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Neil Hayes: T.O. talking way to Raider Nation?
Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
May 17, 2005
Some guys were meant to play for Al Davis. Take Cleveland Browns tight end and all-around daredevil Kellen Winslow Jr., for example. It's only a matter of time before he'll be popping wheelies in the Raiders' parking lot.
Then there's Terrell Owens, who talked himself out of San Francisco and is now doing the same in Philadelphia. He's become a big problem for the Eagles.
Owens is threatening to hold out unless they redo the contract he signed last year. The Eagles have always held a hardline stance when it comes to renegotiating contacts. If they make an exception for Owens, other veterans will want new deals, too, blowing the team's carefully managed salary structure.
Owens was merely a distraction last year. His super-sized ego and desire for the spotlight were tolerable when the Eagles were making their Super Bowl run. He has become a full-fledged cancer now, lobbing verbal grenades at Donovan McNabb, the unquestioned leader of the team, for no good reason.
The Eagles aren't going to put up with this. McNabb is too beloved in Philly for T.O. to win this war of words. Coach Andy Reid is too concerned about team chemistry to stand idly by when Owens insinuates in a Philadelphia Inquirer column that McNabb is a "company man" who has been "unwittingly exploited" by Reid and the Eagles. So much for McNabb and Owens being buddies.
There can't be many NFL teams that would want this guy despite his immense talent. We can rule out San Francisco, where he wore out his welcome. Scratch Baltimore off the list. He will forever be hated there after his power play prevented the 49ers from trading him to the receiver-starved Ravens.
That brings us back to the Raiders because the outrageous things that Owens says and does that scare off other NFL owners doesn't bother Al.
Where most owners see problems, Al sees possibilities. Imagine. It's Sept. 8, the Raiders are opening against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and Randy Moss is split wide right, Owens is split wide left and Jerry Porter is in the slot. Who needs chemistry? Or even a defense?
You have to admit, it's an intriguing possibility. Don't think Al hasn't pondered it, or even made a phone call or two. This is one of the most important seasons in franchise history. Not only is the team coming off its worst back-to-back seasons since Davis took over the team in 1963, but the original PSLs are expiring. Does anyone know anyone planning to repurchase a PSL? Raiders home games could be a ghost town, a few zealots with painted faces and skull masks sitting among the endless rows of empty seats. Davis needs to generate excitement to prevent more games from being blacked out on TV. He did that with the blockbuster deal for Moss. Maybe he can do it again.
The Raiders offense should be potent enough. They need help on defense, where they were last in the league in virtually every category last season.
If the Raiders load up enough offensively maybe it won't matter. It could be like watching the Arena League, but, hey, whatever works. Coach Norv Turner might have to put quarterback Kerry Collins on a pitch count to keep him from getting a dead arm. Maybe they could go with a four-quarterback rotation.
Owens is pure poison, but Al doesn't care. Never has. Some might be concerned about the egos of Owens and Moss colliding, but not our guy. He always figures that stuff will work out even though it rarely does.
Reid protects his players. He keeps everything in-house and Owens is estranging himself from his Philadelphia teammates more every day. Eagle veterans, especially McNabb, are watching him carefully to see how he is going to handle this. Reid has set a standard in Philadelphia and Owens is openly violating that standard and undermining his authorityIf you're Reid, there are some guys you would rather lose without than win with. Owens is quickly approaching that status, if he hasn't arrived already.
There is no such standard in Oakland. Just win, baby, speaks for itself.
This isn't as farfetched as it sounds. The man who gave us the tandem of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice may now be thinking of the tandem of Moss and Owens -- a trio, really, when you consider Jerry Porter, a quartet with Ronald Curry.
It could happen all right. It's a process of elimination. In fact, every time Owens opens his mouth it becomes a little closer to reality.
Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
May 17, 2005
Some guys were meant to play for Al Davis. Take Cleveland Browns tight end and all-around daredevil Kellen Winslow Jr., for example. It's only a matter of time before he'll be popping wheelies in the Raiders' parking lot.
Then there's Terrell Owens, who talked himself out of San Francisco and is now doing the same in Philadelphia. He's become a big problem for the Eagles.
Owens is threatening to hold out unless they redo the contract he signed last year. The Eagles have always held a hardline stance when it comes to renegotiating contacts. If they make an exception for Owens, other veterans will want new deals, too, blowing the team's carefully managed salary structure.
Owens was merely a distraction last year. His super-sized ego and desire for the spotlight were tolerable when the Eagles were making their Super Bowl run. He has become a full-fledged cancer now, lobbing verbal grenades at Donovan McNabb, the unquestioned leader of the team, for no good reason.
The Eagles aren't going to put up with this. McNabb is too beloved in Philly for T.O. to win this war of words. Coach Andy Reid is too concerned about team chemistry to stand idly by when Owens insinuates in a Philadelphia Inquirer column that McNabb is a "company man" who has been "unwittingly exploited" by Reid and the Eagles. So much for McNabb and Owens being buddies.
There can't be many NFL teams that would want this guy despite his immense talent. We can rule out San Francisco, where he wore out his welcome. Scratch Baltimore off the list. He will forever be hated there after his power play prevented the 49ers from trading him to the receiver-starved Ravens.
That brings us back to the Raiders because the outrageous things that Owens says and does that scare off other NFL owners doesn't bother Al.
Where most owners see problems, Al sees possibilities. Imagine. It's Sept. 8, the Raiders are opening against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and Randy Moss is split wide right, Owens is split wide left and Jerry Porter is in the slot. Who needs chemistry? Or even a defense?
You have to admit, it's an intriguing possibility. Don't think Al hasn't pondered it, or even made a phone call or two. This is one of the most important seasons in franchise history. Not only is the team coming off its worst back-to-back seasons since Davis took over the team in 1963, but the original PSLs are expiring. Does anyone know anyone planning to repurchase a PSL? Raiders home games could be a ghost town, a few zealots with painted faces and skull masks sitting among the endless rows of empty seats. Davis needs to generate excitement to prevent more games from being blacked out on TV. He did that with the blockbuster deal for Moss. Maybe he can do it again.
The Raiders offense should be potent enough. They need help on defense, where they were last in the league in virtually every category last season.
If the Raiders load up enough offensively maybe it won't matter. It could be like watching the Arena League, but, hey, whatever works. Coach Norv Turner might have to put quarterback Kerry Collins on a pitch count to keep him from getting a dead arm. Maybe they could go with a four-quarterback rotation.
Owens is pure poison, but Al doesn't care. Never has. Some might be concerned about the egos of Owens and Moss colliding, but not our guy. He always figures that stuff will work out even though it rarely does.
Reid protects his players. He keeps everything in-house and Owens is estranging himself from his Philadelphia teammates more every day. Eagle veterans, especially McNabb, are watching him carefully to see how he is going to handle this. Reid has set a standard in Philadelphia and Owens is openly violating that standard and undermining his authorityIf you're Reid, there are some guys you would rather lose without than win with. Owens is quickly approaching that status, if he hasn't arrived already.
There is no such standard in Oakland. Just win, baby, speaks for itself.
This isn't as farfetched as it sounds. The man who gave us the tandem of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice may now be thinking of the tandem of Moss and Owens -- a trio, really, when you consider Jerry Porter, a quartet with Ronald Curry.
It could happen all right. It's a process of elimination. In fact, every time Owens opens his mouth it becomes a little closer to reality.
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