There's growing noise out of Dallas that the Cowboys will part ways with Terrell Owens and swallow a huge salary cap hit in an attempt to improve their team chemistry. With both New York teams needing a receiver capable of changing games, such a move would certainly lead to speculation about Owens around these parts.
Gary Myers of the Daily News jumped on the story Friday and, not surprisingly, came down against either the Jets or Giants getting into bed with Owens. The reasons are no surprise to anyone who has followed football since Owens burst on the scene with the 49ers. Owens is selfish, creates distractions off the field and drops too many passes for a player with his talent. All true, and all would be viable reasons not to make the mistake the Cowboys did and sign Owens to a long-term deal.
For one year with a massive chip on his shoulder, though, Owens could be worth a roll of the dice. He's already cashed a $12 million signing bonus from Dallas, which, coupled with his long-standing desire to prove detractors wrong, would make him a cap-friendly solution.
The Jets make more sense as a landing spot than the Giants. Plaxico Burress was the last member of the team who could challenge Eli Manning's authority as unquestioned team leader, but Owens would be asked constant questions about Eli's throws. At least once he'd take the bait and create an unhappy situation for the quarterback and the team.
The Jets, on the other hand, loaded up to make a run at postseason success last season and fell well short of the goal. Owens would solve the biggest problem with the passing game, and his presence would completely change the way opposing defenses approached games. The Jets were willing to bring in a lightning rod with Brett Favre, although he's a lightning rod that has the majority of the media eating out of the palm of his hand.
That's why the Jets would never even sniff around Owens if he were available. Writers like Myers and the talking heads on ESPN would slam them for making the move, and the Jets like nothing more than getting good PR. Owens would help them, though, even if he made their lives miserable while he was doing it.
