It Didn't Have To End Like This

What a difference 30 minutes makes. Had I started writing this just a half-hour before now, you would be reading about some combination of Jerry's gag-order on his coaching staff, the curious trade for Jon Kitna, and the great relief that accompanied the announcement of Ray Lewis' new three-year, $20-25 million deal with the Ravens. (If I understand correctly, Lewis' acceptance of Baltimore's offer legally prohibits the Cowboys from signing him, thus preventing the team from adding a man who--in addition to being only an average defender--stabbed two people to death in Atlanta and then plea-bargained out of it.) Instead, lucky reader, you get this breaking news from ESPN and The Dallas Morning News that the Dallas Cowboys have decided to release Terrell Owens. Now, I support this move in the strongest possible terms, and I believe that it will do a large part to improve the chemistry of the Dallas locker room. In fact, I have written previously in this space that removing Owens from the franchise was a move that just had to be made. Two years ago, when the Cowboys passed on Brady Quinn, they firmly bet everything they had on Tony Romo as the franchise quarterback for the next 12-15 seasons. When the team spent millions on the offensive line to bring in Leonard Davis, et al., it was a commitment to Romo. Finally, when Jerry gave Jason Garrett $3 million per year to stay in Valley Ranch, it was a commitment to a future of both Romo and Garrett bringing new Super Bowl trophies to that new stadium you may have heard about in Arlington. Of course, I'm not saying that I agree with the decisions to bet on Romo and Garrett, but let's call an apple an apple here: with the money poured into those two, Jones has too much of his wallet and ego invested in their success to admit that either was a mistake. For his own selfish sake, he must keep them around. So, when it became all too clear this season that Owens, Romo, and Garrett could no longer play nice together, someone had to be kicked out of the sandbox. Clearly, Owens was the most replaceable. Seriously, would you rather start Romo or Kitna; would you rather have Garrett run the offense or another coordinator or equal-or-lesser ability? Those two are--for better or worse--currently irreplaceable to Dallas. To ease the loss of Owens, though, the Cowboys already Roy Williams and his shiny, new five-year deal. In spite of all the drama and losing this season (and, let's be honest, this move was about all that horrible, horrible losing), the Dallas-Owens union didn't have to end this way. If Owens had simply come to work and kept his mouth shut, he'd still get to wear the star on his helmet. If Owens had learned how to catch a football, he might still have a locker. If Jerry hadn't noticed his defense and the other receivers siding with Owens against the Golden Pair, T.O. just might get to be the first guy out of the tunnel at JerryWorld. If Wade Phillips had ever taken the bold step of acting like a head coach, he might have been able to apply the brakes to this train wreck before it got rolling downhill. Alas, none of this happened, so Owens is gone. The glory that could have been with America's Team and The Guy Who Thinks He's America's Receiver becomes the glory that never was. To be sure, the Cowboys are going to wake up this morning as a less-talented football team than when they went to bed. Despite his age and declining skills, Owens was, by far, the best receiver on the roster. Williams showed nothing in his half-season (but he gets a break since he wasn't here in training camp), and Sam Hurd and Miles Austin have yet to shed that pesky "developmental" label and become legitimate weapons. Since it's unlikely the Cowboys will have the opportunity to grab Michael Crabtree, the draft doesn't look too promising. Also, please spare me the talk about Patrick Crayton being a serviceable No.2 receiver. Trust me, he's not. Don't even bring it up. However, Dallas now should be a much more unified team going forward. Without Owens' divisive personality dominating the locker room, hopefully more professional players such as DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten can begin to assert themselves and breathe a new air of responsibility and solidarity into the franchise. Now that Owens the Clown is gone, Valley Ranch can become "a five-ring circus of simplicity and self-reliance." Although the Cowboys are less talented now, they are, in fact, a better team. Both parties will be better off after this split, but both parties should also know that it didn't have to end like this. Brian Smith can be reached at BLSmith@mail.utexas.edu