There's no "I" in team, but there were quite a few in Terrell Owens's 3 p.m. press conference. Standing beside Drew "next question" Rosenhaus, T.O. appeared saintly delivering his apology to the fans, players, coaches, and anyone else who may have been unintentionally offended by anything he may have said. Blah. Blah. Blah. Rosenhaus insists that his client wrote the apology. I hope not. After hearing T.O.'s lawyerly words of contrition, the Eagles declined to reinstate Owens. Good for them. I'm sick of T.O.'s mouth overshadowing his play--and the play of the other 1,860 players in the NFL. Shut up and catch passes. T.O. couldn't do the former so he won't be doing the latter.
Rosenhaus's arrogance was something to behold. A reporter, obviously frustrated by the uber-agent's refusal to answer questions he didn't like, asked: "What have you done for him other than getting him kicked off the team?" I'm tempted to agree, but then I remember that T.O.'s circus act predates his involvement with Rosenhaus.
Between the whistles, T.O. is a stud. His Super Bowl performance, coming less than two months after breaking his leg, proves this. But his conduct after the whistle has blown, proves that he has no class. Do you remember Owens celebrating on the "star" at Texas Stadium; running Jeff Garcia out of San Francisco; slamming Niners head coach Steve Mariucci; orchestrating a trade to the Baltimore Ravens and then immediately demanding a trade to Philadelphia; demanding a new contract a year into his contract with the Eagles; throwing Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid, and the entire Eagles organization under the bus; and conducting endzone spectacles with Sharpies, pom-poms, and other items extraneous to football?
Terrell Owens should have learned the lesson that two other star receivers (Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson) from his draft class have painfully learned: football is a team sport. The Bucs deactivated Keyshawn and the Pats suspended Glenn--then won the Super Bowl. Now the Eagles, like the Pats and Bucs before them, have decided that they're better off without their number one receiver. T.O., of course, is on another level than Johnson and Glenn. But he's not on so high a level that he can repeatedly insult his coaches and teammates with impunity. No one is.
Terrell Owens has always been the kind of player I love to hate. But watching him play football is something special to behold. He is a game breaking receiver and if he’s not the best or one of the best pass catchers in the game, he certainly has to be considered one of the best all around football players in the game today. Particularly, after his gladiator-like performance (unlike his QB) in the Super Bowl.
But, he is an a-hole and teams are far better off without him than with him.
Too bad T.O. doesn't have a history with Parcells (a la Glenn and Keyshawn). If he did, then Bill might take a chance and bring him to join the other formerly disgruntled receivers (who, by the way, are model citizens in Dallas). Were he to shut up and play, he could live on the star for all I care. What a waste.
What I particularly liked was T.O.'s "apology": "I fight for what I think is right", followed by his expression of regret. Somehow, telling someone he's right, but sorry, doesn't carry a lot of weight. Great football receiver; abysmal human being.
It's been my opinion for some time that both Moss and Owens, while 2 of the most talented recievers, are none the less both losers. It takes more than talent to be a champion, it takes character, and both are sorely lacking in that area. It takes a certain amount of selfishness to play at the pro level, yet Moss and Owens both are on the extreme end.I don't see either one changing, although Moss seems less of a jerk. Then again, I don't pay much attention to the Raiders. It's sad to see that much ability squandered.
Marvin Harrison
Indianapolis Colts
8-0
Harrison is the anti T.O. or Moss.
He just plays football and is great at it while quietly getting recognition from just about everybody that he is the best in game.
I liked the thought of an ESPN.com columnist who was wistful for the days of Mean Joe Green. He indicated that back then someone like Green would have simply grabbed T.O. in the locker room, thrown him up against a locker and told him to shut up and play football. Its amazing nothing like that has happened in his career (that I know of) but I wonder if some rough discipline by teammates at some point could have had a positive effect on him.
We're becoming a nation of media driven wimps.
Brian: Part of the current controversy involves Hugh Douglas, a former Eagles defensive lineman and current Eagles ambassador (or bad-ass-ador), questioning Owens sitting out of practice and then getting into a fistfight with him. This was kept quiet for a few days, so who knows what other fights were kept quiet for good.
I hadn't heard that. If T.O. has actually been involved in a Howie Long or Mean Joe Green type confrontation, and still kept mouthing off and undermining his team, then he is a hopeless case.
I like the mention of Marvin Harrison above. I wish sports journalism would let us just move on and ignore T.O., stop giving him a forum.
I am more a college football fan nd specifically a Georgia Tech fan. So I am greatly enjoying watching the development of a class young man and gifted wide receiver in Calvin Johnson. I look forward to seeing his continued development at the pro level in 2-3 years since he has the promise to be an elite receiver and the character to go with his talent.
