In Rod We Trust; In Terrell We Can't

Was I watching “Jerry Maguire 2” Sunday night after the Giants/Cowboys game? T.O.’s tearful comments to the press came off as the emotional climax of a melodramatic Rod Tidwell scene. Where’s the T.O. we all know and love (except for the love part)? Why wasn’t he ripping Tony Romo for his previous week’s exploits or ripping Jason Garrett for limiting him in the second half? Where’s the negativity which reared its ugly head in Philadelphia and San Francisco? What’s with the teammate act he’s trying to pass off as genuine? Is it just another media ploy or is this the new Terrell Owens?

I was among many who found that misty sob fest to be ridiculous, but I might be among the few who thinks it’s real… or at least T.O.’s version of real. Who knows what goes on inside that man’s head; all I do know is it’s hard to conjure up tears on cue if you’re faking it. I know he was wearing glasses so we couldn’t really see any tears, but the way he was choking up and the way he kept having to swallow back that tremble in his voice, it doesn’t get much more convincing. And what would be his reason for faking it? He’d have nothing to gain; he could have more successfully defended his quarterback with a firm voice rather than deliberately taking the waterworks route. And yet the faucet was turned on.

I do believe that the loss was such a crushing defeat morale-wise, that we saw raw emotion from all players following the game. Even T.O., who people want to think of as an arrogant, heartless receiver, is a human being (re: his teary embrace with coaches on the sidelines after the Wild Card win over Green Bay while with the 49ers). This is probably the real T.O., not the new T.O., but he one he’s been all along. However, the flashy, flamboyant, smug personality is something that he dons to increase his profile. This is the quintessential reason why players like Chad Johnson are beloved and players like T.O. are largely vilified. With Ocho Cinco it’s who he really is and he’s the first to admit fault if his team underperforms. But with Owens, he lives behind a smarmy glaze through which he sees the world with a T.O. Tint.

You can’t achieve greatness in football without realizing that it takes fifty-three players, eleven at a time, to bring any individual accomplishments to fruition. Even the cockiest players, deep down, understand this. The genuine ones, like LaDanian Tomlinson, will always acknowledge teammates before he even considers taking a bow for himself. But the phoneys are the ones who pretend they don’t understand the concept of team just to promote their personal image. The irony being that nothing could be more damaging to your legacy as a player, than to think of yourself before your colleagues.

Think about players like Kevin Garnett; the only time he ever discusses his own performance and puts a spotlight on himself, is after a loss and he is voluntarily taking the brunt of criticism. Justified or not, he leads by absorbing blame and deflecting praise. Who wouldn’t want to play for a guy like that?

So, T.O. can keep crying or remain dry-eyed for the rest of his press conference days, and it won’t matter or change who he is. If you scrutinize the details of his defense of Tony Romo, you’ll realize that he made it all about himself. “That’s my team. That’s my quarterback… That’s really unfair.” He doesn’t have Romo’s back on this one. He’s victimizing himself and pleading for pity. He knows Romo is going to be at the center of the media circus following the loss, and he wants some of that attention for himself. What better way to do it than to disguise his lens time with a supportive demeanor? Yes, some very real emotion came out, but the ego was still there as a filter. If T.O. can remain out of sports news for one whole season, save for his on-the-field stats and accomplishments, he will have turned over a new leaf and we may see the emergence of a changed man. But until then, there’s no difference between the McNabb comments, the topless sit-ups in his driveway, the Lance Armstrong uni at practice, or the Tony tears behind the shades. It’s all just Terrell Owens thinking he is above the game of football and trying to get us all to treat him that way.