Philadelphia is not losing because of Terrell Owens. San Francisco did not go down hill because of Terrell Owens.
All you have to do to make him happy, is pay the man. The Eagles took advantage of the fact that he was known as a cancer in order to give him a contract that is BELOW MARKET for his skills. He accepted that for one year. Then, he showed an INCREDIBLE level of sacrifice by coming back when he did from that injury in the Super Bowl. If the Eagles win that super bowl (they only lost by 3 didn't they?), could there be any doubt that Owens goes down as one of the toughest players to play the game after what he did with basically one good leg? He had to sign a bloody waiver just to play in that game against the orders of no less than three doctors.
Now, I don't know about you, but if I am a team and I've traded for a supposed cancer player, and paid him less than market because of his cancer title, and I see him not just mesh well but become friends with a bunch of people in the locker room, but perform those kinds of heroics...I'm paying the man. There's absolutely no shame in paying a player what he is WORTH. Too many GMs think that the best way to run their team is to swindle players into accepting contracts that do not reflect their actual worth. They think, that is the best way to accumulate the most talent possible while working within the salary cap.
That is a very elementary view of the salary cap era, however. Sooner or later, both players and GMs will come to an equilibrium as far as realizing that if you want to be happy as a player and a teammate, you ask for what you are worth, and if you want to have a chance for your team to have long term success, you develop a reputation as a team that pays players what they are worth. The Eagles played hardball right off the bat with TO, and they should not be surprised that tactic has resulted in what has happened over the last few months. That is the bottom line.
But I like when Mark Schlereth and others say that the Eagles are going to be a better team when they get rid of Terrell Owens. Bullsh!t. A good player is a good player. TO is doing what he's doing even with not saying a damn word to McNabb, and lets face it McNabb, the defense, and the coaching staff's refusal to develop a running game is what is hurting this team right now. Even with TO's latest comments, it is falling on deaf ears in the locker room, cuz they don't care what he says.
The only problem I have with TO for Ricky, is that I personally think that TO has p!ssed away the Eagles' bargaining position on any trade, and I think Ricky, on the other hand, has been a model citizen and has done enough to convince the rest of the league that he is doing this because he needs money, that he has a much better trade value...not to mention, value to our team.
But I cringe every time I see a GM say something like a player should honor his contract, knowing that the player is a top talent and the contract doesn't reflect that at all. I just don't think you're being smart when you try and do something like that, I think in the end it is going to bite you in the @ss.
But, you know this is still not a mature marketplace. Free agency is only what, about 10 or 12 years old? The market has come a long way, but it has a lot further to go.
I would welcome TO with open arms onto this team, and I would pay him the 6 million he deserves in each of the next 3 years. And, our team would win a lot of games, because he would play hard, and he wouldn't complain because he's been paid.
