Is Terrell Owens The Missing Piece In Chicago?

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The good news is that there is a player on the open market that can help the Chicago Bears.  He has averaged more than 1,100 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns per season over the last three years.  And in the biggest game of his career, he caught nine balls and racked up 122 receiving yards.

The bad news is that his name is Terrell Owens.


At this point it is speculation as pure as the stuff The Clipse talks about dealing in their albums.  But thanks to some whispers, the speculation is heating up.  Kind of like the stuff Pusha T and Malice talk about in their albums.

(OK.  That's enough hip-hop/cocaine references for one blog post.)

If this was a Madden NFL 10 trade being proposed to me, I'd accept it in a heartbeat.  On XBOX 360, I wouldn't have to deal with Owens' shenanigans.  But to his credit, he has kept himself out of the limelight despite struggling with Trent Edwards under center and Dick Jauron as his boss.  Owens is one of the most talented pass catchers in the league, and would be on his way to a Hall of Fame career had he not been a Hall of Fame home-wrecker in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas.  Oh, then there was that stint in Baltimore.

When Owens was a free agent, I suggested the Bears take a look at Owens.  That was before they had Jay Cutler.

Now, the Bears have Jay Cutler -- a real NFL QB -- and a 3-1 record.  So, I propose to you this scenario.

At 5-0, the Minnesota Vikings are not only the class of the NFC North, but could also make a case of being the class of the entire NFC.  They have the most explosive running back in the NFL.  Their defense is among the league's best.  And their quarterback whose name does not bear mentioning is one of the all-time greats at his position and is motivated as all hell to stick it to his former team.

Come to think of it, Minnesota could use an upgrade at wide receiver.  Despite you-know-who's presence in the pocket, Bernard Berrian doesn't have DBs shaking in their cleats.

Owens is a game changer.  A playmaker.  Someone opposing defenses game plan around.  In the off-season, Owens signed a one-year deal with Buffalo.  The Bills could be looking to send him off and get something for him while they can.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

The Bears could be looking to add a piece the team has never had before.  The last time the Bears had a receiver reach the 1,000-yard plateau, it was Marty Booker.  He did it in 2002.  Conversely, Owens has caught 439 passes accumulated 6,602 receiving yards and 67 touchdowns from 2003 to 2008.  As for Booker, he's currently out of the league.

And Owens would be motivated as ever.  He'd be looking to prove his critics wrong.  If successful, he would make Buffalo look like the inept franchise it is as it features an offense that is offensive to the eyes and a lame-duck head coach that makes lame ducks bow their necks in shame.

Did I mention Owens is on a one-year deal?  It's the kind of deal that has spurred Cedric Benson's hot start.  Could joining a contender down the stretch help spark Owens' career revival?

I think so.  Especially if all it is going to cost is a draft pick.

Terrell Owens Wants To Get BALCO'd Up With Rodney Harrison's Help

And you thought Milton Bradley was a distraction.  Not too long after not catching a damn ball, and catching flak because of it, Terrell Owens went to the Twittersphere and launched an onslaught against analyst Rodney Harrison.

The most humorous, in my humble opinion, is the one above.  If anything, though, the next two carry the most punch.

 

 

In baseball, it seems as if there is no worse crime than getting supplemental help from steroids.  In football, it's clearly a joke.  If a baseball player were to do this, there would be an full-blown investigation on everything and anything that goes through and into said player's system.

And another thing -- baseball people consider steroid usage as cheating the game.  A lot of football folks feel that T.O. cheats teh game with the way he has treated his teammates (see: Quarterbacks) in his time in the NFL.

So, which is more punishable in the fan's court?

T.O. to Buffalo

When you're done laughing, I'd appreciate if you took a look at this post.

Coming in at halftime of the Illinois State-Creighton game, I expected to write about how Redbirds guard Osiris Eldridge is playing like the preseason player of the year while Booker Woodfox wasn't playing like the guy who earned the actual award.

Instead, the media room here in the Scottrade Center is buzzing about the news that disgruntled wide out Terrell Owens signed with the Buffalo Bills. I guess Buffalo, N.Y., is the perfect, relatively obscure place to revive a career on a one-year deal.

But after going out of his way to run himself out of town by dissing quality QBs such as Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, how is he going to respond when the Bills' nameless quarterback overthrows him.

And since Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed are all retired, I'm not sure Buffalo is the place to make a good name for yourself.

Good luck, Dick Jauron. You couldn't coach your way out of a paper bag in Chicago, how are you going to handle a man who makes Milton Bradley look like a saint?

Terrell, Torry and a strange NFL trend

This break from Missouri Valley Conference coverage is brought to you by some random NFL thoughts.

Terrell Owens will not suit when the Dallas Cowboys open their new stadium next season. Not unless he's wearing an opponents uniform. Dallas cut ties with the volatile wide out and I don't need a working radio to know Bears fans were buzzing about the idea of having one of the NFL's most talented players on their team.

Too bad Bears management was probably not listening.

Sure, Owens might be considered the worst teammate in the world by some. But he'd be the Bears best receiver by far. Granted, that's not hard when your No. 1 pass catcher is best known not for catching passes, but for getting pass interference calls on the opponent.

Yep, welcome to Bears football.

I know GM Jerry Angelo preaches good character players on his team and that might be the reason that keeps Owens out of a Bears uniform. This of course coming from the man that drafted Cedric Benson and Tank Johnson and gave lengthy extensions to Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

So what's stopping the Bears from >adding Owens to the Dream Team of Model Citizens?

Oh yeah, talent.

Because if you have talent, the Bears don't want you -- fact.

In other Cowboys-related news, Dallas is now down to only one Roy Williams.

Moving on to Torry Holt and a very odd NFL trend.

Holt, a Pro Bowl receiver with the St. Louis Rams, reportedly asked for his release Thursday. He has only one more year remaining on his current contract, but after having a rock-bottom year with the 2-14 Rams, Holt is probably looking for a change of scenery.

After reaching career lows in all the important receiver categories, hiring of Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo probably doesn't make Holt want to show up to Rams camp.

But what's with all these players asking for their releases? It seems like an epidemic. Why are all these multi-millionaires so unhappy they are basically asking for a team to pull its paycheck. NFLers must think they are recession proof.

Maybe this crummy economy is just a figment of my imagination.

Should Da Bears give T.O. a go?

Wait, what? Non SIU-Creighton material? Say what???

ESPN's Ed Werder reports the Dallas Cowboys might consider dumping wide receiver Terrell Owens to improve team chemistry.

And while that might be a valid report, I wouldn't be surprised if Wereder, known around these parts as somewhat of a word-twister, probably asked if the 'Boys would dump T.O. if the team were to take a chemistry class and based his report off that answer.

In either case, it is a possibility that Owens could hit the open market, and with the Chicago Bears in desperate need of a pass catching threat not named Matt Forte it might be worth a look-see.

T.O. caught 65 balls for 1,065 yards with 10 touchdown catches last season and despite faltering down the stretch and picking a fight with quarterback Tony Romo.

The Cowboys missed the playoffs thanks in part to the offense's self-destruction, but there is no doubt Owens' numbers alone could help a Chicago offense that in all honesty was putrid.

Owens' stats compare favorably to every wide receiver on the Bears. Two more catches than Forte. 387 more yards than Hester. The most telling stat for the Bears need for T.O. is so big it deserves its own graph:

Hester, Rashied Davis, Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd combined to score ONE LESS touchdown than Owens.

Signing Owens would be like signing a ticking time bomb, but with great risk could come great rewards for one of the league's most disappointing offenses.