How the Eagles Screwed Themselves

"The Eagles had to know what they were getting into when they signed him, and I was surprised that they didn't plan for this better. If they had drafted a WR or picked up a few FAs, his leaving wouldn't be such a big deal, but the fact of the matter now is that Philly is screwed at the WR spot." — Mark Chalifoux, August 2005

I thought about handing in the same column I wrote last August, about how the Eagles had to give Owens a new deal or trade him, just as a giant "I told you so." Then again, about the only person who wouldn't have been able to see this coming is Stevie Wonder. Of course, that begs the question — how could the Eagles be so stupid?

There is no question in my mind that the most ignorant decision in this entire process came from the Philadelphia Eagles. What made them think that T.O. wouldn't be a complete cancer? Was it when he complained about his quarterback in San Francisco and then questioned his sexuality in a later interview? Was it when he whined his way out of a trade to Baltimore because he didn't want to play there?

No one should be confused here — Philly knew exactly what they were getting with Owens. After all, it was T.O. that said "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat." Owens definitely didn't look like a good teammate, so unless he has some unquestionable team-oriented scent, the Eagles are the ones to blame for this situation. It was their pride that ended up burning them.

Make no mistake, Owens is a horrible teammate, and I will get to him later, but the Eagles acted just as childish in the end. They went out of their way to show Owens up and prove to him that they couldn't be messed with. They didn't give him a new deal when he deserved one because that's not how they do things. As the "whip it out and let's see whose is bigger" contest went back and forth, Philly threatened to suspend him if he didn't fall in line and tried further to show that they were for real by sending him to time out during training camp. The coup de grace was when they didn't make any mention of his 100th TD reception, which really was classless.

What were they trying to prove? Sure, they wanted to make a statement that no man was bigger than the team and couldn't force the hand of management. Great, well done Philly, but what now? As I said in August, if you don't want to give him a new deal because that's against your business practices, fine, but then deal him. Get something for him instead of sacrificing your season to make a point.

Many people are applauding the Eagles for putting Owens in his place, and they do deserve some praise for that. Props to you, Philadelphia, you showed the selfish loudmouth who calls the shots. I hope it was worth it. I hope it was worth it to go from playing in the postseason to watching it just to make a point. The only chance the Eagles now have of going to the Super Bowl is if Mike Tice can score them some tickets.

I know the Eagles were a good football team before Owens, but because of the overwhelming arrogance of that organization, there is no backup plan. This isn't the same Eagles team as it was pre-T.O., these Eagles cannot make the postseason. It's mind-boggling that, in a league where winning is more important than anything, the Eagles would do nothing when it was so obvious this would happen. The Eagles have no one to blame but themselves for missing the playoffs, it has nothing to do with Owens. Not a thing.

As far as Owens goes, it is sad. I know everyone is tired of him and wants him to go away, but I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. Isn't there a gamer in him somewhere? He's been playing sports for so long — shouldn't there be a part of him that understands what it takes to be on a team and what it takes for a team to win? Doesn't he have to care on some level? I can't accept that it is purely business for him — no one can get to that level without having an intense desire to be the best and to win a championship.

I guess I just can't believe how selfish he is. Part of me always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he could be a team player somewhere, that maybe a change of scenery was all he needed. In the end, though, it's probably not the scenery that's the problem, it's him. Still, the Eagles are the ones to blame for the situation they are in now. I hate to say it (only because it was so freaking obvious and should never have come to his), but we all told you so.

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].