Who will TO play for?
That was the big question on Wednesday, when news began to circulate that Owens’ suspension by the Philadelphia Eagles would likely be reduced from four games to just one or two. There’s no question TO has played his last game for Philly, and the Eagles certainly don’t want Owens anywhere near their practice or training facility for the rest of the season, even if Philly no longer has a chance of making the playoffs. . So the guess here is that the Eagles release Owens, take the big-cap hit that comes with it, and let the rest of the NFL deal with this asshole.
But man, you talk about mid-season acquisitions. If Owens really does get fired, he’ll be the mother of all shots for some lucky (or not-so-lucky) NFL team. He will probably sign cheaply, with a contender, trying to improve his image as a “team player” (yeah, right), to land a multi-year deal next summer. And really, I don’t hate the idea of signing him. In 2004, Owens proved that he was capable of keeping quiet for just one year, when the circumstances are fresh and people still don’t hate him. He might as well be a good soldier for the rest of 2005, wherever he lands. (But teams shouldn’t sign him to a multi-year deal!) Anyway, let’s take a look at my top contenders for TO services:
5. Seattle Seahawks. The ‘Hawks have suffered several injuries this year, most notably Darrell Jackson, who isn’t expected to be back for another couple of weeks. As a result, Shaun Alexander is having an amazing year, but defenses start putting 16 in the box to stop him. Would Mike Holmgren gulp for a legit deep threat to keep Alexander a little cleaner?
4. Washington Redskins. This is the Dan Snyder Factor, which is mitigated by the Joe Gibbs Factor. Acquiring Owens is the kind of ridiculous, high-profile thing Snyder gravitates towards. But Gibbs is a smart guy who doesn’t take fools, and pundits say Snyder adores Gibbs and wouldn’t do anything that big to piss him off. It’s a decent fit though.
3. Atlanta Falcons. Owens has a history with Jim Mora, owns a house in the Atlanta area (supposedly for sale), and gets along with Mike Vick. The problem here is that he also has a history with former 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, the coordinator here in Atlanta as well. Knapp is the guy Owens humiliated by yelling at him for about 10 minutes during a game in his final season in San Francisco.
2. Denver Broncos. Mike Shanahan already thinks he’s a genius, and what better way to show that he deserves a say in personnel than to hire Owens, put him alongside Rod Smith and watch Jake Plummer go nuts. On the other hand, if that means Plummer starts throwing 35 times a game again, Denver might want to rethink this.
1.Dallas Cowboys. It’s a natural fit. Dallas hasn’t been punk enough lately. Owens steps onto the grass of Texas Stadium in a few weeks and kneels over the center star. His career thus closes the circle.
Will the Indianapolis Colts go 16-0?
Rob Gillespie, BoDog.com: I don’t think so. They have some tough games ahead of them, and they could clinch the AFC so soon that their last two games will be meaningless. I also think they’re focused on winning the Super Bowl and not on a perfect season. However, the only team that can beat them is themselves.
Do you want to reconsider your answer about Reggie Bush for the Heisman Trophy one more time after his incredible performance against Fresno State last week?
RG, BoDog.com: Wow. He was certainly questioning my comments on Saturday night for sure. Impressive on the stat sheet and even more impressive to look at! However, two things will lessen the impact of that game. First, it was too late for many East Coast voters to see it, and second, there’s no way the game could have been that close. The gap between Texas and USC in the polls has closed significantly over the season and I think that will affect voters a bit as well. Texas’ game against Texas A&M on Friday could be the key game for the Heisman race.
What’s the most confusing thing about the NFL this year? That the Minnesota Vikings are at .500? That the San Diego Chargers might not make the playoffs? That the Philadelphia Eagles are under .500? That the AFC East is so pathetic? Or something completely different?
RG, BoDog.com: Sounds like a bad year for parity. You’ve got the Texans sucking on Sunday night (again) and the Colts going 0-10 relatively easily (no wins by less than a TD). My take is that the salary cap created parity for a while and crushed dynasties, but now some teams have figured out how to work with the cap and some haven’t. This is resulting in some smaller dynasties like the Pats have had and a return to an unbalanced league where the level of talent in your division and on your schedule will largely dictate who makes the playoffs. If the Eagles or Chargers were in the NFC West instead of Seattle, or the NFC Central instead of Chicago, they’d probably be 8-2, too.
Other than Texas-USC, can you give us the BCS matchup you’d like to see this January and tell us why?
RG, BoDog.com: I think a Notre Dame/Ohio State Fiesta Bowl would be a great game. Ohio State has only two losses, the big game against Texas and the crusher at Happy Valley. Penn State’s game may have seemed a little weak at the time, but now we see that the Nittany Lions are for real. That makes OSU a very good team in my opinion and would be a great test for a Notre Dame team that I really can’t figure out. Two programs with large and deeply passionate fans will keep the energy level in the stadium very high and bring out the best in both teams.