow. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration". Days before the game, Owens was reported to have a habit of falling asleep during team meetings.

On the Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 23, 2006, Owens, after catching a pass for a touchdown, dropped the ball in an over sized Salvation Army Red Kettle, donating the ball to the Salvation Army. (Since 1997, the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game halftime show has traditionally started the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Christmas Campaign.) About the touchdown celebration, Owens was quoted as saying, "That was my donation. I hope it's worth as much as the fine."

On December 16, 2006, Owens first introduced his trademark "T.O." symbol with his arms after scoring his second touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. It has since become a frequent celebration after Owens scores.

On September 16, 2007, Owens mocked Bill Belichick after catching a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, by hiding behind a field goal post and holding the football to his face in a video camera fashion, as if secretly spying and filming the game. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration".

On September 19, 2007, the league fined Owens $7,500 for the celebration. According to Owens, he was only fined because he used the ball as a prop.

On November 4, 2007 against his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Owens flapped his wings, mimicking the dance he did while with the Eagles. This, coupled with Owens' tumultuous stay with the Eagles and his current tenure with the Cowboys (an Eagles division rival), earned the boos of the crowd. Prior to the game, Owens was quoted as saying, "There's a lot of love in those boos."

On November 29, 2007 against the Green Bay Packers Owens scores a touchdown and throws popcorn in his face.

On September 7, 2008, Owens celebrated his first touchdown of the 2008 NFL Season against the Cleveland Browns by preparing himself like an Olympic sprinter ready to explode out of the blocks. FOX Sports play by play man Joe Buck suggested the celebration may be homage to the Olympics and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration."

Through the outburst with the media and the celebrations and all the other things that we have come to see from T.O., the one thing you can not take away from him is his ability to play the game and be one of the best receivers to ever play in the N.F.L. Just look at his stats and you can see why he will no doubt be in the Hall of Fame one day, regardless of his antics.

http://www.nfl.com/players/terrellowens/careerstats?id=OWE755129

If his stats are not enough to convince you of his ability, take a look at the NFL rectors he holds and some career highlights.

Has 141 total touchdowns (139 receiving), 14,122 receiving yards, 951 receptions, and 183 rushing yards.

Averaged one touchdown per game in 2001, 2004, and 2007.

Has had nine 1,000 yard seasons, including five consecutive (2000–2004).

Holds NFL record 20 receptions in a single game against the Bears.

Reached 100 catches in only 14 games in 2002.

Led League in receiving touchdowns in 2001, 2002, and 2006.

Second all-time in receiving touchdowns behind Jerry Rice.

So what's next for T.O. and where do the Cowboys go from here? Let's start with the Cowboys first.

This had to be hard for Jerry Jones, not so much to cut him, but because by cutting him, Jerry has now admitted he was wrong and that the T.O. Project was a bust. Admitting he was wrong is not an easy thing for Jerry, but he has done it and no doubt, team Chemistry will be better. However, the team will not be. Now they must hope that the 1st and 3rd round picks and the $54 million they gave up to acquire Roy Williams will pan out. Williams must now step up and show he can be the Number One guy for the Cowboys. Williams is a down grade from T.O., even if T.O. is in the final chapters of his career. T.O. was not the main problem surrounding the Cowboys, even though must people would like you to believe that. There are serious questions surrounding the Offensive line as well as the Secondary and Special teams. T.O., unfortunately for himself, drew too much attention to himself and out shined all the other problems with this team and thus got himself cut and now looking for a job.

So where will T.O. land now that he is looking for a new home? Some people would say San Diego, a team that seems to be one game away from taking that final step and wining a championship. Imagine Phillip Rivers having Vince Jackson, Antonio Gates and Terrell Owens as his receivers and then L.T. and Darren Sproles in the backfield. That is tough to beat. However, Head Coach Norv Turner would be walked all over by T.O. because T.O. is a strong personality and Norv is a push-over.

If the Denver Broncos decide to release Brandon Marshall after his recent arrest and seeing how the new head coach and management have created a rift between themselves and quarterback Jay Cutler, signing T.O. would offer Cutler a top receiver to throw to. However, replacing the problems of Marshall with the problems of T.O. seems like a wash.

The Colts could use him as could the Ravens and the patriots, but none of them are going to put up with the antics of T.O. and have him take away from what they have been able to build the past few years. Several other teams could use him, but they are not in the position to give T.O. the one thing he so desperately wants, a Super Bowl ring.

It's my opinion that T.O. will land with the Tennessee Titans. he is from Alabama and played college ball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. They are a smaller market, which would put him out of the main media and they can also offer him warmer weather throughout the season. The Titans don't have a real go-to receiver as well which would make T.O. the main guy for the Titans as far as receivers go. Plus, it would give him a chance to end his career close to home and maybe that is enough to mellow him out some and show the world what a true talent he is on the football field.