People seem to have this stereotype of professional football players as big, tough he-men, supermen almost, and why wouldn't they? It's difficult to get a true appreciation for how big these guys are when you see them on TV, since they're all equally mammoth so it skews the perspective, almost like listening to a presidential debate.
But if you've ever seen an NFL player up close, say walking through an airport or stealing your girlfriend, you begin to get a real appreciation for just how big these people really are. Their forearms are bigger than your thighs; hell, if you're anything like me, their wrists are probably bigger than your thighs. Unless of course we're talking about the placekicker, in which you can disregard all of the above.
Anyway, when you see how big NFL players really are, you naturally assume they are tough as nails, and in a lot of cases this is undoubtedly true (Quick aside - when I was in college, a backup linebacker lived in my dorm, and this guy used to routinely smash chips out of the building's concrete block construction using nothing but his head! And this was a backup player on a college team).
Leave it to Terrell Owens to break another perception barrier, shattering our notion of football players as semi-indestructible automatons by weeping like a little girl after the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants at home last Sunday. And what caused the tears to flow? It wasn't the trauma of losing the game, everyone knows T.O. isn't the most team-oriented guy in the world. Rather, it was the thought that, sniff, sob, the team's quarterback, Tony Romo, would be forced to shoulder a disproportionate share of the blame.
Oh, the humanity! The sheer unfairness of it all! But guess what, T.O.? That's the way it is in sports. Always has been, always will be. Being the quarterback in football is like being the pitcher in baseball or the goaltender in hockey - if your team loses, you get to be the goat. This is the flip side of the disproportionate adulation those guys get when they win; why Tony Romo dates Jessica Simpson while his offensive linemen have to settle for Romo buying them a steak dinner if he so chooses.
But finally we get to my point, which I almost forgot about. Anny Grant, a fourteen year old girl no one had ever heard of five days ago, is now the subject of national media attention for being the anti-T.O. When booed by a stadium full of rabid Colts fans at the RCA Dome for wearing a Patriots jersey while being honored as a Punt, Pass and Kick winner, this little girl shrugged off the negative attention with a smile.
Terrell Owens, big, tough football player, can't make it through a media session without weeping like #### Vermeil at a poetry reading, and this young girl shrugs off a reception from 60,000 screaming people that most of us would find at least a little disconcerting.
What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Not much, really, but maybe the put-down people use, when they say so-and-so cried like a little girl, needs to be reworked and updated. How about this? "Joe cried like T.O. when he got that speeding ticket. It was a riot!"
TO is an embarrassment to the Cowboys their fans and the NFL Its no wonder Tuna didnt want him on the team.The crying jag was just an act to focus attention on Romo and not the fact he had a couple of dropped passes to contribute to the loss.He is a waste of DNA
Hi jmoriello, thanks for the comment. It does seem like this girl is having a blast, and why not? She's a media star all of a sudden and the good thing is, it's because she was a good sport!
I'm not sure I can agree with the "genius" thing, but there doesn't seem to be much doubt he's tortured, does there?
G-Men, it did seem a little premeditated, didn't it? I'm sure nobody was more embarrassed than Romo himself - I know I wopuld have been if I had been in his shoes....
Thanks for reading and for the comment, I appreciate it....
Well just like the Mexico talk, this TO crying thing needs to stop as well. In 05 BIG BEN's rookie year, the Steeler lost to New England I believe in a playoff game. After the game Hines Ward was crying on the FIELD!!! during a interview beacuse he was soooo upset about The Bus not getting to the Super Bowl or something like that. Be he was just being a good teammate right? So I guess that girl little is tougher then Hines Ward too!!!
It is quite obvious that T.O. is an anomaly both on the field and off. Seriously, you had to expect something over the top from this guy following his teams choke job.
As for the 14 yo girl, I don't think she gave much thought to being booed at the time it was happening. After all, she was there to be honored versus having to explain a poor performance. She did shrug it off at the time, but I'm sure she will be thinking about it for a while. Good thing for her she didn't have to address the media after the game.
Hi Throw, I had forgotten all about the Hines Ward thing and whar a great teammate he was being to Bettis, but now that you mention it, you are exactly right. I guess there are a whole bunch of players Anny Grant is tougher than....
Thanks a lot for reading and taking the time to comment....
Pissaant's Dad, I imagine she was prepared, at least a little, for the reception she was going to receive, wearing a Patriots jersey into the RCA Dome. I'm sure it would haqve been no different if they had held the ceremony at Gillette Stadium and she had worn a Colts jersey.
The contrast is still pretty funny though, thanks for the comments and have a great day....
Well the girl got booed for wearing her favorite team jersey and she stood up for it whick was good.
TO lost a NFL Football game that he was looking forward to soooo much and it's gotta be tough. Especially when yeah the quarterback didn't do so great but TO just made it known that they lost as a team. And it is amazing the the commentators/media have nothing better to talk about except the trip that Tony Romo made to Mexico. Well thats his life and if everyone wants to blame the lost on him. I would just say grow up and support the team in their lost just as you were doing when they were winning. Don't be a hypocrite.
Last edited by CamoGurl on January 18th at 7:43 AM.
Hi Camogurl and thanks for checking out the post. I think people look at the actions of T.O. with somewhat of a jaundiced eye thanks to his history of seemingly needing to dominate the spotlight. If a different player had done what he did, I think very little would have been made of it.
I agree with you on the Mexico thing, in fact I wrote a post saying that just a few days ago. It was a mistake only in the sense that he should have known he would get skewered in the press if the Cowboys lost. Other than that, nobody cared where any of the other players spent their time off, why should Tony Romo be any different?
i fail to see how you can compare a supporter to a player, Firstly i am pretty sure that girl will be crying when the new england lose . T.O may not have been a team player in philly but has done nothing wrong in dallas ,so for you people to be mocking him is totaly wrong. As a dallas supporter i was proud to see T.O show the emmotion that he did ,because it shows that he actualy cares about winning or losing . and half baked why the #### are you compareing the toughness of Anny Grant ???
Last edited by BoardAusi on January 18th at 7:55 AM.
Well I agree that it does show that TO cares about winning and losing. And who made the rule that tuff NFL playes don't cry or aren't suppose to cry. It might be unusual but never judge a book by it's cover. Dallas is a young team and they will be back next year.
T.O. has always given me the impression that the number of active brain cells he can utilize at any given moment is the equivalent of "I'm this many years old."
That's his way of showing grief as a result of the team's loss when in reality, he viewed it as HIS loss to appear in the Super Bowl. And I'm a Cowboy homer through and through so I don't have any agendas.
Anny has become quite the hot topic among we bloggers, has she not?
Hi Board, thanks for reading and for the comment. I never said T.O. has done anything wrong in Dallas, but come on, even you have to admit it stretches the limits of credulity for Owens to say he's always got his QB's back, don't you think? Would Jeff Garcia agree after Owens implied to the media he was ####? Would Donovan McNabb agree after Owens threw him under the bus in Philly?
Aside from that, I compared T.O. to Anny Grant because the contrast was to good for me not to. It was meant in a humorous vein, which is how I try to approach most of my posts, and I'm sorry if that didn't come across to you.
But it still makes me chuckle, which is why I wrote it....
CamoGurl, I agree the Cowboys will be back next year; in fact, I had them picked for the Super Bowl this year.
Again, I don't think it's the fact that a player cried during an interview that makes it newsworthy, it's the fact that it was T.O., with his history of craving attention....
First of all, it is a lousy comparison between the girl and TO. I don't like TO at all, but what is the big deal????? Football players play with passion and teammates are like family. Unless he was really faking it, it's not big deal.
Secondly, this girl getting booed is being so overblown. She was barely booed by a partisian Colt stadium full of die hard fans who hate New England. She had to expect it and imagine if she was in New England and was wearing a Colt jersey. She might have been pelted with snow balls. All the free stuff she is getting is ridiculous. Will she expect free stuff every time she faces a little adversity???
Hey MoonDog, I was just on your site, chcking out Catherine Bell. All I can say is thanks.
Good point about T.O. probably viewing the loss as him missing a chance to star in a Super Bowl. When he was in Philly, remember how he crowed about his Super Bowl performance after coming back from an injuiry even though the Eagles lost? Same type of attitude....
Coltsfan, I find the comparison amusing, which is why I wrote it.
That said, I'm NOT attacking Indy fans for their response to the Patriots jersey. If it had been a girl wearing a Colts jersey at Gillette Stadium, I'm sure the response would have been similar, and I said that in a comment above.
But I don't see any problem with her getting a little attention for being a good sport either....
I am not saying you are attacking Colt Fans, but a lot of people are. A little attention is fine, but have you seen everything she is getting? I should be so lucky, LOL.
nice blog. at least the girl wasnt in philly with a cowboys jersey. she wouldn't of made it out of philly alive!!! t.o. was upset since they didnt win and he should be cryin since they were the better team...
Hi Fix, good point, in fact you could probably substitute almost any jersey beside an Eagles jersey in Philly and she would have been in trouble....thanks for reading and for the comment....
All these articles on TO are foolish. The guy shows emotion cause his team lost the football game. Supports his QB and he is getting critized for it. TO is a writers dream. He gives you something to talk about. Give the guy a break. He went threw the year wo showing is't all about TO!!!! The guy at this age just wants to win!!! He is right with the ball in his hand the Cowboys have a chance to win. Irvin was the same way, along with any great receiver. So why don't you go and rage on somebody else and give TO a break!!!!!!
Hi Cowboyfan, I think you may have misinterpreted this post. I'm not "raging" on T.O., I'm poking fun at him, there's a big difference. And you're right about one thing, he did give me something to talk about....
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment....
MAN YOU GUYS ARE SILLY AND PRETTY BOLD I MIGHT AD, ON THE COMPUTER. HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT A MAN WHOM WE'VE SEEN TRY AND MAKE A BETTER PERSON OF HIMSELF AND BE THE TEAM PLAYER THAT YOU SAID HE COULDN'T BE. AND WHEN HE FINALLY SHOWS THAT HE IS A GOOD FRIEND AND TEAMATE YOU GO AND TRY TO TAKE THAT FROM HIM. FOR ALL YOU BOLD COMPUTER USERS I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU GET UP AND DO SOMETHING ANYTHING IN FRONT OF A NATIONAL AUDIENCE AND PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL AT ANYTHING. THE WORLD IS VERY UPSETTING AND THE PEOPLE IN IT AREN'T MAKING IT BETTER BY LAYING BACK JUDGING PEOPLE FROM THE COUCH. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I'M SURE THAT ONE OF YOU IF NOT ALL HAVE NUT UP IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE. AND FOLDED UNDER PRESSURE IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES. TRY THAT IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE NATION AND SEE HOW YOU REACT TOUGH GUY.
Mr817, I'd say silly and bold pretty much describes my whole operation, but what the hell, it works for me. I would be the first to admit I don't have the ability to do what T.O. does, but that doesn't mean I can't comment on it. Isn't that the point of someone doing something on the national stage?
I can, however, write, which at this very moment I am doing in front of a national audience and at, I believe, a pretty high level. You may disagree, which is certainly your right, but I'm pretty satisfied with the job I'm doing, thank you very much.
We are at this moment in front of the entire nation, at least the portion of the nation that reads foxsports.com, and am I folding? Don't think so.
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment....
It is interesting though, that one of the knocks on TO in the past has been that he did not care enough about the game, about his teammates, yeah even about his quarterback.
He has been critized for being flippant after games, for coming down on his quarterback when he did not get him the ball or when the team lost.
So he comes out after a game, defends his quarterback and definitely shows he cares to the point of tears.
But now he is a crybaby and an #### hole for crying. Wow! Nothing is ever going to be good enough for some of you, is it?
TO takes a lot of flack and much of it he deserves, but in this case it is those who have critized him who are way off base and out of line.
As long as TO does what he does on the field, I don't care what the public opinion is. This fella is a nut job. But he is a badass on the field, when he makes the catch of course.
I am a Pats fan, and I am almost positive that this 14 year old girl did not have any problem with the jerks in Indy boo-ing her. She understands, I am sure, that the Pats are hated all over the country.
I am wondering though if the boo-ing was all real or if some of it was piped in just like during games when they pipe in phony crowd noise.
I really do not have much love for Indy , but since they were the apparent "overlooked team" I guess any press would be good for them. I guess aftger they lost the other day that we all figured out why they were so over looked , it was because they sucked.
I know the girl is young, but give me a break. They're must be 1,000s of kids that would trade places with her in a second... what would be more fun than to stand out their sporting the arch enemy's colors when YOUR team is 17-0 and about to win ANOTHER SB...hey, YOUR team is the one on a roll. They're just jealous. I would relish the BOOS and do what I could to egg them on.
TO - When we signed him, I hated him and expected the worst. But I've got to admit he's done everything right this year in terms of attitude and he's actually pretty funny (video camera behind the goal post was classic). He probably should have been in somebody's face more last Sunday (Tony/Crayton). BUT - it's hard for him to do that when he's not really that good. Lay the ball into him perfectly and he'll catch it 80% of the time. But the tough catch, forget it.
And I wonder if it had been say Peyton Manning who choked up at the press conference, would people be making fun of him? I seriously doubt it. It would be that here was a man who hated to lose so badly that he choked up. Atheletes do it all the time.
The fact is that these people just don't like TO, so things they would overlook in other people are just one more opportunity to bash when it comes to TO.
Hey Dolts fan, how the heck do you know she would be booed in NE wearing a lowly Dolts jersey, that is only trivial speculation , but we know 100% that she would have been booed in Indy with a Pats jersey 'cause it actually happened.
So try to minimize it all you want by saying, only a few fans booed her , what does that mean about 10-15 thousand fans, and that the same would have happened here in NE.
It shows the petty jeolousy that Indy has on the Pats success.
She gets my vote for having class - what a gal! T.O. be embarassed, be very embarassed by this 14 year old's actions. You big, strong NFL players learn what grace is from her.
pat, are you really that naive? Do you really believe there are no Patiots fans that would boo in that circumstance?
Come on, now. It happens every year, in every stadium where there is a kid wearing the arch rival's jersey.
Surely you are not going to try to convince us that the Patiots fans are that much superior to any other team's fans. That would just make you look silly.
Every team has great fans and every team has obnoxious fans. Even the Patriouts.
This argument about teams' fans is just silly. Why do people try to pretend that THEIR fans are better than the rest? Everyone knows it is not true.
I don't think you can compare the two, really. Having a favorite team is a lot like having a favorite band. When people make fun of them (team or band) they are not really making fun of you as a person. It's not like you are on the team/ in the band.
T.O. however, is a player on the team. He's not just wearing the Dallas uniform, he's getting paid big time to wear it. And anyway, wasn't there a rumor not too long ago that T.O. had tried to kill himself?
I don't think it's crying that makes you a "little girl." I understand, you're not a Cowboy fan, whatever. But I'll take a player who expresses more emotion than the average backup who smashes cement with his forehead (what does that say about the educational standards of your school, anyway?) anyday of the week, especially when he is one of the best in the league at what he does.
Also, the guy played this season with a gimpy hand and also played in the Superbowl a few years ago with screws in his ankle, and you want to tell me he isn't tough because he cries after a bad playoff loss? Whatever, man. And I'm not even a T.O. fan, just getting tired of all of this T.O. bashing.
You make an EXCELLENT point:
"...how the heck do you know she would be booed in NE wearing a lowly Dolts jersey, that is only trivial speculation , but we know 100% that she would have been booed in Indy with a Pats jersey 'cause it actually happened..."
So tell me, do you "speculate" about video cameras in other stadiums at all?
BigSportsfan, give me a break. There is no correlation in the two situations. The girl is 14. She won a punt pass and kick contest. She got booed in a rival stadium. Not good, but come on, she herself has expressed how trival it was to her.
TO is a professional athelete who has put years of training, effort, and pain into what he does. He has been booed in a lot of stadiums, booing that made what she experienced seem like a warm welcome. He never cried about that either. He laughed about it just like she did.
But losing out on a real opportunity to go to the Superbowl, a football player's dream is something else again. And especially when you know you are as much responsible as any other player. If you cannot understand the difference, maybe you are not as big a fan as you claim to be.
The funny thing about this girl being Harassed is Indy has been supposedly the moral high ground all year. Easterbrook and others have been Touting Dungy and Indy as the Haloed team and Belichick and NE the Vaders of the NFL. Indy fans have been talking about how we ran up the score. Belichick is disrespectful and has no class. The first opportunity they have to show disrespect and a lack of class on a national front and they can't hold themselves back. Even though it is a 14 Yr. old Girl who won a national competition to get to this game. What a pack of knuckle dragging jerks
Ease - not so sure it's T.O. bashing as much as it is Cowboy bashing. Everyone loves to get in their punches this time of year when Dallas goes down and he and Cabo-Romo are the easy targets (although Tony taped one to his own back I think).
Gotta get they're licks in now before Dallas Rocks again!!
I think your dislike of T.O has blinded you to what happened.
He's not the most team-oriented guy? He's a quarterback killer is what they say.
Yet after the game he said that they lost the game as a team and that placing the blame on Romo was ridiculous. And if you watched the game, it is.
Romo kept several plays alive that had no business being so as his protection fell apart like a Russian made car. The defense lost that game, not Romo.
Then T.O comes out and when most people would expect him to through Romo under a bus he defends him, like a team mate should, and gets emotional about it.
If anything T.O showed he's a better team mate than he's given credit for and the fact that he cried demonstrated it came from the heart. I don't fault someone for crying, I fault someone for lying and T.O certainly wasn't.
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
