I just heard on ESPN that Terrell Owens has been suspended indefinitely

For all the comments in the past week about how unappreciated he is...

Thanks EA Sports...

:)

TO was one of the 5 or 6 players who bothered to show up to our game last week...they should be benching McNabb. TO has every right to be pissed off. When your QB can't even make a 6 yard pass to an open receiver, the receiver isn't the problem.

Viewed this was that his off the field distractions were finally more than his tremendous on the field play. Addition by subtraction, so to speak.

Now maybe the Eagles might actually start running the ball.

TO's contributions on the field far, far outweigh anything he's done or said off the field. The two things that are hurting us the most right now are 1) McNabb's injury (and now, injuries) and 2) not running the ball enough. Neither of those two things are TO's fault.

We're certainly setting ourselves up for a crushing defeat Sunday.

I can understand the Eagles feeling the need to suspend him.. It was their decision . . .and as long as they live with the consequences of their decision so be it.

I'm all for them supsending T.O for his mouth. However, now you have no T.O and McNabb injured. . and no running game. Although I understand the Eagle's feelings and I understand and somewhat agree with the decision . . If they lose tommorrow and continue to lose without T.O . . . I wonder how long this Indefinite supsension will truly last.

In any case we'll see how things play out I suppose.

The fact that the Eagles are struggling only increases the need for good chemistry, and when you have your star player running his mouth calling the organization classless and saying you'd prefer Brett Favre to McNabb, it only adds salt to the wounds.

A similar thing happened a few years ago in Tampa. The team won the SB and although Keyshawn Johnson and Jon Gruden obviously didn't like each other, the fact that the team was winning drowned out any potential problems there could've been between the two. But the next season the team struggled and the problems between Johnson and Gruden only escalated until Keyshawn was deactivated for the rest of the season.

not disagreeing he should be suspended. . . I agree with that.

I just think with Mcnabb injured, no running game and such it's just going to really not help at all. I say go ahead and suspend T.O but stick with your decision. If things start going from bad to worse. . . I want to see if the indefinite suspension ends quickly or if they stick with it and keep him suspended until whenever or whatever.

...I start thinking of Randy Moss.

There should be a penalty for calling your bosses classless.

I think they ought to "pull a Gruden" and deactivate him for the year, then pray someone takes him off their hands next year.

I find it hard to believe that a bunch of grown men who are supposed to be tough guys can act like such pussies over meaningless words. T.O. puts it all out on the field, who gives a damn what he says off of it? This is just baby nonsense and since everyone knows Owens is a whackadoo he should just be ignored or laughed off. This week's comments weren't even anything serious if you ask me, he just agreed with a a statement that anyone with sense would agree with. It was tough enough on offense with McNabb's injury even with T.O. in there. Now they have nothing at all on O because teams will just key on Westbrook. Single up on the receivers, bring the blitz to eliminate the tight end and watch Westy, end of story, end of offense. It's going to be a long season.

As far as I can tell, none of our problems this season can be blamed on TO. Is it his fault we aren't running the ball more? Is it his fault Eagles management won't take McNabb of the field until he's on a stretcher? Don't think so.

Near as I can tell, TO and only about 6 or 7 other players even bothered to show up to our game against Denver. I don't condone what TO said but I can't blame him for being supremely pissed off with D-Mac's performances (or lack thereof)...McNabb needs to get his surgery IMMEDIATELY. When he has a bad day, the entire team is off. As long as McNabb is playing like this, they can blame it on TO all they want but his bitching usn't causing us to lose games. I agree he handles things in immature ways, but we're only shooting ourselves in the foot. It seems that the Eagles management is psychotically protective of McNabb - which is good, but are we willing to protect him at the cost of the rest of the team and our season? If we are going to continue to do dumb shit like this, then we don't deserve to win anything. TO is not the problem with the Eagles.

Any offense to the two of you above, but when I read your posts, I couldn't help but think that neither of you have really ever played sports. Because I do, I know how important chemistry is. Assembling a complete Pro Bowl roster won't win you a SB because there will be terrible chemistry. Winning is the cure to all chemistry problems, but when your struggling, like the Eagles are now, you need strong chemistry to get through those tough patches.

As far as Owens' comments themselves, the fact that he's not a rookie is what makes his comments so riddiculous. Whether or not he's right is irrelevant. I can call TO many things, stupid is not one of them. He knew when he made those comments that it was going to start a firestorm, which meant that he probably didn't care which hows an incredible amount of selfishness on his part.

I've played every sport from basketball to cheerleading ro field hockey to horseback riding to lacrosse. And a good player is a good player, period. The Eagles can try all they want but none of their problems now can be blamed on TO. It isn't his fault Eagles management refuses to take McNabb out when in the last game he didn't have a single complete pass the entire first half. It isn't his fault the Eagles refuse to run the ball more. It isn't his fault that the Eagles let go of too many good players in too many key positions. TO's just being used as a convenient scapegoat for more serious problems within the organization. I do not in any way condone what he said, but suspending him will only guarantee a loss for us until he's back. We had a hard enough time winning games with McNabb and TO - we can kiss any chances goodbye now.

And TO is not selfish - I am just going to say this: I know him personally and he is FAR from selfish in real life. 99% of the people who are calling TO names don't even know him other than what they've heard through the media. It just pisses me off, because he is a good person, but as cliche as it sounds he is just misunderstood and often vents his frustration in the wrong ways.

with two completely different teams, at some point, you have to wonder where the blame lies. Yes, athletes can be prima donnas, but in a team sport, the aiblity to play well with others, on and off the field is what makes the difference between a great player and a great team. A wide reciever is completely dependant on a quarterback who throws him the ball, who is, in turn, dependant on a line that gives him the time to do it.

One great player can't even take a team in the NFL to the playoffs (see, Sanders, Barry.) On this level, a team playing together and well coached will always beat a constellation of stars (see: Patriots, New England v. NFL) Hell, let's take a more recent example, last weekend, the worst team of players the NFL has seen in maybe a decade beat a team with a winning record (SF v. TB) The Niners are simply bad. At every position they are outclassed by almost everyone else (save Brandon Lloyd, perhaps) and still, they play together, inspired football and they win. It won't happen every week, but the fact they beat anyone, after being whipped by the Skins the previous week is impressive.

Tell me, when you played team sports, say, LAX. would you have appreciated an attacksman who, while an all-america on the field, whenever anything went wrong, said, "well, sure if we only got rid of friesenrider, we'd have won that game" After the next loss, "hey, what do you expect, you can't expect us to win with friesendrider on this team." And when you won? 'well, thankfully, I was able to rise above having to play with frisenrider, he wasn't really ready to play, but somehow we made it through"

you'd be fine with that, right? since he's a star?

All of the examples you made aren't what TO said about McNabb. He never said "if we only got rid of McNabb we'd win." He also never said "you can't expect us to win with McNabb on the team." You are completely screwing his words around. He said once that McNabb seemed tired during the SB. And TO was right. He most recently agreed with something someone else said about that we would likely be 7 and 0 if Favre was our QB - he didn't even say it. And you know what? He's right. Do I think it was the most mature, sportsman-like way to handle it? No. But I am also not fanatical enough to fail to recognize that TO was right in most of what he's said over the last few months.

And more importantly, if I was playing LAX as shitty as McNabb is playing football, I'd realize that I was hurting my team and get myself the surgery I need. If you want to talk about selfish, I think McNabb is being selfish. Clearly unless D-Mac says "I am hurting my team more than I am helping them," no one on the Eagles management is willing to pull him out of the game. He's just stubbornly refusing to take himself out - for God's sake, he didn't have a single complere pass the entire first half against Denver!

The point is that I am not saying Terrell's behavior is acceptable or that his issues with the team were handled appropriately. What I am saying is that the Eagles management is scapegoating TO for more serious problems within the team that have nothing to do with Terrell. They can try all they want but he isn't the reason we're losing games.

agreeing with the statement, on TV, that if a quarterback who threw 5 interceptions last week was playing for you that you'd win, is basically saying "we'd win with someone else there, almost anyone else" Saying, as TO did after the Superbowl, that McNabb wasn't physically prepared to play, that he wasn't sick, just tired, is putting the blame on McNabb. Find me one public quote, ever, from TO when he says, "you know, I really let the team down, everyone else was ready, I wasn't" instead of putting the blame on someone else. go ahead.
If McNabb is not healthy enough to play, then TO should have, as a teammate and fellow man, gone to him and said, "look, Donovan, you're hurting yourself and the team by playing, why not take the time and get healthy, we'll keep the seat warm for you. we need you healthy, not injured, it won't be the same without you, but come back when you can play like you know you need to" That might have been effective, but saying it publically? you simply don't disparage your own team that way.

imagine your situation. You have been a superior employee at your company for five years. Then, the week of the big conference, you get sick, and can only work at 50% effectiveness, which makes your entire team suffer. instead of going to you, and saying "go home, you're sick and hurting us, we can handle it until you're better" your coworker goes to your clients and says "well, we should be doing better on this project, but our colleague is sick. It's not my fault, he should have gone home to bed. do you ever trust that colleague again? really?

"Find me one public quote, ever, from TO when he says, "you know, I really let the team down, everyone else was ready, I wasn't" instead of putting the blame on someone else. go ahead."

LOL...find me one game where TO didn't show up with his game on and his mindset ready to win. Go ahead. He never blames himself for losses because near as I can tell we have NEVER lost a game where he was even partly to blame for the loss. In our last game against Denver, Terrell was one of about 6 players who even bothered to show up - because McNabb sure as shit didn't. Trotter was on his game, Terrell was on his game, Westbrook, defense, etc. Go ask any commentator and they'll tell you that Terrell always shows up ready to play and backs his big talk up 110%.

The point is you don't know Terrell at all as a person, so for so many people to name-call and make blanket statements about him as an individual (based on what you hear about him for a few minutes once week) is really annoying. I'll say once more that I am not condoning what he said or the way he has handled certain situations, but he is a true friend, a good father to his son, and a generous and giving person.

A good friend, a good father and a generous person., If you say you know him I'll take your word for it. But one thing quite apparent that he is, is a terrible teammate. Whether it was in Frisco or now, nothing has ever been his fault, and everyone is against him

I am not condoning what he said or what he's done. And I do think that a lot of his feelings about being "ganged up on" are a self-fulfilling prophecy. He doesn't always handle situations in the most mature fashion, I know. Is he a terrible teammate? I can't really say - it's a matter of opinion. Obviously I have very strong loyalties to him, so I'm clearly not unbiased. One thing I do know is that like it or not, Terrell rarely screws up on the field. As far as I can tell, none of our losses this year are even remotely his fault. There are serious problems within the Eagles organization and IMHO, most of them lie within our QB's hands. Does that excuse Terrell saying what he did? No. But while one can say what they wish about Terrell, it is a fact that he *always* shows up having done what he needs to do, runs his routes, and comes ready to make big plays and win. McNabb has consistently choked under pressure and has repeatedly made mistakes a QB of his calibre just should not be making...period.

I need to stop talking about all this because I don't want to put his business all out there more than I already have. I will say that there's a lot more to this story than is being reported. The Eagles and Terrell will certainly handle it the best way they know how and I just hope that what's best for all involved ends up materializing when all is said and done.

what matters in this regard is how he is as a teammate. Given that he has burned through two teams in four years, completely different teams, with different coaching styles, different playing styles and different fans, and yet he has worn out his welcome in both places.

Someone will take him off Philly's hands, if they want rid of him next year. Maybe he is cut, or waived. If, in two more years, he has burned through another team, will he see the problem is himself, not the team?

The first time you get fired, despite being a high performer, can be bad luck. the second is a personality conflict, the third? maybe the problem is you.

This is, in no way, a reflection on anything else about him, he may be a wonderful, giving, caring person, but he is not a good teammate, the people he plays with don't like him and don't like playing with him, as has been demonstrated. That is a problem for his career. Luckily, he has made a ton of money in his career, and if he never plays again should be just fine, but don't think the next place will be any better.

let me reemphasize: I hope he sorts it out and learns to play well with others, he has the skills and dedication to be one of the greats, but his head is holding him back. Maybe he just shoudn't give interviews?

and do you deny that he told ESPN last spring that he though McNabb wasn't sick at the Superbowl, just not physically prepared? I can mail you the videotape, if you'd like.

Selfish in his actions with his team, its why he's such a bad teammate. In his personal life, he may not be a selfish person. But, the behavior he's exhibited has sown an increible amount of selfishness

...that's just my opinion. He is hurt and is clearly hurting the rest of the team but won't admit to it.

pay the man and never dress him again. There is no obligation under his contract to actually PLAY him, or even have him travel with the team. List him as inactive, give him his money and move on. the Eagles are a happy-go-lucky team, it's their psyche, and TO just didn't fit in. I mean really, bitching about not having them honor him after a catch? He's an immature ass, and no amount of on field performance can change that.

the only shame here is that I have tickets for the game tommorow night, oh well.

Up until now, I've defended T.O. on everything, b/c like other posters said, anytime he runs his mouth, as long as he's performing on Sundays, then just ignore him. But it's clear now that he's the height of immature, and has never really bought into the team concept. It's ALL about him, and nothing else matters.

And check this out....found this little nugget in a fantasy report:

Mark Eckel, of the Trenton Times, reports Philadelphia Eagles WR Terrell Owens had a fistfight with former defensive end and current team ambassador Hugh Douglas. The fight occurred in front of several of his teammates. According to one of the sources the Owens-Douglas fight "was like WWE Smackdown." Another source said both men threw at least two punches during the altercation and when it was over Owens challenged QB Donovan McNabb first and then everyone else in the room saying, "You want some. Anyone else want some." The Eagles refused to comment about the situation, other than the statement that revealed Owens' suspension. Owens and Douglas have been at odds since training camp and almost got into an altercation in an elevator at Lehigh University.

What an asshole.

and I thought that the Eagles should have cut him then. Too bad *THAT* union is strong...

Michael Irvin was just spouting on ESPN about how he thinks the suspension is unfair...I think these rich spoilsport athletes should have to work at real jobs for awhile, where they would get fired, or at least severely disciplined for spouting their mouths off.

is not strong at all. In fact, it is often referred to as a company union.

is only the only major sport that doesn't have guaranteed contracts. Teams can cut players and not be responsible for the remaining years on contracts. This happens every season.

is the pro-rated signing bonus, which, even if he's playing for your rival team, still counts against your salary cap that year, instead of being spread out over several seasons.

the union rule that is relevant is, as I understand, teams cannot suspend a player, without pay, for more than four weeks in a season for internal disciplinary rules.

collective bargaining agreement is the most pro management of all the contracts. Teams can cut players with time remaining on contracts, yet they complain when players want more money.

Any union needs to have a grievance process.

There are twice as many football players as baseball players, and maybe 5 times as many as the NBA. The NFL has the best pension plan, the highest signing bonuses, the least amount of player movement from trades. and the system of signing bonuses has more than compensated for the lower amounts of guaranteed salary.

the lower ends in football do far worse than in baseball.

is 30 people. a football one is 56. So there are 26 more people to deal with, each of them making more than a AAA ballplayer. There are 27 major league teams with payrolls lower than any NFL team's. It is only the monster contracts that skew the issue.

here is USA Today's estimate of the http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/teamdetail.aspx?team=32&year=2004">Redskins' payroll in 2004 No one made less than 12 thousand dollars a week. And those were just people signed to fill a spot for a week or two. No regulay player made less than 20,000/week. it's hard to feel bad for them.

are also a lot shorter than baseball careers and the injuries are much more debilitating. I'll always be a pro player guy when it comes to football. The owners don't put their bodies on the line.