As the drama continues in the Terrell Owens saga, everyone has pretty much sided with the Eagles, some going as far as saying that it's imperative for all of sports that the Eagles stand strong and some even suggesting that T.O. shouldn't be allowed to play in the NFL anymore. Sure, that may be a nice stance in theory, but in reality, they are all wrong. Philly needs to give Owens a new deal.
For a minute, forget about everything Owens has said over the past few weeks. Looking solely at the situation, it's hard to dispute his point. If players can be cut if they get hurt or if they have a bad season, why can't players get a new deal if they have a good season? The deals don't do a great deal to protect the players, and before you say, "They are just playing a game, Mark, they should be happy to get $30k," remember that just because it's a game doesn't mean the owners should make out like bandits.
Most of the deals in the NFL are back-loaded and most of it usually isn't guaranteed. I have to side with the players on this one. And as far as holdouts go, the guy I feel the worst for is Hines Ward, that guy makes about the same money as Justin McCareins and is five times the receiver McCareins could dream to be. Some players just deserve what's due to them, and Hines Ward deserves a new deal, even more so than T.O.
Now, looking at everything that has happened in the past few weeks, T.O. couldn't be in a better position to get a new deal. With Todd Pinkston hurt and T.O.-lite Freddie Mitchell gone, Philly has no one who can actually catch a ball. Terrell Owens has played the Eagles perfectly and every move they have made has gone from bad to worse. It has now gotten to the point that Philly needs T.O. much more than T.O. needs Philly.
How do the Eagles play it? Well, they want to make a statement. They want to get the point across that no man is bigger than the team and no employee can treat his bosses like garbage, mouth off, badmouth his co-workers, and get away with it. The Eagles want to let it be known to the football world that the "me-first" attitude has no place in their camp. It's noble really, a great message to send to kids around the country. But let's face it, it's stupid.
Amazingly, the Eagles took a bad situation and made it worse by sending Owens a letter about his actions, a probable precursor to a suspension. What's the point of punishing him and then keeping him off the field? It's great to take a stand on an issue and make a statement, but what's the one thing more important than towing the company line? Winning — and that's something the Eagles will not do if they suspend Owens.
Didn't we go through something like this with Miami? Everyone said that you just couldn't quit on a teammate and come back. I thought that once you turn your back on your team, that you would be loathed and despised by everyone. The Dolphins took a bold stance with their cold remarks, but what happened? They sucked without Ricky, so when he wanted to come back, he was welcomed with open arms and players decided to be "professional" about it, because they knew the needed Ricky.
What is Philly trying to do here? If they don't want to cave and give him a new deal, then ship him away. Get something in return, which is better than sacrificing your season. If I'm T.O., I think I'm doing sit-ups in my driveway, too. First, the comedy level is off the charts, as it's become a media hotbed to watch him workout in his driveway. Second, he is in the position of power, there just isn't much incentive for Owens to cave.
Columnists and fans can continue to vilify T.O., but eventually they have to deal with reality — Philly can't win with Owens on the sidelines. The Eagles should have given him his deal a long time ago, before he had to start acting like a child to get it. Now, the Eagles are going to look ridiculous if they cave, but, if they want to win, it's something they better get ready for.
The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].
August 16, 2005
Van:
Aching for someone to read your column? Being ridiculously absurd is always helpful. Look how beneficial it’s been for TO- people can’t get enough.
It’s a shame you didn’t write this on Monday, before last night’s game. If you’re too lazy to check the stats (and obviously you are), McNabb went 14 of 19 for 132 yards, spreading the ball around to 5 different receivers and ending with 1 TD and 1 INT. This was just in one quarter of football, against arguably the best defense in the NFL. That makes your 4th paragraph seem a little naive. That’s only the beginning of what’s obviously a plethora of errors in your wannabe rant. Perhaps you should pay more attention to what those professional football analysts are saying.
Being a TO fanboy is all fine and dandy. Writing articles such as this that demonstrate your lack of sports intellect, thus causing you a loss of respect in the media world, isn’t. That is, of course, unless you plan on not being in this profession much longer.
August 16, 2005
Marc James:
Van,
Thank you for your comment. However, on the topic of absurd, let’s look at your post. I think basing your argument on a meaningless preseason exhibition game is laughable. Bottom line, without T.O., the Eagles are extremely bare at WR and there is no way around that.
Further, how does writing a column voicing a different point of view demonstrate lack of sports intellect? Forgive others, because there are going to be people who disagree with you, but that doesn’t make them any less of a person.
Try getting off your high horse for a moment and respect someone for not being afraid to voice their opinion, especially an unpopular one. Chalifoux was not supporting T.O.’s rude and selfish actions, he is simply making a valid point from a football perspective that the Eagles need T.O.’s play on the field more than ever.
August 16, 2005
Bob Roberts:
This situation is quite possibly the worst display of business management on the part of the Eagles I’ve ever seen in sports. T.O. gets around 7 million and probably wants closer to 12. Five million…you’re going to throw away a Super Bowl contender over 5 million. How much money does a playoff team make in a season versus how much does a 9-7 team make in a season? Do the math. You take the “principle,” I’ll take the cash and the Championship ring.
August 17, 2005
Jacob P. Litwicki:
This sure does remind me of L. Spreewell needing more than $30 million to “feed his family.”
In the case of Hines I certainly side with the players, but Owens is just a loser, and the Eagles hardly need a headcase like Owens with a great Quarterback like McNabb. Invest in some young receivers and develop them, and save the tens of millions and constant headache, in my opinion :)
August 17, 2005
Jacob P. Litwicki:
In addition to my previous comment, responding to comments above me as well, you guys need to realize this goes beyond simply being a Superbowl team. T.O. isn’t the reason the Eagles did so well. Surely he contributed, but at this point he’s a Godawful teammate, and is hardly a contributing factor, at all.
He’s notorious for constantly creating crap to get his name circulating, and his now constant blackmailing to make more money because he “deserves” it, is ridiculous.
Secondly, basing an argument on how a player will perform in the season, based on a pre-season game, is a pitiful attempt. May I remind you the ‘85 Bears who won the Championship didn’t win a single pre-season game?
And in response to Mr. Roberts - if we’re going to talk finances, and what will be more profitable in the end, surely you’re overlooking the negative media attention Owens is bringing to the Eagles. Hell, even on CNN and SI.com there are pictures of native Eagles residents, people with season tickets, holding up “TO MUST GO” signs. These are the die-hard fans, not the flavor-of-the-month people that go to games to see who’s hot. If you keep TO you might see some good numbers from him, but if he keeps attacking his teammates, would you be inclined to throw to him if you were McNabb? Would you be giving 100% to dive and throw an extra block to get TO an extra 10 yards after a catch? Absolutely not. And that is the problem. TO is turning this into a Wall Street business basing it on numbers. I’m sorry, but it takes more than numbers to be a Championship team - it takes some Heart, and TO is the most heartless bastard in the NFL today.
August 17, 2005
mark:
Jacob,
That’s what Im saying. It does no good to suspend TO, just trade him or cut him to get rid of him to start with. Then they have to make a trade or sign some decent WRs quick, so this doesnt set them back too far.
As far as his teamates playing for him, I dont think thats as big an issue as Owens giving 110%. Just like his last season in SF, hes gonna drop some balls he should catch, start causing more problems, and just be a total bitch. A pissed TO isnt nearly as good as a happy TO, so they need to trade him, cut him, or make him happy.
August 17, 2005
MC:
Jacob,
Another point, you call TO the most heartless bastard in the NFL, but it was just in the Superbowl where everyone was raving about his heart to come back from an injury and kickass when he shouldnt have even been in the game. He stood tall and had a great game, and showed a lot about his cometitiveness in that game.
I think his big problem is that he is just very, very stupid
August 18, 2005
Jacob P. Litwicki:
He came back to the superbowl game to cash in on his incentives. His contract (if i’m not mistaken) rewards him with SERIOUS bonus cash for his performance in a playoff game. Being a superbowl game, you do the math.