Terrell Owens sure has perfect timing (at least according to this writer, who can never get enough of T.O., but is tired of writing about Major League Baseball’s M.O.) It is with delicate balance that I juggle my responsibilities as an objective writer and a schizophrenic fan, but luckily for me, the two are quite in sync this time.
By now, we have all heard about Owens’ demand for a new contract, claiming that his current deal doesn’t even place him among the top-10 highest paid wide receivers. There is no disputing that. Owens also claims that NFL teams can cut players and not pay them because the NFL does not have guaranteed contracts. Again, no disputing that. Thus, Owens must strike while the iron is hot. This time, I think I’ll pick a fight.
Owens, despite his creative endzone dances and unparalleled ability to shed defenders, is far from original. We’ve all seen this act before from prima donna superstars who believe that the only way to justify their worth to a team is not in the numbers that show up in the box score, but by the numbers the team puts behind their dollar sign. In light of what has recently happened, is there a way to explain Owens’ Super Bowl appearance as anything less than a springboard for his negotiations?
It makes me sick to my stomach to consider the betrayal Owens has shown the city of Philadelphia. I believe that Owens has entirely miscalculated his worth in the eyes of the Philly Phaithful. Eagles fans don’t understand money, and they equally don’t understand calling out the city’s most beloved athlete not named Iverson, Donovan McNabb. What Owens doesn’t understand and will probably never understand is that Philadelphia does not want to play in the Super Bowl; they want to win the friggin’ thing.
Owens, however, is content to play in the Super Bowl. For a guy like that, it provides all that he needs: microphones, audiences and a game to be played at some time on Sunday. That’s why Owens was there shooting his mouth off all week, and that’s why he knew seven weeks before that he needed to play. This had nothing to do with leading the Eagles and the city to their first Championship since 1983; this was about money, pure and simple.
Which leads me to believe that Owens should get a taste of that business side of football that he talks about as if he were debating the merits of America going socialist. The Eagles are in a position of power since they are set to pay Owens roughly $4 million, something he will never see if he holds out. So, let Owens’ hold out. Don’t trade him, don’t renegotiate and if he comes back half-assing his way through routes, line him up at the slot for 15 plays a game if only to piss him off. It is easy for me to say this since it won’t be my money floating in the wind, but it seems that the Eagles have a chance to send a message to every player in every sport who wants to whine every year they need to feed their kids. The Eagles under President Joe Banner have been a model for the league to follow in turning around a franchise. Now, they should be a model for turning around a malcontent player.
