WR talks character, but limitations in his game are the real issue. Matt Bowen
Terrell Owens isn’t a high-profile free agent at this point in his career. The fact that he remains without a job in early June and has only seen real interest from the Bengals — prior to the club signing Antonio Bryant — might have T.O. waiting even longer. Perhaps until a team experiences a camp injury, a team’s WR corps isn’t producing in the preseason, etc.
Basically, Owens looks like a fallback plan for a club that needs a veteran who can run some routes and play for much less than the $6.5 million he received from Buffalo in ’09 — because T.O. is now a WR with limitations to his game.
In an appearance on the NFL Network’s NFL Total Access Friday night, the wideout was asked why he hasn’t found a team.
“I've heard a lot of the reasons why I'm not on a team right now. It's because people feel I've disrupted some teams, I'm a cancer — I've heard all those things,” he said. “They've said that for the last five, six years. The teams I've been on, if you ask in that locker room how I've been as a teammate and as a person, it's contradictory to what's been displayed out there.”
Owens is a hard worker, prepares like a pro and competes. Things you look for — and expect — from a veteran player who has lasted as long as T.O. has in his career.
But, going as far as labeling Owens a “cancer” as the reason for why he is still on the street is too easy. I’m not buying that.
Let’s look at his game — because any team can live with a WR who bitches when he doesn’t get the ball or has a routine of telling the QB to look for him down the field. That is all too common in the NFL when we talk about wide receivers.
Instead, we are looking at a wideout who struggles to get off of the line of scrimmage, has some burst (and big-play capability) left in his legs when he plays in the vertical game, but how much are you really going to get out of a player who will turn 37 during the season?
You want T.O. to run the comeback, the 9 route and the occasional 3-step slant vs. off-man coverage? That’s fine, but if you are a GM or a head coach who needs a WR, there has to be more than that. He struggles with press-coverage and he isn’t the type of receiver who you can move inside of the numbers and play him in the slot. That is not his game and what you are left with is an older player who isn’t going to win a lot of matchups against the top half of the NFL’s cornerbacks.
Sure, there was a time when he was a player that had to be accounted for in every meeting throughout the week, in the game plan and in your sideline adjustments on Sundays. As a half-field safety, when T.O. would get a clean release off of the line, your heart would stick in your throat — because you knew he had the ability to eat up your cushion and embarrass you down the field.
But, I just don’t see that anymore. Instead, I see a player who doesn’t require a safety to lean to his side of the field and in most cases, a player who can be handled with good technique from corners at the line of scrimmage. In reality, a player who doesn’t force opposing defenses to stay up late in their game day preparation.
That is a tough sell in free agency.
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Nice article even though I think you wash over his tendency to be a drama queen a bit too severely. One thing you don't mention that has to be part of his not signing is his drops - I've seen him kill a lot of drives when he just can't pull in a catchable ball.
Still with him getting older it seems everyone except him and Drew Rosenhaus knew this day would come. Can't say I'm sad to see him having to wait on the sidelines away from the spotlight.
Wow..didn't know he was 37. Man time flies. Big BIG props to him though on his longevity/durability.
To say nothing of his propensity for dropping balls. As I recall, this isn't generally well-reported, but as a Niner fan, I was not sorry to see him go.
The tough sale is not based on skills, drops, on media based issues. It has everything to do with him wanted 6.5 million dollars for a season.
Do you think he would have a job if he were asking for 1 or 2 million dollars for the 2010 season?
Almost can guarantee that two things will happen - one, that the Rosenhaus led agency group will initiate a "discount" prior to the season - that still may not get him onto a roster at that point and two, that two or three NFL teams if not the last week of preseason, then during weeks 2 - 4 of the regular season will push that button and make that call - assume TO will play in 2010, and assume due to desparation he will play for somewhere in the $3 - 5mil range when signed...
Very short term deals. He wants the kind of total money from this season that he would get in guarantees for tendered pay relative his years of experience on a multi year deal.
Drew already knows where he wants Owens to go. He has taken the NFLPA site numbers and crunched where he thinks need meets the available cash.
Putting that kind of heat directly upon a GM isn't a wise move at this time. Don't interrupt the coming vacation stretch. Hint at it on times, maybe on tweet.
Sometime after the next nearest fiscal quarter clears you'll get legit offers. By then they have saved payroll in offseason, and camp is about to get underway, the time you expect money signings to be there. Eclipse the voluntary/OTA phase of football with camp time, where the man's work is laid out.
"I'm not a cancer", he says after being released for the 3rd time in 5 years.
Now is T.O's comeuppance.
No one wants to pay the veteran's minimum for "cancer" in the lockerroom.
He's too high maintenance.
A lot of Bengals fans were disappointed they didn't sign him, but they forgot that the Bengals already have an old, loudmouth player who plays drama queen and who only shows up when things are putting him in the spotlight. Like they needed two on the same team with a lot of young talent in the wings? I don't think so TO.
It's amazing that guys old enough to be the fathers of some current players would think they deserve top money when they can't even find a job anywhere in the league.
Owens has a golden opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of many fans, but ego seems to be the deciding factor as so often happens with big name players.
It would seem a backup/mentoring role would well suit TO where he can teach young guys some of what he has learned in his many years of service in the league, but again that old ego jumps up and says, "I'm still the greatest thing since cold water was discovered.".
Well, TO buddy, I have bad news if that's the case. Cold water is old hat and so are you.
Being remembered as a one time great player who came in when everyone got desperate will not get any enshrinements in any halls of fame, but being the old guy who shared his wealth of football knowledge might gain some respect among fans and teams as well.
I know there is no shortage of young players who just can't seem to figure out certain things in the ever more complicated schemes, but if an old guy who knows these things will help them along the role of teacher can go a long, long way in the eyes of loyal fans of any team. Being the desperation call will only get a begrudging nod if that.
Age has caught up to him along with his locker room issues like you discuss. I still think Washington might try to reconnect him with Donavon if the need is there close to the beginning of the season.
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Jun 07, 2010
08:21 AM
Good read Matt, and I might add that I like seeing someone tell it like it is with Owens. His name has come up weekly here in Chicago and I don't see it at all. Would rather have the young--yet inexperienced receivers--than old T.O.