Pacman Yes, T.O. No

The announcement came last Thursday that Adam "Pacman" Jones signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. This is not a shock as the Bengals are known to take risks with players that other teams have deemed "damaged goods".

Jones is probably better known for his season long suspension in 2007 and his numerous run-ins with the law than he has been for his on the field accomplishments in the NFL.

If someone who didn't even play last season and has a questionable legal past like Jones can get an NFL job, what does that say about the playing future of wide receiver Terrell Owens?

The Bengals brought Owens in for a visit in early March and was very close to signing him but ended up signing the younger Antonio Bryant to a four year contract.

Adam Jones understands one thing that Owens doesn't. Your only monetary worth as an employee is what someone is willing to pay you. Jones most likely took a deal at the league minimum and was given playing incentives to increase the total amount of the contract. Owens, and his agent Drew Rosenhaus, reportedly want at least 5 million dollars for Terrell's services this next season.

The reality is Owens is a 36 year old who is coming off his worst season since 1999. He turned the 49ers locker room on its head and tried to create dissent amongst his teammates in Philadelphia. Then there was his  Romo-Witten writing secret plays on table napkins incident in Dallas. T.O. was quiet last season in Buffalo, but if he would have spoken up, would anybody have listened to him anyway?

Adam Jones has had his problems off the field, but by all accounts has been a decent "locker room" guy. Owens, like Barry Bonds, will never shake the reputation as a locker room cancer and still believes he is an elite player. The Bengals obviously felt that Jones was worth the risk and Owens wasn't. "Pacman" seems to realize this is his last chance to play in the NFL. It seems that Owens last chance may have come to pass.




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Roger Dodger?

 The Ben Roethlisberger saga is probably just beginning but for some in the media, it is not moving fast enough. Jemele Hill, of ESPN, believes that Roger Goodell is being more reserved in his approach to the allegations against Big Ben than he has been with other black NFL players (Mike Vick, Adam Jones, Tank Johnson, and Chris Henry).


I have written previously about how I was shocked that victims rights groups had not stepped up and used the media coverage after the Roethlisberger incident to get their agenda across.

Jemele Hill is, in my opinion, the worst kind of sports writer. Goodell is not perfect and perhaps he should suspend Roethlisberger for "determental behavior", but her article seemed to defend those players action in a "backhanded" method. 


Each of the players I mentioned above had be charged, indicted, or jailed for a crime. Roethlisberger has yet to reach that category. 

If people want to be judged on a individual basis, then they shouldn't be so critical of a employer that seems to being trying to do just that.

 


Every Morning Quarterback by Aharon Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Once, Twice, Three Times a Pacman

Adam "Pacman" Jones is apparently being given a third chance at playing in the NFL.  The Detroit Lions have, according to a Pro Football Talk source, signed the former member of the Cowboys and the Titans. 

Earlier this week after Jones' workout, Lions' Head Coach, Jim Schwartz, said, "Not only did we send someone down there to work him out, but also someone to spend some time with him... The workout won't be the final determination.  The workout was just to see what kind of condition he was in, I would say, from a commitment standpoint."

Jones' former level of talent is undeniable, and I'm sure he will make the League minimum.  If anyone knows if Jones is tolerable, it's Schwartz who was his defensive coordinator in Tennessee for two seasons.

I do wish the best for "Pacman".  This is definitely his last chance.  If it's not the Lions, it's probably McDonald's.  Though you could argue that McDonald's has been the better franchise for the last 50 years.


Every Morning Quarterback by Aharon Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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