Terrell Owens Is Gone: Hopefully Dallas Cowboys' Excuses Leave, Too

Terrell Owens has become the NFL's proverbial cancer, as the wide receiver is the single-most destructive entity for any team's locker room.

He's guy that nobody is supposed to want, despite his exceptional talent and nose for the end zone.

Over 10 TDs and 1,000 yards for three consecutive years could help anybody, right?

Not when coupled with such an explosive personality, and too much fire directed at the very people surrounding Owens. No one would anxiously step onto the field with a player like that.

In other words, his personality negatively implodes on itself because of selfish wants and goals. So, when another team failed to contain Owens' eruptive spirit, it was of no surprise when he was tossed out of Dallas.

Really?

Judging by the media's coverage of the development, you would think it was out of the clear blue sky.

It wasn't.

Everyone knew that, after the volatile 2008 season the Cowboys suffered, the drama would end with some big name releases, as Jerry Jones is definitely not squeamish about making big moves.

This is the same Jones that fired legendary coach Tom Landry, hired college coach Jimmy Johnson, released Troy Aikman, and traded Emmitt Smith.

If he believes it will help his franchise win, Jones will do it.

To lose to the Eagles in the fashion the Cowboys did with a playoff berth on the line was just despicable, and you could see Jones hurling up his seafood lunch in his mouth at halftime.

With all of the talent this team had at the outset of the season, everyone picked them as a Super Bowl favorite. They missed the playoffs in ugly fashion however, and Owens created more media spectacles that divided a team already in chaos.

His repeated comments about not getting the ball to "help the team win.", his drops, his yelling at offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and anybody who would listen right in front of the camera, and his claim that Witten and Romo were making plays behind his back were just a few of the issues Owens created last season.

Owens has again made a fool of another owner and team, and now Jones and Romo can join Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid, Jeff Garcia and Steve Mariucci as people that have been victim's of Owens's diva-like attitude.

With more burned bridges in his wake, Owens now hits the free agent market looking to be signed by some dumb team looking for an aged superstar/migraine headache receiver who has a rap sheet longer than Al Capone's.

Call the Oakland Raiders.

I'm not sure who Drew Rosenhaus is talking about when he says that there are many teams in the hunt for Owens, but apparently he knows much more than conventional wisdom.

Or maybe he's just trying to drum up interest in Owens. I'll go with the latter.

Al Davis wouldn't mind lining Owens up with young, confidence-shaken JaMarcus Russell, who they were afraid to let pass the ball, and Javon Walker, a guy who has clearly been through too much and wasn't mentally into football last season.

Maybe they'll allow the talented Russell to actually pass the ball if Owens lands there, and Walker will wake up a little.

There are many fits for Owens talents, but the headaches aren't a fit for anywhere. Not even the Raiders.

Combine his attitude with dwindling skills, and the only way you sign Owens is for no more than two years at a small cap figure.

And make sure you can release him at any time with little to no cap hit.

Here's a memo that should be released to all teams even considering Owens's services next season.

Top three guidelines for signing Terrell Owens

3. Make sure you wait for someone to be dumb enough to pay him $6-7 million a year, and when nobody does, you make him desperate and pay him significantly lower.

2. Once he arrives, have a clause in his contract that makes him releasable with no compensation if he causes too many problems.

1. Have a big, strong veteran player that can keep him in line. A guy like Keith Bulluck, Ray Lewis, or Mario Williams.

There you have it. Nobody should sign this malignant cancer without following those three rules.

But what about Tony Romo and the Cowboy offense now?

Out of the many things Owens has been in his Dallas tenure, one not mentioned very often is his role as a scapegoat.

The media has continued to bail Romo out with the cancer that is Terrell Owens. Every time the Cowboys fail, inevitably someone remarks about how that locker room is the Cowboys' detriment.

To make matters worse, Jones brought in his namesake Adam "Pacman" Jones and Tank Johnson, two volatile players who were bound to bring trouble.

None of those experiments worked, although Johnson was on good behavior, but just didn't play well, and the Cowboys are back to Square One.

No Pacman, no Tank, and no T.O.

Just guys who are supposed to be character guys committed to the success of the team.

The Romo's, Witten's and Newman's of the world are still roaming the locker room.

Romo was probably shaking in his attic corner with a bottle of Jack Daniels, sweating and panting as he watched videos of Mark Schlereth and Trey Wingo defending his honor in the name of T.O.

Those days are over.

In 2009, Owens will not be dancing on the star, and Romo will not be blessed with a scapegoat. He now has to actually win big games.

Entering the 2009 season, there will be three burning questions for the Cowboys to answer:

1. Can WRs Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton become formidable targets Romo can rely on?

2. Can the team pull together in the locker room and become a working unit without Owens?

3. Will the offense suffer heavily without T.O?

You'll hear those topics on NFL Live all offseason.

Releasing Owens was a good thing for the Cowboys because of his continued bickering and feather-ruffling, and that is a fact.

What remains to be seen is whether T.O was the problem that he was made out to be, or is Romo just another overpaid QB who can't see the other side of the hill?

We will surely find out now.