The Joy of Not Caring

I've paid pretty close attention to the TO suicide/no-just-stoned story over the past couple of days.  I honestly don't know how any reasonably passionate sports fan could avoid it.  For all that I despise what he did to the Eagles, there is no more fascinatingly talented/flawed character on the sports stage today.  It's practically Shakespearean.

With that said, I have been especially struck today by how great it is that I ABSOLUTELY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW TO'S ANTICS ARE AFFECTING MY TEAM. 

And that's really, really nice. 

Of course, the players are still going to get asked about it, but they don't even have to answer.  It's awesome.

We saw last year just how much the TO distractions can wear on a team.  I really believe the seeds for the "lost" season were sown in the summer, when players and coaches who should have been focused on making this team better were instead dealing with the Sit-up Man's Sideshow.  Oh sure, they all claimed it didn't have an impact, but that's crazy.  You can't see a locker room divided between your quarterback and your most explosive playmaker and not think that's going to mess things up a bit.

My question now is whether TO, he of the pulled hamstring, broken finger and fuzzy memory, is even going to end up being a net positive for the Cowboys this season.  Through two games, he has nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.  Those aren't terrible numbers, but that would have been a decent game for TO back in Philadelphia.  And they surely are numbers that any reasonably talented NFL receiver could manage playing opposite Terry Glenn.

(Heck, Greg Lewis has seven catches for 80 yards -- in three games -- and he's our number four wide receiver.)

So will having TO help the Cowboys win any games they wouldn't have otherwise?  Or will his endless distractions end up costing the team the focus it needs to make it through the season?

If he stays healthy, I'm betting on 'maybe' and 'absolutely.'  And that means TO won't be the only depressed person down in Dallas.