The next time you saw the same trick, you knew where to look and you saw the elephant standing behind the fake paneling. The decoy flash happened on the left side of the stage - the paneling was removed on the right side - revealing the elephant. Mystery solved.
That brings us to T.O.
"I was the fall guy for some of the things that happened during that season but those guys in that locker room, they know that whatever is being reported out there right now is very, very inaccurate."
- Mr. Accountability
Like a magician, Owens is up to his same old tricks:
He was treated unfairly while in Dallas.
He wasn't the problem - he did his job (and he will tell you all about it).
He is being wrongly labeled as a "cancer" within the locker room.
He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Amazingly, since he was cut, I have heard numerous fans actually support Owens:
"T.O. worked harder than anyone on the team. He is just so competitive that sometimes he gets frustrated. I'm glad - I want my players to get frustrated when things aren't going well."
(Side Note: This guy has to be David Copperfield in disguise, right? I mean - he has to be. How else could he convince thousands of fans to ignore what they have seen? How else could he force fans to focus on his contributions while completely ignoring the sideshow? Who else could get others to agree that he has been the victim three different times with three different organizations?)
Do you understand the problem with the “he is just highly competitive” theory? T.O. complains after wins. After Dallas beat Washington in Week 11, Owens had this to say:
“When I get my hands on the ball, things happen. I can’t throw it and catch it. It’s not that I can’t play. It’s the system of which I’m in.”
Yes – Owens is competitive – but that competitiveness remains focused on himself and his numbers. Competitors focus on winning. T.O. focuses on T.O. – and then winning.
I don't deny that T.O. wears his emotions on his sleeve. I agree that he expresses his frustration when things go bad. My issue lies within Owens' definition of "bad." T.O. considers individual numbers as priority number one - and winning as number two. That's why he has no problem complaining after victories...because in his mind - if he didn't get his numbers - it wasn't a victory. Owens is not the only athlete that focuses exclusively on his numbers, but he is one of the few athletes that isn't smart enough to realize when to complain about individual statistics.
(Note to Terrell: after a win isn't a good time.)
Here is another popular argument for the beleaguered wide-receiver:
"Owens on-field talent outweighs any type of distraction that he may or may not create."
Well - I guess 30 other teams didn't agree.
Why didn't some of the contenders snatch Owens up? Did the Giants make a run at him? Did Carolina have any interest? What about Indianapolis? New England? Jacksonville? Pittsburgh? The Jets?
This amazingly talented receiver was "wrongly" blamed by the Cowboys' organization and Dallas media but Buffalo was the only team willing to take a flier on the guy? A "number one" receiver that "hasn't lost a step" who constantly "commands double-teams" couldn't even muster a multi-year deal? His only option was to play for a non-contender in a non-media market for a team that gets absolutely no national exposure on a one-year deal?
Just like with David Copperfield: if you can't see the elephant in the room - you aren't looking hard enough.
