Terrell Owens Cut by the Cowboys

In breaking news reported by ESPN.com's Michael Smith late Wednesday night, the Dallas Cowboys released their star, and often controversial, wide receiver, Terrell Owens.

Owens had been with the Cowboys for three seasons. In 47 games with Dallas, Owens registered over 3500 yards and 38 touchdowns. He has had over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of the three seasons as a Cowboy.

But his legacy in Dallas, like in San Francisco and Philadelphia, will be more judged on his downfalls than his accomplishments.

The 6'3", 13-year veteran is part of the long list of older players that have been cut this off season. He joins the likes of Marvin Harrison of Indianapolis, Fred Taylor of Jacksonville, and Derrick Brooks of Tampa Bay. The difference between Owens and these players are the reasons he was cut.

Owens was not cut to shore up money problems and save cap space. Owens was cut, instead, to save the team chemistry and allow quarterback Tony Romo to develop as a team leader.

After not getting along with former teammates Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, Owens seemed to have found his match when he teamed up with Romo. The two formed a seemingly unbreakable bond, that was publicly broken this past season. Owens claimed that Romo was creating plays with tight end Jason Whitten behind closed doors. He felt that he should be the primary receiver and, therefore, see the ball more. Statistics showed that Owens actually received the ball more than any other teammates.

"There are several decisions on our roster we have to look at," Jones said at the time. "This is the time of year we do that. I'm not trying to be trite, but as you all know we're evaluating players in college, we're evaluating free agents and we're evaluating our own roster. This is an ongoing thing, not any different than this time last year."

As for the Cowboys, the loss of Owens will certainly hurt the offense. Dallas does currently have some options at wide receiver, but may be looking to pick up someone in the draft or through free agency.

Their current wide receivers:
Patrick Crayton
Roy E. Williams
Miles Austin
Issiah Stanback

Williams can be a solid No. 1 receiver, while Crayton is not shabby at No. 2. What the Cowboys need is a quick slot receiver, ala Percy Harvin of Florida.

Now onto Owens, who seems to have limited options. He is one of the most physically dominant receivers in the game and still seems to have a little in the tank. The huge hindrance against Owens is his brash personality, the reason why this topic has even come into question.

The Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers all come to mind looking for receivers.

Owens may find problems, as his expectations will be high when looking for a team: A playoff contender, a decent quarterback, and finally money.

The Cowboys paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus just last year, included as part of a new four-year, $34 million deal.

When this mess gets sorted out there will be a distinct winner and loser in this transaction:

WINNER - Dallas Cowboys
LOSER - Terrell Owens

The voices of Dallas Cowboy fans across the nation can be heard simultaneously rejoicing at this very moment.