Post by EagleGene on May 16, 2005 9:37:43 GMT -5
Phil Sheridan | Owens has earned this: A ticket out of town
By Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
Thanks for stopping by, Terrell Owens. It was interesting, to say the least, but now it's time to go.
As talented and tough a player as Owens is, the bottom line is that the Eagles were a very good team before acquiring him and they will be a very good team when he is gone. As long as Donovan McNabb is the quarterback here, the Eagles will have a chance to win a Super Bowl.
Maybe that's what really drives Owens crazy. Maybe that's the pea under the stack of mattresses his ultra-sensitive ego rests upon. Clearly, Owens is consumed by jealousy over McNabb's stature, McNabb's talent and - most of all - McNabb's wealth.
It was bad when Owens took a minor potshot at the quarterback to further his own misguided play for a new contract. The comment about "the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl" was unfair and stupid, but likely would have faded with time.
Not this.
Although Owens wasn't quoted directly in Stephen A. Smith's column in yesterday's Inquirer, the star receiver's acrimonious feelings about the franchise quarterback came through loud and clear. So when Smith conveys Owens' opinion that McNabb is a "company man" who is "unwittingly exploited" by Andy Reid and the Eagles, you just know that's what the receiver has said.
Does he believe it? Maybe. Is he willing to say it merely to further his own selfish aims? Absolutely.
Reid simply can't let this slide. He has built this organization a certain way, with certain kinds of people, and he took a chance by making an exception for Owens. A year ago, I was all for that move. I even wrote in this very space that, if Owens was able to control himself for just one season, it would be worth it.
That holds true. Last season was special. It was worth it. But Owens has crossed a very important line here, the one between mere distraction and locker-room cancer. He has forced Reid to do more than simply ignore this mess.
You can live with a distraction. You have to remove a cancer. As soon as possible.
Maybe this seems melodramatic, an overreaction to a couple of comments about McNabb. But this is about much more than that. It's about Owens cruelly taking aim at spots where he perceives McNabb to be especially vulnerable.
There are questions about the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, so Owens throws a dart right at that bull's-eye.
There are people who whine about Reid and the Eagles "sheltering" the quarterback, so Owens exploits that perception by suggesting McNabb is the coach's puppet.
And why is Owens doing this? For money. That's it, money. What kind of teammate - what kind of man? - humiliates a perfectly decent person like this? And make no mistake, Owens is deliberately painting McNabb as a sellout.
Does Reid protect his quarterback? Reid protects everybody on his team. The coach covers for every player with his "I have to do a better job putting guys in position to make plays" speech.
Is the quarterback a key component in every successful football franchise? Absolutely. Quarterbacks make more money, they get more attention, and, yes, they get more criticism. Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and there isn't a close No. 2.
To understand McNabb, you have to look at Michael Jordan, his obvious role model. Jordan was a great player with a nearly pitch-perfect public image that led to enormous endorsement earnings. That is what McNabb is shooting for, and he's doing pretty well with it, too.
Positive role model or sellout? Take your pick. From here, McNabb looks like a hardworking, talented football player, the leader of a winning team, and a decent husband, father, son and brother. The fact that he threw a few interceptions in the Super Bowl shouldn't mean it's suddenly open season on him.
No doubt Owens, in his infinitely infantile worldview, is feeling persecuted by the public criticism he has been getting. It probably doesn't occur to him that he created this mess for himself. That would require a sense of accountability. Instead, he lashes out at McNabb, who is everything Owens will never be.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a player's trying to improve his contract. Owens' first mistake was in making it public and squandering the immense goodwill he had earned from Eagles fans. His second mistake was dragging McNabb into it with that first ill-advised insult. Now he has made a third, more serious mistake.
If Reid is as concerned with team chemistry as he says he is, the coach will make sure this is Owens' last mistake as an Eagle.
Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at go.philly.com/philsheridan.
Updated on Monday, May 16, 2005 3:37 am EDT
By Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
Thanks for stopping by, Terrell Owens. It was interesting, to say the least, but now it's time to go.
As talented and tough a player as Owens is, the bottom line is that the Eagles were a very good team before acquiring him and they will be a very good team when he is gone. As long as Donovan McNabb is the quarterback here, the Eagles will have a chance to win a Super Bowl.
Maybe that's what really drives Owens crazy. Maybe that's the pea under the stack of mattresses his ultra-sensitive ego rests upon. Clearly, Owens is consumed by jealousy over McNabb's stature, McNabb's talent and - most of all - McNabb's wealth.
It was bad when Owens took a minor potshot at the quarterback to further his own misguided play for a new contract. The comment about "the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl" was unfair and stupid, but likely would have faded with time.
Not this.
Although Owens wasn't quoted directly in Stephen A. Smith's column in yesterday's Inquirer, the star receiver's acrimonious feelings about the franchise quarterback came through loud and clear. So when Smith conveys Owens' opinion that McNabb is a "company man" who is "unwittingly exploited" by Andy Reid and the Eagles, you just know that's what the receiver has said.
Does he believe it? Maybe. Is he willing to say it merely to further his own selfish aims? Absolutely.
Reid simply can't let this slide. He has built this organization a certain way, with certain kinds of people, and he took a chance by making an exception for Owens. A year ago, I was all for that move. I even wrote in this very space that, if Owens was able to control himself for just one season, it would be worth it.
That holds true. Last season was special. It was worth it. But Owens has crossed a very important line here, the one between mere distraction and locker-room cancer. He has forced Reid to do more than simply ignore this mess.
You can live with a distraction. You have to remove a cancer. As soon as possible.
Maybe this seems melodramatic, an overreaction to a couple of comments about McNabb. But this is about much more than that. It's about Owens cruelly taking aim at spots where he perceives McNabb to be especially vulnerable.
There are questions about the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, so Owens throws a dart right at that bull's-eye.
There are people who whine about Reid and the Eagles "sheltering" the quarterback, so Owens exploits that perception by suggesting McNabb is the coach's puppet.
And why is Owens doing this? For money. That's it, money. What kind of teammate - what kind of man? - humiliates a perfectly decent person like this? And make no mistake, Owens is deliberately painting McNabb as a sellout.
Does Reid protect his quarterback? Reid protects everybody on his team. The coach covers for every player with his "I have to do a better job putting guys in position to make plays" speech.
Is the quarterback a key component in every successful football franchise? Absolutely. Quarterbacks make more money, they get more attention, and, yes, they get more criticism. Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and there isn't a close No. 2.
To understand McNabb, you have to look at Michael Jordan, his obvious role model. Jordan was a great player with a nearly pitch-perfect public image that led to enormous endorsement earnings. That is what McNabb is shooting for, and he's doing pretty well with it, too.
Positive role model or sellout? Take your pick. From here, McNabb looks like a hardworking, talented football player, the leader of a winning team, and a decent husband, father, son and brother. The fact that he threw a few interceptions in the Super Bowl shouldn't mean it's suddenly open season on him.
No doubt Owens, in his infinitely infantile worldview, is feeling persecuted by the public criticism he has been getting. It probably doesn't occur to him that he created this mess for himself. That would require a sense of accountability. Instead, he lashes out at McNabb, who is everything Owens will never be.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a player's trying to improve his contract. Owens' first mistake was in making it public and squandering the immense goodwill he had earned from Eagles fans. His second mistake was dragging McNabb into it with that first ill-advised insult. Now he has made a third, more serious mistake.
If Reid is as concerned with team chemistry as he says he is, the coach will make sure this is Owens' last mistake as an Eagle.
Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at go.philly.com/philsheridan.
Updated on Monday, May 16, 2005 3:37 am EDT
