There are tons of stories pouring in about Marquis Cooper. The Raiders linebacker/special teams standout Thursday morning. Telling of his leadership, hard work and infectious positive attitude.
I never had the privilege of meeting him, but it has become apparent that the eight games he spent as an Oakland Raider, Marquis made an impact on his coaches and teammates for a very long time.
Like many others I am saddened to learn of the probable loss of such an outstanding young man. But as I readied for bed last night, I learned of the Dallas Cowboys releasing star wide receiver Terrell Owens.
It’s no secret that the Raiders need help on the flanks. And at age 35, Owens’ skills haven’t completely diminished. But one thing that certainly will never diminish is the attitude and conduct that had divided every locker room that he’s ever been in as a professional.
Ask yourself this, is giving Jamarcus Russell a top quality receiver, a potential Hall of Fame target worth destroying a team that appears to finally be coming together after six frustrating seasons?
Depending on Norv Turner’s further destruction of the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos continued struggles without an elite quarterback, the Raiders could make a legitimate run at the AFC West title in 2009.
But lets face facts. There will be adversity in 2009. And the one thing Owens does when there’s any sort of difficulty, is tear down his own locker room and put himself in front of his teammates.
For example…
After a forgettable 7-9 outing in 2003 under the reigns of new head coach Dennis Erickson, (the worst coaching hire of the decade by any team) Owens, in an interview with Playboy magazine, insinuated his quarterback was homosexual. Bring into question an issue that (whether true or not) was nobodies business and had nothing to do with football.
We’re a long way from the days when Dave Kopay played. At least I hope we are. Regardless of Garcia’s speculative sexuality, there is one thing we know he has in common with the hard-running Kopay, He is one tough S.O.B. Which is proven by the beating he took in 2003 that failed to keep him off the field for most of the season, at age 33.
After pitching a fit with the NFLPA, He was able to get a trade to Baltimore voided and landed in Philadelphia on a dead run. The Eagles won their first seven, and were 13-1 before Owens fractured a fibula and sprained an ankle while being horse-collared by Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys. He missed the playoffs, but returned for a valiant performance in Super Bowl XXXIX, catching nine passes for 122 yards. But a year later Owens became a bigger pariah in Philadelphia. As the Eagles crash-landed into last place in the NFC East with a 6-10 record, Owens and his antics captured headlines on a daily basis. So much so, Andy Reid and Eagles Owner Jeff Lurie were easily able to ignore that fact the Owens may well have been the best receiver in professional football and release him at the end of the season.
It’s no secret that his ego, along with his bank account received a major boost when the Cowboys signed him to a three-year, $25,000,000 deal. But as well as you could compensate an athlete, and put him into the most opportune positions for success, this one in particular, who seemingly has everything handed to him, continues to disrupt to the point that Jerry Jones, a maverick risk-taker in the vein of an Al Davis of old has joined the fraternity of teams who have grown sick of his disruptive and detrimental act.
And all a team needs to experience the wrath of hurricane Terrell is struggle. Something the Raiders have done for the past six seasons.
What the Raiders of today need, above all else is healing. And to accomplish this, the Oakland Raiders need to surround themselves with positive people, intent on learning from the struggles of the past, working hard and moving forward. Guys like Marquis Cooper.
Adding Terrell Owens that healing process in Oakland, would be the equivalent of injecting leukemia into the bone marrow.
And as bad as we need a top flight receiver, Terrell Owens in bad medicine.
Six days a week, Krunch is known as Jim McCullough, author of Pride & Poise: The Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. He can be reached at raidershistory@yahoo.com or you can visit his website www.raidershistory.net.
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