Terrell Owens, benign tumor

Terrell Owens is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Randy Moss, when healthy and motivated, is right up there and Steve Smith is amazing. As such, Terrell Owens should be paid like he's a top WR. That is where the Eagles' season broke down.

Just a year ago, everyone was wondering if Owens would be able to come back from a broken ankle early and play in Super Bowl XXXIX. Owens was terrific. How'd the other Eagles WR's do? Then, in the off-season, the Eagles wouldn't restructure Owens' contract. Owens was well aware that he was only making $3.25 million in 2005, far below market value. I doubt Owens would have had much problem if his 7 year, $49 million contract was guaranteed, but this is the NFL. The Eagles could use Owens for 2005, then cut him, even if he'd been on his best behavior. Owens wanted QB Donovan McNabb to lobby for him to the Eagles' Front Office people, since McNabb has clout, but apparently McNabb has his lucrative deal and place on a pedestal and didn't really care if Owens received a market value deal. This is where McNabb went wrong, the first time.

The Eagles are quickly becoming seen as an organization that doesn't treat players well. That is probably why there was a divide in the Eagles organization over the treatment of Terrell Owens. Other players understood his situation and didn't think it was fair, Jeremiah Trotter is one of them. This doesn't seem like the best thing to do because, given two close to equal choices, I wouldn't choose, or advise clients, to go to Philadelphia.

Owens has "acted up" twice now. However, he's hardly a cancer. Ok, he may turn out to be cancerous, but right now, it's unfair to classify him as anything worse than a benign tumor, which is slightly irritating at times, but definitely not that big a concern. The 49ers were a sinking ship when Owens left and they haven't recovered. They weren't sinking because of Owens and it's not his fault they aren't winning now. In Philadelphia, Owens played very well. The organization's unwillingness to work with Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus was the major problem, along with Donovan McNabb, and many other players, getting hurt. The Eagles lost Super Bowl 39, they ended up 6-10 this year. The Carolina Panthers lost Super Bowl 38, they ended up 7-9 the next year. The Raiders lost Super Bowl 37, they finished 2003 at 4-12. Super Bowl 36, the Rams lost and finished 7-9 the next year. The Giants also finished 7-9 the year after losing Super Bowl XXXV. I'm starting to see a pattern, anyone else see it?

I'm not going to get into "black on black crime", but Michael Irvin was merely saying that Brett Favre wasn't done, he just didn't have any players around him and that Donovan McNabb wasn't playing quite as well as he should have been. Terrell Owens just agreed with what Michael Irvin said. I'm not sure Brett Favre was a better player this year than McNabb, but it's possible. The Eagles had chances to be 7-0, but McNabb kept throwing interceptions at the ends of those games (v. Dallas, v. Washington, etc.) and they didn't pull them out. It's possible (not inevitable) that Favre would have been able to come through, given the same situations.

Next season, I'm looking for TO to have a big year, as long as he finds a situation that is good for him (and possibly even if he doesn't). Too bad they don't have a "Pay for play" system that rewards on-field performance. The Eagles may rebound, but it won't be because they rid themselves of the cancer of TO. Teams often rebound two years after losing the Super Bowl, the latest example being the Carolina Panthers, who had a down year last year but made the NFC Championship game this year. It's possible the Panthers could have been back in the big dance this year if they hadn't suffered so many injuries. If the Seahawks lose Super Bowl XL, they'll probably have a down year next year ... that's the current trend. Who else is going to compete in the NFC? Sure, there are contenders (Redskins, Panthers, Falcons, Bears, Cowboys, Giants, Bucs ... ok, half the conference), but there isn't a runaway juggernaut who seems like a lock to be there at the end.