SCNDLS said:

He totally is very polarizing and I agree that his behavior early in his career started it. But to me, all his antics were obviously rooted in his own lack of self esteem and constant self doubt. The more you know about his upbringing the more obvious it becomes.

However, I really believe that after Philly he looked at himself, took responsibility for his behavior, and seriously changed. BUT by that point, ESPN and sportswriters decided that the role he was supposed to play was that of a selfish, disruptive, locker room cancer. And the public accepted that depiction as gospel cuz that's what sells. ESPN still talks about him EVERY Sunday anytime the Cowboys play in a negative way.

Here locally, not a single Cowboys player ever said anything bad about him and he was very well-liked and respected by his teammates not to mention PRODUCTIVE.
[Edited 10/13/09 11:24am]

Graycap23 said:

Mike Francesca just said this the hot rumor going around the league - that T.O. will be traded later this week.

SCNDLS said:

We got into this conversation last month on another thread and this is what I said then:

He had ZERO issues in the locker room with the exception of the end of last season when he called Romo out for his overdependence on Witten and Jason Garrett's predictable play calling. He was 1000% on both counts and many of his teammates on both sides of the ball came out and agreed with him because they knew they couldn't win if those issues weren't addressed.

The local sports shows showed several on camera interviews with players agreeing with TO and speaking favorably about him. But when I saw ESPN on the same day they'd only say that he was divisive and attribute it to unnamed sources. They never reported any of the positive comments from his teammates that i saw locally every day. Why? Because people aren't gonna tune in to ESPN to hear that TO's teammates love his dirty drawers.

The reason he's not here is simple: He pissed off the QB by speaking the truth about him overrelying on Witten (his best friend and roommate on the road) and he pissed off the OC and future head coach by calling his play calling predictable. Those two and Jerry's son Stephen campaigned long and hard to get rid of him after that. The decision had absolutely nothing to do with his behavior in the locker room or how his team mates perceived him. Which is why through the ENTIRE off season Jerry swore up and down that TO wasn't going nowhere, even a week before he cut him. The word locally is that Stephen, Garrett, and a reluctant Phillips finally convinced Jerry that keeping Romo happy had to be the priority and he agreed to it reluctantly.

My point is that TO didn't have any issues with Romo until he told the truth to that reporter. And it was nothing on the scale of what happened in SF OR Philly. When he called those two out, he wasn't rude or obnoxious. A reporter asked him late in the season what he thought the problem was and he told them matter of factly. Afterwards, all of the other WRs and TEs except for Witten cosigned. Even the major defensive players agreed with him, Ware was especially vocal. But NONE of that was shown on ESPN.
[Edited 10/13/09 11:27am]

Dallas doesn't need T.O., they have the great Roy Williams.

uPtoWnNY said:

I see I'ma have to kick your ass for real.

SCNDLS said:

Uh, uh. Thank you SCNDLS for taking the time to break it down again. Nah, ESPN failed to mention all of this.....

uPtoWnNY said:

Roy is going 2 be suspended.....4 stealing $$ from Jerry Jones.

TD3 said:

You're welcome.

I'm really not a raving Cowboys OR TO fan. But it really sticks in my craw how he's been depicted in the NATIONAL media vs. how he was talked about locally. Although, most of the local sportcasters didn't like him, they couldn't do shit about the fact that when they asked his teammates about him on camera it was obvious that they LOVED the guy. The players that I know personally told me that they made it a point to talk about him to help counter the bs they heard. But all ESPN could give us was "unnamed sources." He was also VERY active in the community and did several benefits while he was here.

HBO's Hard Knocks show that featured the Cowboys last year was also very telling. You got to see him interacting with his teammates and them dudes hung on TOs every word. Roy Williams (safety) was always pulling practical jokes on him too. Plus all of Jerry Jones' grandkids adored him. On one episode he playfully dunked one of Jerry's grandsons in one of those really tall ice/water containers. Then picked him up and carried him around like he was his own child. Those kids were always trailing behind him asking for piggy back rides and shit.
[Edited 10/13/09 11:50am]

Graycap23 said:

He is such a HUGE disappointment. Roy was great at Texas and I remember when we drafted Roy Williams (safety) I was pissed that it wasn't RW wide receiver who came out the same year. I don't know what happened to his ass.

SCNDLS said:

Injury prone and what appears 2 be a lack of work ethic at the NFL level.

Graycap23 said:

Maybe that's what it is. I don't know what the hell Jerry was thinking. He shoulda put his foot down about cutting TO but I think he's alwo conscious of being perceived as egomaniacal so he deferred to them. This is one time he shoulda played the "This is MY team" card.

SCNDLS said:

Roy reminds me of guys we never really had 2 work 2 be successful playing sports. The problem is, EVERY one has 2 work in the NFL. That is why the players call it: Not For Long

Graycap23 said:

He was a BEAST in college, now he's just a

SCNDLS said:

I'll bet he was just bigger and stronger than the comp in college.
In the NFL, u have 2 WORK.

There's not enough Kleenex in Chi-town for T.O. & Jay Cutler.

uPtoWnNY said:

I done tol' yo ass, oncest already