By D'Arcy Maine, NFL Draft Bible
While I'm thankful for teams and players who are positive role models for the legions of their young fans, the NFL wouldn't be what it is today if it wasn't for the screw-ups. These are the players with the cocky swagger whom we love to hate. We love to tear them apart, yet we can't take our eyes off of them. And no one embodies this persona more than Philadelphia's s most hated, the one-and-only Terrell Owens.
A full season stands between T.O. and his disastrous stint with the Eagles. A once promising alliance between the wide receiver and the franchise ended in hatred, disgust and, most importantly for the Philly faithful, no Super Bowl ring
While Michael Vick, Adam "Pacman" Jones, and Terry "Tank" Johnson dominate the bad boy headlines this off-season, Terrell Owens has quietly worked to re-gain his successful career (both on and off the field) and is providing an almost reformed bad boy example for his fallen counterparts.
Owens (unlike the aforementioned athletes) has been a law-abiding citizen but to the average American, Owens symbolizes what is wrong with professional sports thus he has, perhaps unfairly, been cast into a similar category as those who have done far worse.
"Quiet" and "T.O." are not exactly synonymous but when the controversy subsides and Owens is focused, he is one of the most capable and talented receivers in the league. Along with the legendary Jerry Rice, Owens is the only receiver with five seasons of 13-plus touchdowns and has seven seasons with over 1,000 yards. However, his career has been marked mainly by controversy and scandal.
The man who once proclaimed he had never read his own auto-biography got off to a rocky start in Dallas overdosing (in a rumored suicide attempt) on medication and staging a memorable press conference shortly after. It looked like his stint with the Cowboys wouldn't be much different than his in Philly. But then something changed.
T.O. shut up.
That's not to say that season was not without further controversy. He did spit on DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons but unlike his prior situations, Owens apologized and admitted his actions to be stupid.
On the field, despite a lingering finger injury, Owens led the league in touchdown catches with 13 and worked well with mid-season replacement starting quarterback, Tony Romo. And in perhaps the most unselfish move of his career, T.O. opted to wait untill after the season to get necessary surgery for his finger, risking irreversible damage.
Owens has surprised many this pre-season by his seemingly team-first attitude. He attended mini-camp and has had nothing but praise and good things to say regarding the Cowboys' new coach, Wade Phillips. He has been suffering from severe back pain but a recent MRI came back negative and he is working with a chiropractor to aid his recovery. Owens played in the victorious pre-season opener against the Colts and had one catch in his brief on-field appearance.
Owens is at this point best known for his off-field antics but this will be the year where he rejects his controversial celebrity and is known as the top wide receiver on a playoff-bound squad. At the end of the day, the elusive Super Bowl title is the chief motivator for many-that-don an NFL uniform and Owens has yet to attain that title. At 33, he has ticks left in his clock.
D'Arcy Maine delivers the NFL scoop every week at 4th & Goal. Make sure you stay in the know all season long with her exclusive "View From The Couch".
Email: darcy@nfldraftbible.com
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I always enjoyed T.O.'s on-the-field antics (i.e. Sharpie incident, placing the ball on the Cowboy star as a 49er, etc.). What I can't tolerate about him, however, is how he undermines his own team by berating his quarterbacks and disrespecting his head coaches. For all his physical talents, T.O. is a bit of an idiot. How would you like working alongside someone like that? Has he finally seen the light in Dallas? I have my doubts. We have a long season ahead and from where I stand, he's bound to make a moronic statement or two.
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