Thursday, May 12 2005
Line of Scrimmage: Philadelphia's Big Gamble
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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Leave it to Terrell Owens to fill the void of an otherwise dull period in the NFL offseason by making some of his patented off-the-field noise. By now you know that the perennial Pro Bowl wideout wants the seven-year, $49 million dollar contract he signed last year restructured in his favor. His employers, the Philadelphia Eagles, have other ideas, and have recently turned up the heat in their relationship with Owens by refusing to re-negotiate a deal that they feel should be honored, even if the contract is considered to be substandard by many in NFL circles. The issue is a polarizing one, especially in the City of Brotherly Love, and most reasonable people can find merit in both cases. A close study of the current state of relations between the two parties, the way the situation is impacted by other high-profile members of the offense, and the short- and long-term ramifications of the rift are necessary in understanding the league’s most intriguing soap opera:
WHAT T.O. IS THINKING: Owens’ desire is to be among the top-paid players in the National Football League, and from his standpoint, he clearly deserves it.
Owens did everything that was asked of him during his first season in Philadelphia, catching 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 14 games before suffering leg injuries in Week 15 against Dallas. Even in a season shortened by the bad break, T.O. was a Pro Bowler, and you would have been hard-pressed to find an offensive playmaker that meant more to his team than did Owens.
The Eagles’ history with receivers during the Andy Reid era was a checkered one before Owens’ arrival, and you better believe both he and newly-hired superagent Drew Rosenhaus are well aware of that fact. T.O. undoubtedly feels a large sense of responsibility for the team’s ability to break through for its first NFC title in 24 years, and undoubtedly feels a sense of entitlement after his seemingly inhuman rehabilitation from the injury and subsequent courageous Super Bowl performance.
Perhaps most vital to Owens’ argument is the knowledge he has of Philadelphia’s salary cap situation. The team absolutely has the ability to restructure his deal to a level commensurate with his standing as one of the top five most dynamic players in the league. With money to burn, why wouldn’t the Eagles reward the player that is arguably their most valuable commodity?
WHAT THE EAGLES ARE THINKING: The Philadelphia braintrust of owner Jeffrey Lurie, team president Joe Banner and de facto general manager Reid has not built the winningest NFL franchise of the past four seasons by throwing money around haphazardly. The Eagles have rarely overspent for players, have avoided bidding wars at all costs, and in turn have lost more players via free agency than any other team in the league during this millennium. With very few exceptions, those decisions have proven to be the right ones, and the financial restraint has paid dividends in the form of four consecutive NFC Championship appearances.
The team expects players to honor contracts, and is wary of restructuring Owens because of the bad precedent that the act could set in future negotiations with others. Placing Owens at the top of the team’s priority list, whether deserved or not, would infuriate other players and could cause major problems in a previously friendly locker room.
In addition to a willingness to stick to their successful formula and avoid future problems, Reid and company are also not fond of being bullied by a player or his agent via the media or otherwise. Owens’ comments, both of recent and pre-Super Bowl vintage, have dismayed the club, and ridding itself of the distraction that the receiver’s musings have posed would be something of a welcomed change.
What’s more, the Eagles believe they can remain among the NFL elite without T.O. They survived the 2004 postseason without him, after all, and most feel they would have defeated Carolina in the 2003 NFC Championship had Brian Westbrook been healthy. Losing Owens would not turn the Birds into the 49ers, and the organization has confidence that like Gloria Gaynor, it will survive.
THE McNABB FACTOR: Owens made a gigantic tactical error by calling Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb out in the media in the weeks following the Super Bowl. McNabb is the one player on the Eagles’ roster who could have done some successful lobbying for his top target of a year ago, but now the obviously miffed signal-caller will be far less inclined to do so.
T.O. was indeed Philly’s best receiver in 2004, and unquestionably made McNabb a better player, but one has to believe that the quarterback grew a bit weary of the amount of credit Owens received for the team’s run to the Super Bowl. McNabb was outstanding without T.O. in last year’s playoffs, was often outstanding in leading the Eagles to the brink of the Bowl in the three seasons prior, and will enter 2005 wanting to prove his value to those who would continue to downplay his impact. McNabb’s competitive fire might be stoked more by Owens’ absence than his presence.
If Owens returns, he and McNabb will probably require some extensive marriage counseling. The relationship is far from irreparable, and both parties have the sense to patch things up for the good of all involved, but don’t expect to see these two clowning together on the sidelines any time soon.
THE WESTBROOK CONTRADICTION: As Owens grabs most of the attention, Eagles Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook is simultaneously seeking a long-term deal of his own. But Philadelphia appears unwilling to commit a wealth of resources to a player that was nearly as vital to the team’s 2004 success as was Owens.
The message sent by both this stance and the selection of Louisiana Tech running back Ryan Moats as Westbrook’s possible heir apparent in last month’s draft is this: the Eagles don’t value running backs in their offense. But if you don’t value running backs, even when they make the Pro Bowl and appear to be on the upside of their careers, and you don’t place a high enough value on a receiver to pay perhaps the league’s best a fair market price, what exactly do you value? If the organization is saying that McNabb is the one and only on the Eagles’ roster, and that everyone else is simply a cog in the machine, that philosophy isn’t going to do much more to enhance team chemistry than would a new, lucrative deal for Owens. A willingness to reward players that excel, especially when the money is obviously there, seems a worthwhile approach for any organization that aspires to be employee-friendly.
THE FANS: The T.O. issue is heating up among sports radio callers and the Philadelphia local media, with little consensus about which approach is the correct one. Despite all the debate, as sure as a Schulykill Expressway backup, here’s what will happen come the fall if Owens holds out:
Even if the team is winning, Eagles fans will not suffer a lot of 14-10 victories after bearing witness to last season’s weekly scoreboard assault. As soon as Todd Pinkston short-arms his first pass or fresh draft pick Reggie Brown turns out to be not the next T.O. but the next Na Brown, Philly supporters will begin criticizing the team for not working things out with Owens.
Reid and Lurie are as popular as they have ever been in the city, but that popularity is negotiable on a Sunday-to-Sunday basis. As much as most respect the head coach and owner, many will argue that the team has been talented enough to win at least one Super Bowl over the past four seasons, and impatience festers quickly in a town that has been without a major sports championship for the past 22 years. Philadelphia fans are savvy enough to realize that for all his shenanigans, Owens is worth the money and the trouble, and if the offense is floundering, there will be overwhelming public sentiment to settle up with him.
A PREDICTION: The Eagles are not going to budge, as Lurie emphatically told Wednesday’s Philadelphia Inquirer. They will allow him to hold out during training camp and into the season (at significant financial cost to Owens), no matter the wishes of the fans and/or media, and will not trade him before 2006. If he sits in ’05, look for the team to deal him prior to the 2006 draft, and to receive a return similar to what the Vikings got for Randy Moss (essentially a Top 10 first-round pick).
Don’t be so sure that Owens will come to his senses and report on time, either. He signed Rosenhaus for a reason, and as a matter of principle, isn’t going to kow tow to the Eagles and their demands that he honor his contract. If he returns to Philly, look for T.O. to arrive just before the start of the regular season, and look for him to be spewing venom about the team from the second a microphone appears before his face. Even if he plays, and plays well, Owens will continue to be a distraction well into 2005, and it is difficult to believe that the bad karma he will bring to the offense and the locker room will grease the skids for a Super Bowl return.
Chances are, this will not end well.
Line of Scrimmage: Philadelphia's Big Gamble
<HR>
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Leave it to Terrell Owens to fill the void of an otherwise dull period in the NFL offseason by making some of his patented off-the-field noise. By now you know that the perennial Pro Bowl wideout wants the seven-year, $49 million dollar contract he signed last year restructured in his favor. His employers, the Philadelphia Eagles, have other ideas, and have recently turned up the heat in their relationship with Owens by refusing to re-negotiate a deal that they feel should be honored, even if the contract is considered to be substandard by many in NFL circles. The issue is a polarizing one, especially in the City of Brotherly Love, and most reasonable people can find merit in both cases. A close study of the current state of relations between the two parties, the way the situation is impacted by other high-profile members of the offense, and the short- and long-term ramifications of the rift are necessary in understanding the league’s most intriguing soap opera:
WHAT T.O. IS THINKING: Owens’ desire is to be among the top-paid players in the National Football League, and from his standpoint, he clearly deserves it.
Owens did everything that was asked of him during his first season in Philadelphia, catching 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 14 games before suffering leg injuries in Week 15 against Dallas. Even in a season shortened by the bad break, T.O. was a Pro Bowler, and you would have been hard-pressed to find an offensive playmaker that meant more to his team than did Owens.
The Eagles’ history with receivers during the Andy Reid era was a checkered one before Owens’ arrival, and you better believe both he and newly-hired superagent Drew Rosenhaus are well aware of that fact. T.O. undoubtedly feels a large sense of responsibility for the team’s ability to break through for its first NFC title in 24 years, and undoubtedly feels a sense of entitlement after his seemingly inhuman rehabilitation from the injury and subsequent courageous Super Bowl performance.
Perhaps most vital to Owens’ argument is the knowledge he has of Philadelphia’s salary cap situation. The team absolutely has the ability to restructure his deal to a level commensurate with his standing as one of the top five most dynamic players in the league. With money to burn, why wouldn’t the Eagles reward the player that is arguably their most valuable commodity?
WHAT THE EAGLES ARE THINKING: The Philadelphia braintrust of owner Jeffrey Lurie, team president Joe Banner and de facto general manager Reid has not built the winningest NFL franchise of the past four seasons by throwing money around haphazardly. The Eagles have rarely overspent for players, have avoided bidding wars at all costs, and in turn have lost more players via free agency than any other team in the league during this millennium. With very few exceptions, those decisions have proven to be the right ones, and the financial restraint has paid dividends in the form of four consecutive NFC Championship appearances.
The team expects players to honor contracts, and is wary of restructuring Owens because of the bad precedent that the act could set in future negotiations with others. Placing Owens at the top of the team’s priority list, whether deserved or not, would infuriate other players and could cause major problems in a previously friendly locker room.
In addition to a willingness to stick to their successful formula and avoid future problems, Reid and company are also not fond of being bullied by a player or his agent via the media or otherwise. Owens’ comments, both of recent and pre-Super Bowl vintage, have dismayed the club, and ridding itself of the distraction that the receiver’s musings have posed would be something of a welcomed change.
What’s more, the Eagles believe they can remain among the NFL elite without T.O. They survived the 2004 postseason without him, after all, and most feel they would have defeated Carolina in the 2003 NFC Championship had Brian Westbrook been healthy. Losing Owens would not turn the Birds into the 49ers, and the organization has confidence that like Gloria Gaynor, it will survive.
THE McNABB FACTOR: Owens made a gigantic tactical error by calling Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb out in the media in the weeks following the Super Bowl. McNabb is the one player on the Eagles’ roster who could have done some successful lobbying for his top target of a year ago, but now the obviously miffed signal-caller will be far less inclined to do so.
T.O. was indeed Philly’s best receiver in 2004, and unquestionably made McNabb a better player, but one has to believe that the quarterback grew a bit weary of the amount of credit Owens received for the team’s run to the Super Bowl. McNabb was outstanding without T.O. in last year’s playoffs, was often outstanding in leading the Eagles to the brink of the Bowl in the three seasons prior, and will enter 2005 wanting to prove his value to those who would continue to downplay his impact. McNabb’s competitive fire might be stoked more by Owens’ absence than his presence.
If Owens returns, he and McNabb will probably require some extensive marriage counseling. The relationship is far from irreparable, and both parties have the sense to patch things up for the good of all involved, but don’t expect to see these two clowning together on the sidelines any time soon.
THE WESTBROOK CONTRADICTION: As Owens grabs most of the attention, Eagles Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook is simultaneously seeking a long-term deal of his own. But Philadelphia appears unwilling to commit a wealth of resources to a player that was nearly as vital to the team’s 2004 success as was Owens.
The message sent by both this stance and the selection of Louisiana Tech running back Ryan Moats as Westbrook’s possible heir apparent in last month’s draft is this: the Eagles don’t value running backs in their offense. But if you don’t value running backs, even when they make the Pro Bowl and appear to be on the upside of their careers, and you don’t place a high enough value on a receiver to pay perhaps the league’s best a fair market price, what exactly do you value? If the organization is saying that McNabb is the one and only on the Eagles’ roster, and that everyone else is simply a cog in the machine, that philosophy isn’t going to do much more to enhance team chemistry than would a new, lucrative deal for Owens. A willingness to reward players that excel, especially when the money is obviously there, seems a worthwhile approach for any organization that aspires to be employee-friendly.
THE FANS: The T.O. issue is heating up among sports radio callers and the Philadelphia local media, with little consensus about which approach is the correct one. Despite all the debate, as sure as a Schulykill Expressway backup, here’s what will happen come the fall if Owens holds out:
Even if the team is winning, Eagles fans will not suffer a lot of 14-10 victories after bearing witness to last season’s weekly scoreboard assault. As soon as Todd Pinkston short-arms his first pass or fresh draft pick Reggie Brown turns out to be not the next T.O. but the next Na Brown, Philly supporters will begin criticizing the team for not working things out with Owens.
Reid and Lurie are as popular as they have ever been in the city, but that popularity is negotiable on a Sunday-to-Sunday basis. As much as most respect the head coach and owner, many will argue that the team has been talented enough to win at least one Super Bowl over the past four seasons, and impatience festers quickly in a town that has been without a major sports championship for the past 22 years. Philadelphia fans are savvy enough to realize that for all his shenanigans, Owens is worth the money and the trouble, and if the offense is floundering, there will be overwhelming public sentiment to settle up with him.
A PREDICTION: The Eagles are not going to budge, as Lurie emphatically told Wednesday’s Philadelphia Inquirer. They will allow him to hold out during training camp and into the season (at significant financial cost to Owens), no matter the wishes of the fans and/or media, and will not trade him before 2006. If he sits in ’05, look for the team to deal him prior to the 2006 draft, and to receive a return similar to what the Vikings got for Randy Moss (essentially a Top 10 first-round pick).
Don’t be so sure that Owens will come to his senses and report on time, either. He signed Rosenhaus for a reason, and as a matter of principle, isn’t going to kow tow to the Eagles and their demands that he honor his contract. If he returns to Philly, look for T.O. to arrive just before the start of the regular season, and look for him to be spewing venom about the team from the second a microphone appears before his face. Even if he plays, and plays well, Owens will continue to be a distraction well into 2005, and it is difficult to believe that the bad karma he will bring to the offense and the locker room will grease the skids for a Super Bowl return.
Chances are, this will not end well.
