The Terrell Owens Show must go on, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

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If Terrell Owens is his own TV show, then he has been dropped by ESPN and picked up by Fox Sports NE.  A few days after being released by the Cowboys T.O. has embarked on his third “fresh start” of his career with the Buffalo Bills.  For the record, I’m not a T.O. hater.  I think he is an amazing wide receiver, one of the best in NFL history.  In fact, I think some of his post-TD celebrations are somewhat amusing (i.e. the sharpie thing).  Am I a Dallas Cowboys fan? Not really.  Do I like Donovan McNabb.  Not particularly.  Do I enjoy watching reality T.V.?  Not usually.  You see, I really have no reason to hate the man. 

I don’t get too excited about the drama surrounding Terrell Owens and his off-the-field antics.  Nor can I imagine a scenario where one individual can cause a team of athletes, most being paid millions of dollars to win football games, to perform as badly as the Cowboys played at the end of last season.  In my opinion, most of the headlines during T.O.’s tenure in Dallas were more than likely manufactured (or at least embellished a little bit).  Remember the T.O. suicide thing?  Nonsense that made front page headlines while the retraction made back page news.  Look, T.O. loves camera time, no doubt about it.  But is it possible that the mainstream media goes reaching a little when it comes to Owens because of his past?  Or maybe is it because a large segment of the country is as intrigued in this guy as they are in reality T.V. personalities such Joe Millionaire and Tila Tequila?  Quite possibly.

I know this guys is probably a bastard.  And, from a P.R. perspective, I can understand how most GM’s would be reluctant to have a guy like that on their team.  As much as people bitch and moan about Terrell Owens, they sure do love giving him the attention he seeks.  I don’t understand it.  Why do we give so much face-time to the guys that most people would agree are complete jerks?  Why don’t we focus on the guys who do the right thing?  Why do the ones who play the game the “right way” go unnoticed?  When you think of about it, we should be publicising the heroes, not the villains.  Heroes such as Andre Johnson.

Talk about a guy who quietly had one of the best receiving season of the past decade!  In 2009, all Andre Johnson did was catch 115 balls for 1575 yards, both good for tops in the NFL.  It was his second season as a pro with over 100 catches and his third with over 1000 yards.  He “only” caught 8 TD’s (RE: sarcastic overtone).  Also, lets not forget Andre’s injury-shortened season of 2007 where over 9 weeks he averaged almost 7 for 100 and a touch.

Over the past six seasons Andre Johnson has nonchalantly become arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and no one seems to notice. Thank God for fantasy football or else I don’t think the rest of the country would EVER have noticed him!  Why doesn’t the rest of the country embrace Andre like the fans of Houston have done for six years?  Because he doesn’t lie, cheat, and steal.  He doesn’t hide his cell phone on the field to make a spectacle during a touchdown celebration.  He doesn’t publicly criticize his quarterback.  He just clocks in, busts ass, and clocks out.  I’ll admit, it used to be difficult to get excited about the Texans.  My love for the team could only shield my disappointment for so long.  Today however, win or lose, I am proud to call myself a Houston Texans fan…and it starts with Andre Johnson.