The Real Deal with Jerry Jones, Romo, and T.O. (the Dallas Cowboys According to Deion Sanders)

Recently – March 25 – Deion Sanders appeared on Michael Irvin’s radio show. While ESPN, spearheaded by the reporting of Ed Werder and Matt Mosley, busied itself and the two men busied themselves with ensuring that Terrell Owens would be perceived by the general public as a malcontent, Sanders, at the time had a different perspective on Owens. Sanders, through his vastly different account of a meeting with Owens and other Dallas Cowboys players and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, even implied that Werder and Mosley were outright lying about their account and nature of the meeting.If you listened to Mosley and Werder, Terrell Owens and two other Black Cowboys wide receivers walked into Garrett’s office and complained that quarterback Tony Romo failed to throw enough passes their way and that passes they should be getting were going instead to tight end Jason Witten.

And as they reported the Owens story the two men simultaeously were advocating for Owens’ removal from the team.

Meantime, Sanders, on NFL Network, reported that Owens, Patrick Crayton, Roy Williams, Tony Romo, and Witten walked into Garrett’s office for a meeting. The goal, according to Sanders, was to somehow alter the offense to allow Romo to utilize all the receivers on the team, not just Owens and Witten. Crayton, at the time of the meeting, had caught zero passes in two games, while Williams, who came to the Cowboys from Detroit and was the number one receiver there, was suddenly the number four receiver on the Cowboys team.

The differing stories – Sanders’ versus Werder and Mosley’s – diverged from the outset.

And continue to do so to this day, Werder, Mosley, and the ESPN machine won out with their anti-Owens publicity campaign. At one point The Big Subliminal’s Stephen A. Smith was charged with interviewing Owens to get “his side” of the story. The aired interview viewed like a puff piece. Werder immediately came on air and ripped Smith and called Owens a liar. For days afterward other ESPn on-air talking heads implied that Smith was purposely attempting to paint Owens as a “good guy.” Later the network turned its venom back to Owens and claimed that the wideout and his agent Drew Rosenhaus demanded a tightly-choreographed interview that made Owens appear in the best light.

No sooner than had the final whistle blown on the Cowboys final game debacle, a 44-6 thrashing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, did ESPN set about calling for Owens to be released from Dallas. Though they eventually got their wish – Owens was eventually released – all the while certain “personalities” at the network openly questioned owner Jerry Jones’ capacity nto run his team, wondering what was taking the owner so long to make what those at ESPN called an easy decision: get rid of “the cancer” that is Terrell Owens.

When T.O. was finally released, NFL “expert analyst” Chris Mortensen and to a lesser degree his junior partner Michael Smith, repeatedly told a national viewing audience that 30 teams and perhaps all but the Oakland Raiders wanted no part of Owens. Within a week or so of these repeated pronouncements, Owens landed in Buffalo with the Bills, much to the surprise and chagrin of Mortensen and many other ESPN personalities.

From the moment Owens signed with Buffalo the Big Subliminal’s publicly-known employees have, in some form or fashion, stated or implied that Owens would, personally, be the demise of the Bills’ head coach, Dick Jauron. And when Owens did not appear for the Bills voluntary workout – he actually had a prior commitment at a charity event the first day of workouts – he was roundly excoriated during every aired program on ESPN that day. A few days later, Owens told the press that he, as usual, was working out on his own, that as long as the workouts are deemed voluntary he would not appear for them, and that he would, of course, be ready to perform the first day of Buffalo’s mini camp.

Though ESPN cried briefly cried foul on Owens for failing to be a team player, they must have privately known that far too many of their football analysts, former players and otherwise, have openly called for the banishment of these workouts, as they have been deemed as almost wholly unnecessary and potentially dangerous, particularly for veterans with a proven on-field NFL track record. Though it is a violation of NFL rules for there to be contact drills during these mini camps, most teams find ways to violate this rule.

So while ESPN producers, talking heads, and reporters lie in wait for the next opportunity to further damage Terrell Owens’ career, Sanders was provided the opportunity to set the record about Owens straight. The following is a transcript of Deion Sanders’ most important statements regarding Owens, his time in Dallas, the nature of leadership on the Cowboys team and Owens’ place as a team leader, Tony Romo, Roy Williams, and the near future of the Dallas Cawboys offense.

Jerry [Jones] at the owner’s meetings essentially said that they let T.O. go to make the team more “Romo friendly.” That’s what I got out of it….

And rather than that be a hit on T.O. it was a hit on Romo.

Michael Irvin: Everybody said, Oh, T.O. and Romo don’t get along. But it’s bigger than that. Romo is not Troy [Aikman, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback with Irvin]. He’s not methodical; he’s not three, five step drops. T.O. would be the man [on a given pass play] and then he [Romo] starts improvising… When you have a pure number one receiver like T.O. he beats you on timing and you’re not a timing guy and you’re improvising and all that, it really takes way from his [T.O.'s] game. It takes away from T.O.’s game and obviously it takes away from Romo’s game because Romo knows, ‘I got a big receiver over here’ and after he improvises he has to come back and try to find him.

When that happens it leaves the whole field for the other guys, but they have to catch it and make a play.”

Deion Sanders: And that’s not going to happen.

MI: You think Roy Williams can’t catch it and make a play?

DS: Are you looking at me with a straight face? Now you’re playin’ right? You’re playin’ right?

MI: No, I’m serious. Because he [Jerry Jones] said one of the prime reasons he made the decision on T.O. is he thinks Roy Williams can be a “number one.”

DS: The reason you say that is because we have this whole NFL Draft coming up. And see, no one is really thinking about this draft coming up as they should – as of yet. But when these picks roll around and these Dallas Cowboys fans start realizing, ‘Oh, we don’t have a one. Then the second round comes and they [the Cowboys draft brain thrust] choose someone. And then they say, ‘Oh, we don’t have a three.’ Then the fourth come around and they say, ‘[We don't have a five or a six."

Kevin Kiley: They have a bunch of those picks - they always do.

DS: Yeah but that's not what you're really lookin' for. So to throw out that player to deflect that mayhem that's going on in a few weeks - chuckles - you have to say something like that.

You want to pray and hope that this Roy Williams test will come through.

KK: You think the Cowboys are gonna go for a wide receiver in the draft?

DS: It don't matter. A rookie right now? You're not going to get a good one. It's not gonna happen.

KK: So what they've got is what they've got.

DS: Yeah, and it's going to be tough year for your tight end Jason Witten.

MI: Why did you say that - that it’s going to be a tough year?

DS: Becausae you have no number one [receiver]. So who do you focus on. Your tight end is your one – he’s your number one receiver. So now you focus in on your tight end, you [opposing defenses] double him inside and out and your big fella’s [wideout] got to win on the outside and that’s not going to happen.

MI: Why is it that you don’t believe Roy Williams can step in and be a number one receiver?

DS: Well, he’s big, not fast, not great feet, not running great routes ———— and really not a practice guy, and practice is where you find timing.

KK: That’s pretty much everything, Deion.

DS: I’m trying to be polite. One thing about Michael Irvin is, he was a great receiver. The Hall of Fame validates that, once again. Mike knows the truth. He might not say it

MI: I’ll tell the truth

DS: Well tell me the truth about Roy.

MI: I haven’t seen Roy.

DS: You haven’t seen him?

MI: I haven’t seen it.

DS: Well, of what you’ve seen of “it,” is it a one or,,,?

MI: Well I ————–

DS: Is it a one, or is it a one?

MI: I haven’t seen anything here that will say to me, ‘Okay, this guy can do it.’ Now, last year he was 10 pounds, 15 pounds overweight – that means something to me.

You [Roy Williams] were going to Detroit. You were supposed to be the guy who gets them out of whatever they were in and you went in and allowed yourself to become 10-15 pounds overweight during the season?!

That tells me something.

DS: You know [former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions head coach, Steve] Mariucci works right next to me [at NFL Network]. You knoaw “Mooch” [Mariucci] coached him, right. You know Martin Mayhew, the GM of (Detroit). You know martin Mayhew was my other cornerback at Florida State, right? I know these two guys and they’ve been in close proximity of Roy. They were ecstatic when the Cowboys did call wanting to make that trade.

MI: They were trying to get rid of him.

KK: Why, then, did T.O. get cut.

DS: Romo has to be a leader. And with T.O. – you know the clips they [ESPN and the NFL Network] always show of T.O. yelling on the sidelines at the center [Andre] Gurode? That should have been your quarterback. Because at that point there had been two bad snaps or whatever down near the end zone. That’ supposed to be your quarterback, not your receiver [yelling at Gurode]. That would have been Troy [on past Cowboys teams]. Mike [Irvin] would have been yelling about distribution of the ball. But that was Mike’s guy and Troy would have got on him.

MI: Right. Because I don’t know whose fault it was because I don’t know how the snap came and I don’t know whose fault it is – Troy or his – so that is the quarterback’s responsibility. That’s a great point.

DS: So when we show that clip, we’re really showing a leader. He’s yelling at these guys in the huddle, ‘C’mon guys we gotta do this.’ That’s what he [Owens] was saying. He wasn’t in there saying, ‘Romo, throw me the ball.’ He was never saying that. He was getting on these guys being that captain, wearing tha “C” on his chest because that’s pretty much what he was. Now if you want your quarterback to resemble a glimpse of Troy Aikman you gotta get rid of that guy who’s a true leader. And that’s who he [Owens] was.

KK: I understand what you said, there. That’s tough. That’s a bad deal

DS: That’s the truth.

KK: that’s a bad deal for T.O.

DS: Yeah it was. T.O. didn’t even do anything wrong. And I’m not being a “pom-pom guy” with T.O. but he went behind the scenes and said, ‘Jason [Garrett], we have a problem with the ball. It’s not going where it’s supposed to go… You know one thing about guys like Mike [Irvin] guys like T.O. – T.O.’s been a great player for a long time. You can’t be that great without knowing the game. You gotta know the game. This kid knows where the ball is supposed to go. Because pretty much it’s a pre-snap read 90% of the time. You can look at the defense and say, ‘Okay, I’m [the] hot [receiver on this particular play].’ We would get in practice on Wednesdays and say, ‘Oh boy, Mike’s going to catch 10 balls this week and that means none for me and K-Dub or K-Mart.” so we knew that.

So the kid knows the game, so when it [the ball] wasn’t coming the right way [Owens said], ‘Well, let me go to my offensive coordinator like I’m supposed to (Irvin agrees) – and that leaked out and he got criticized for it. So that was down here [in Dallas]. This is the same guy who we criticize for crying about his quarterback. Then one minute you want to badger him - I don’t understand it.

I know he wanted it to work. I even reached out to Romo and told him, “Man, this is what needs to happen for you guys to be the best you can be. You and T.O. need to sit down and talk.

MI: What did Romo say to you?

DS: ‘Well you know, uhhh, we will.’ Two days later T.O. was released. that’s not Romo’s fault because I don’t think he was privy.  But you’re best receiver don’t get released without the offensive coordinator or the quarterback knowing.That doesn’t happen.

KK: Right or wrong that he was released.

DS: Wrong. Because the fans are the ones that are going to suffer. And Jason and Romo are going to suffer. And you know who’s going to suffer most? The fans are the ones who are going to suffer. And Jason and Romo and Witten are going to suffer. And you know who else is going to suffer is your head coach. Cause I like Wade. I think Wade’s a good guy. But ironically you put a gag order on the team, or the coaches right before you do this release… I don’t really believe Wade was for T.O. That’s your best offensive player. You have to practice against him every day, you know what he brings to the table. But on the other side of the ball I don’t think it’s going to be a very productive season and Wade’s going to get the bad end of it because he may get terminated and there’s a Mike Shanahan waiting in the wings.

KK: Wow, that’s good stuff. Not a Jason Garrett waiting in the wings?

DS: You can’t!

KK: Because he’s part of it.

DS: Because you’re going to be part of it.

MI: You’re saying you think it’s going to fall apart this year.

DS: Yeah! Oh yeah. Seven. Seven or eight wins at the most.

MI: -Other: Whoo! Oh wow!

DS: I mean, how many did they win last year? Nine? Okay,

KK: We’ll close on that Deion. Seven or eight at the most.