Time Out, T.O.

So it appears the Dallas Cowboys had enough of star receiver Terrell Owens, releasing him this morning. Really, between Jerry Jones and Tony Romo, there was more than enough drama on the Cowboys clown car before you added in the always contentious Owens. Now T.O. goes looking for his 4th team, needing to convince a team that either a) his talent warrants his perpetual drama-friendly ways or that b) he will change for real and THIS TIME he will mellow out and produce consistently without causing any trouble… just like he said he would with the Eagles and Cowboys.
In seeking a new employer, two things work against T.O. besides the whole ‘looking for his 4th team after getting run from three others’ thing:

His age. T.O. is 35, not a young talent and not in the prime of his career. If anything, his talent combined with the perpetual interruptions to his career as a result of the continued spats of drama are the only reasons he hasn’t washed out of the league by now. The interruptions and physical talent have preserved his health. Most receivers call it a career by 32 or 33, whether they want to or not, due to wear, tear and the aging process. T.O., meanwhile, can still help a team, but at 35 his skills may begin to diminish, if they haven’t already.

One indication that they have….

Dropped passes. A big problem that plagues T.O. on the field comes from the catchable passes he drops each game. Whether they come from lapses in focus or diminishing physical abilities, T.O. is not a guaranteed top talent these days as a result. He is very talented, of course, but his penchant for dropping passes is a huge flaw that kills drives.

Three to five years ago, T.O. could head to a new team under the pretense of being a prime talent at wide receiver. However, now he is merely a good but flawed receiver with significant baggage. Already there is a sizable list of teams that have confirmed they want nothing to do with T.O.

Such is the peril of producing drama where ever you go. It doesn’t hurt you in your 20’s when you have top talent. But it does hurt you later in your career when your skills diminish and you need to find someone willing to employ you despite your growing pool of flaws.

Now... who out there needs a wide receiver? How badly?

0-4 IN SUPER BOWLS EDIT: Apparently, the Buffalo Bills do.