Here's day two... and the only thing that i can think about is Terrell Owens. I guess that's not true, there are my other issues i think about, but the T.O. issue has the most juice. For those not in the know, T.O. is (was?) a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and was most recently suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team." He has had a history of being a loud mouth and calling out his teammates and organization for actions that he didn't agree with. Whatever the issues that the Eagles had with him, the media has ripped him up and down as a selfish guy with no ulterior motives other than money and attention. Last night as I lay in bed watching SportsCenter a new development transpired in this drama of a story. T.O.'s agent, Drew Rosenhaus organized a press conference at T.O.'s house in New Jersey with Terrell reading what seemed a heart felt apology and the his agent answering questions. The funniest question that was asked to Drew Rosenhaus was "Besides getting Terrell kicked off the team, what else as an agent have you done for him?" Then in the background you see T.O. smirk and then cover his mouth as he almost gives an out loud laugh. It was great. I guess the beef that I have with this whole story is how T.O. has been thrown under the bus. I saw a new angle to this story last night... T.O. isn't as selfish as everyone thinks. Sure, he does have somewhat of the prima donna thing going on around him, but it is undeniable that he is an elite player that requires the same level of commitment from those around him. This latest controversy stems from his comments about his quarterback, Donavan McNabb and how D.M hasn't been playing well. What is being forgotten is that he is accurate in his gripes with his team. They have played horrible and politically correct or not D. McNabb stunk up the Super Bowl last year and hasn't played well this year at all. So, follow me on my new take on this situation... Let's look at what T.O. has done in his career. He is 3rd in NFL career receptions and 1st in touchdown catches for active receivers yet is paid as if he were in the mid 20's. He will turn 32 years old on December 7 and is in top physical condition. (I mean TOP, not a physical flaw) He plays angry, runs angry, wins angry. He has an intense focus for winning, and except for last year's Eagles team he hasn't been with any organization that has really won much of anything. Last year, in the Super Bowl he came back early from an injury to his ankle, against doctor's orders to play and help his team. He had a great game in the loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Last summer in attempts to renegotiate his contract to make things more fair financially for him and pay him the way that a receiver of his caliber should be paid the Eagles organization do not even consider a new contract meanwhile T.O. still shows up to training camp ready to practice and play. With the taste of being close to having a Super Bowl ring on his hand, the Eagles get hounded in the season opener this year in Atlanta and all of a sudden you see the evidence that this same Eagles team is relying on reputation, not reality for the way that the media perceives them as a team. Through all this, T.O. still produced elite caliber numbers. What I see in T.O. is not a selfish prick, but a winner that will not accept anything less from himself than he would from his team. The Eagles will lose a great player when this is all said and done. I didn't realize that the NFL owners could require such sweat and determination from their players, and then act like a beaten stepchild on Dr. Phil when their players require the same from them.
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