Terrell Owens: The Most Misunderstood Player in Football

The man is simply a cartoon character. He is a beacon of media attention and symbolic tomfoolery. From the pen in the sock in San Fran, to the end zone popcorn shower in Dallas, the man has set the tone for on- and off-field hilarity in the NFL.

Chad Ocho Cinco, formerly known as That Incredibly Overrated WR from Cincinnati, went through the steps of legally changing his name, and I think it's safe to say that the general public was still more interested in T.O. doing sit-ups in his driveway. But what about the man himself?

Has anyone besides me noticed that he has developed from a punk kid with a big mouth who idolized Jerry Rice into a role model for the rookie receivers, who loves his role, his team, his coach, and his quarterback, and is quickly becoming (if not already) comparable to his aforementioned idol?

It's funny that it seems mainstream sports media is almost upset to see him happy and successful. I don’t know if anyone caught the "controversy" recently between T.O. and Tony Romo. Actually, I’m sure no one did, because it didn’t exist. However, due to media rumblings, T.O. was forced to waste an entire radio show defending his distaste for losing.

What? An athlete that hates losing? Ridiculous; Dallas should remove that cancer from its team before he hurts morale.

Are you kidding me? I was an athlete in my youth, and you better believe that it was difficult to be eloquent after a tough loss. T.O. officially has a quarterback who gets him. There really isn’t a better way to put it.

Owens, without question, is a therapist's dream. Raised without a father by his mother and grandmother, clearly attention-seeking, quick to show his emotions rather than collecting his thoughts and relaying information calmly and rationally. You cannot get any more real than that though. And that is something that should be respected immensely.

Romo somehow knows that all T.O wants to do is win - and that’s what Romo wants.  Together, my friends, they are going to win a Super Bowl. T.O. officially belongs to an organization that knows just who they have, and how to use him. You won't ever see T.O. following Tony Romo like a yipping puppy up and down the sidelines trying to convince Tony to throw the ball to him more often.

Owens has matured into a leader and a wide receiver so technically and physically sound that he may end his career as the most prolific wide receiver ever to play the game. So the next time you hear someone talking about Terrell Owens in a negative light, ask what year of T.O. they are talking about. If they are talking about T.O. 2k8, they might want to revise their opinions.