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Terrell Owens is now a
Philadelphia Eagle and finally
Donovan McNabb has a go-to
receiver. Last year the Eagles'
receivers Todd Pinkston, James
Thrash and Freddie Mitchell
combined for 5 touchdown
receptions. That is God-awful.
In case you didn’t know, running
back Brian Westbrook led the
Eagles in touchdown receptions
with four.
In comes Terrell Owens who has
averaged 93 receptions, 1316
yards and 13 touchdowns over the
past four seasons. Can he
average those numbers in Andy
Reid’s offense? That’s what all
Fantasy Owners want to know. I
believe Owens has the ability to
post double digit touchdowns but
his receptions and yardage will
be lower than years past and
here are my reasons why.
·
Offense-
Andy Reid believes in spreading
the ball around early to get a
lead and then having the Eagles
rely on running the football to
close out games. The Eagles
have been to three straight NFC
championship games so the system
works and Reid won’t change his
offense just because Owens is
there. Last season the Eagles
rushed for 23 touchdowns which
is pretty impressive considering
how bad their receivers were.
Now that Owens is there teams
will have to account for him and
the double-team on Owens will
make it even easier for
Philadelphia to run the ball
which they will often.
·
Winning
–
One thing about Owens that is
misunderstood is that he is a
team player. He is a great
downfield blocker and if his
team is winning then he won’t
complain about not getting the
ball. His major frustration in
San Francisco was when they were
losing and he was not having the
ball thrown his way. In
response he would lash out at
teammates and coaches. In
Philadelphia they will go to him
when they are trailing but the
Eagles have been one of the top
teams in recent years even
without an All-Pro receiver.
Now that Owens is on board I
expect the winning to continue
so there will be less balls
thrown his way than in years
past.
·
$10 Million Signing Bonus
-
I get concerned in fantasy
football when players sign big
contracts. I love to draft the
guy that is in the last year of
his current contract and playing
for a new one. Terrell Owens has
stated on many occasions that
his first love is basketball but
he plays football because it’s
where he makes his money. In
one interview I heard before the
trade he actually said that he
didn’t love the game. My jaw
dropped when I heard him say
those words. When Owens was
working for the NFL Network this
off-season he interviewed the
NBA All Stars and again
expressed how much he wants to
play basketball and one day get
a 10-day contract with an NBA
team. Now that he has 10
million in his pocket and he is
financially set there is a good
possibility that he becomes
complacent since the last few
years he’s been playing for a
new contract. Like Rocky
Balboa’s first fight against
Clubber Lang in Rocky 3, I have
a feeling that Owens isn’t
hungry anymore.
·
Pressure-
There will be a lot of pressure
on Owens to help get the Eagles
over the hump and into a Super
Bowl. Last year Owens was
playing for his new contract and
he was not the Owens of years
prior. He dropped way too many
passes and his numbers
suffered. If the Eagles were to
get off to a bad start the
Philadelphia media and fans will
scrutinize him like he’s never
been scrutinized before.
Donovan McNabb, Eric Lindros,
Charles Barkley and Allen
Iverson have felt the venom of
the Philadelphia fans. Philly’s
own Kobe Bryant got booed when
he retuned home to play in the
All Star game a few years ago.
Owens’ arrogance and bravado
have not endeared him to many
football fans so every move that
he makes will be watched with a
close eye.
I’m not telling you to not draft
Terrell Owens. Owens is still a
thoroughbred who has the ability
to take a 5-yard pass the
distance but he is too risky to
take as the number two or three
receiver in fantasy drafts. I
would take Randy Moss, Marvin
Harrison, Torry Holt and maybe
even a Chad Johnson or Anquan
Boldin over Owens this year.
If you have any comments on this
article feel free to contact me.
Stingray
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