Owens declines HoF Ceremony Invitation

[NFLExpert49]

14 minutes ago, JustAnotherFan said:

So you think that a player with assault/battery or shooting another individual in his own personal life--OUTSIDE OF THE TEAM-- should be treated equally the same as a player who publicly criticizes his QB's ON-THE-FIELD? 

That don't make any sense. At all.

Can you name a single instance of Owens criticizing his QB? Not his former QB...his QB as he's talking. 

[TecmoSuperJoe]

15 minutes ago, NFLExpert49 said:

Can you name a single instance of Owens criticizing his QB? Not his former QB...his QB as he's talking. 

Do you mean while he was on the team did he ever criticize the quarterback that was throwing him the ball? There was that entire fiasco with Owens essentially bootlicking Favre at the time during the 2005 season. 

Quote

In an interview with ESPN.com on Thursday, Owens took shots at the team and McNabb. He made his 100th career TD reception in a victory over San Diego on Oct. 23, but the accomplishment was not acknowledged on the video screen. An announcement was made in the press box.

"That right there just shows you the type of class and integrity that they claim not to be," said Owens, who became the sixth receiver in NFL history to reach the milestone. "They claim to be first class and the best organization. It's an embarrassment. It just shows a lack of class they have. My publicist talked to the head PR guy, and they made an excuse they didn't recognize that was coming up. But that was a blatant lie. Had it been somebody else, they probably would have popped fireworks around the stadium."

Owens also said the Eagles (4-3) would be undefeated with Green Bay's Brett Favre at quarterback.

"A number of commentators will say he's a warrior, he's played with injuries," Owens said of Favre. "I feel like him being knowledgeable about the quarterback position, I feel like we'd probably be in a better situation."

Owens said on his radio show he merely was agreeing with the opinion of Michael Irvin, the former Dallas wideout and current ESPN broadcaster.

"This is one I really regret," Owens said of the interview, adding that some clips were taken out of context. "I said earlier in the interview that we would have a better record if Donovan wasn't injured."

Owens previously said on his radio show that he'd prefer to play with Indianapolis' Peyton Manning over McNabb or any quarterback. Last year, Owens couldn't stop praising McNabb after joining the Eagles following eight controversial seasons in San Francisco.

But their relationship soured after Owens took a verbal swipe at McNabb's performance in Philadelphia's loss to New England in the Super Bowl. McNabb responded harshly and the two feuded throughout the summer, not speaking to each other for a prolonged period.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110500722_pf.html?noredirect=on

 

Owens has had his issues with the relationships regarding his previous quarterbacks. Garcia, McNabb, and Romo. I thought it was very interesting that when Terrell Owens' "A Football Life" episode aired, NFL Films reached out to Young, Romo, McNabb, and Garcia to talk about his career. Steve Young was the only one that agreed to do an interview about it. Coincidentally there was never an issue with Young and Owens the 4 years they were teammates. Of course Owens was a young player at the time, stuck behind Rice, and Young already had a championship pedigree. 

[JAF-N72EX]

12 minutes ago, NFLExpert49 said:

Can you name a single instance of Owens criticizing his QB? Not his former QB...his QB as he's talking. 

Yes, but I won't in this thread. Besides, your're the "NFLexpert", right? 

[UKTexans]

3 hours ago, FourThreeMafia said:

 Locker rooms destroyed... 

TO -  2

Harrison -  0

People shot

TO - 0

Harrison - 1 (does hiring a hitman count as 2?)

[Sugashane]

Not gonna lie, I really wanted him to ham it up. Do some situps while doing part of the speech, have popcorn dropped all over the crowd, use a sharpie on his bust and sign it, have his publicist introduce him, have someone unroll a Cowboys star blanket and then he runs over to stand on it and celebrate, something.

 

I am amazed that he is not going to take his time in the spotlight though. Oh well, it is his choice after all.

 

 

[NFLExpert49]

1 minute ago, PapaShogun said:

Do you mean while he was on the team did he ever criticize the quarterback that was throwing him the ball? There was that entire fiasco with Owens essentially bootlicking Favre at the time during the 2005 season. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110500722_pf.html?noredirect=on

Except that was taken completely out of context.

Here's the entire exchange:

Bensinger: What do you make of the Eagles' 4-3 start this season?

Owens: You know, I think a lot of the injuries have played a big part into some of our losses. And, you know, I just honestly feel if Donovan wasn't hurt, as he was, our record would probably indicate a little bit better.

Bensinger: Donovan's obviously had trouble throwing, especially deep. He didn't complete any of his first 12 passes vs. Denver. How has that affected the team?

Owens: Well obviously, I think our wins and losses are really predicated on how he plays. I just feel like, you know, everybody can point fingers at our defense. But it doesn't matter, even when we were 28 down, I still had in the back of my mind that we could come back, had our offense got in sync. You know, I just honestly feel you know, with playmakers like myself, L.J., and Brian Westbrook, that we could have gotten back in the game, and that we did. You know, like I said, it's hard to win ball games when you have turnovers. And we had a turnover right when we were about to go in to tie the game, and that killed our momentum and that killed our drive.

Bensinger: Your friend, Michael Irvin, recently said that if Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, they'd be undefeated right now. What do you think of that comment?

Owens: I mean, that's a good assessment. I would agree with that.

Bensinger: How so?

Owens: Um, I just feel like just by what he brings to the table. I mean, he's a guy, obviously, a number of commentators will say he's a warrior, he's played with injuries. I just feel like, yo know, him being knowledgable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd probably be in a better situation.

 

Starting at 8:00 here: 

Continues into part 3:

 

So in actuality, what he was doing was answering a follow up question after saying that the Eagles would be better if McNabb weren't injured. He said that they'd be better if McNabb weren't injured, and they'd also be better with Favre. It's not an insult unless you think it's insulting to say that a future 1st ballot HOF QB is better healthy than another QB playing injured.

And McNabb was seriously injured. He was playing with a sports hernia that would require surgery just 2-3 weeks later. 

 

[TecmoSuperJoe]

2 hours ago, NFLExpert49 said:

Except that was taken completely out of context.

Here's the entire exchange:

Bensinger: What do you make of the Eagles' 4-3 start this season?

Owens: You know, I think a lot of the injuries have played a big part into some of our losses. And, you know, I just honestly feel if Donovan wasn't hurt, as he was, our record would probably indicate a little bit better.

Bensinger: Donovan's obviously had trouble throwing, especially deep. He didn't complete any of his first 12 passes vs. Denver. How has that affected the team?

Owens: Well obviously, I think our wins and losses are really predicated on how he plays. I just feel like, you know, everybody can point fingers at our defense. But it doesn't matter, even when we were 28 down, I still had in the back of my mind that we could come back, had our offense got in sync. You know, I just honestly feel you know, with playmakers like myself, L.J., and Brian Westbrook, that we could have gotten back in the game, and that we did. You know, like I said, it's hard to win ball games when you have turnovers. And we had a turnover right when we were about to go in to tie the game, and that killed our momentum and that killed our drive.

Bensinger: Your friend, Michael Irvin, recently said that if Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, they'd be undefeated right now. What do you think of that comment?

Owens: I mean, that's a good assessment. I would agree with that.

Bensinger: How so?

Owens: Um, I just feel like just by what he brings to the table. I mean, he's a guy, obviously, a number of commentators will say he's a warrior, he's played with injuries. I just feel like, yo know, him being knowledgable about the quarterback position, I just feel like we'd probably be in a better situation.

 

Starting at 8:00 here: 

Continues into part 3:

 

So in actuality, what he was doing was answering a follow up question after saying that the Eagles would be better if McNabb weren't injured. He said that they'd be better if McNabb weren't injured, and they'd also be better with Favre. It's not an insult unless you think it's insulting to say that a future 1st ballot HOF QB is better healthy than another QB playing injured.

And McNabb was seriously injured. He was playing with a sports hernia that would require surgery just 2-3 weeks later. 

 

Regarding the Favre subject, I got the impression that the question was predicated on Favre just being the starting QB whether McNabb was hurt or not. Especially since he said Favre has played with injuries, while McNabb was injured. Maybe he didn't mean that, but maybe he did. Honestly I'm not sure.

I do remember Owens subtly throwing Garcia under the bus during the 2003 season after a 1-3 start.

[NFLExpert49]

8 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

Regarding the Favre subject, I got the impression that the question was predicated on Favre just being the starting QB whether McNabb was hurt or not. And I still feel that way. For how it originated from what Irvin said on his radio show I'd have to hear that conversation myself. 

Owens immediately reacted to the controversy by saying he had already said they'd be better if McNabb were healthy, just from his memory, as was mentioned in the article you quoted.

How hard is it to criticize a teammate? He could have said something like, "yeah, because Donovan sucks. Brett Favre is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Donovan doesn't even belong on the same field with him." It's so easy to say something like that. 

Here's Dre Bly actually criticizing Joey Harrington in 2005, for comparison's sake: "If we'd had production on offense, in particular the quarterback position, Mooch wouldn't have been fired," Bly told the Detroit Free Press. "If Jeff Garcia hadn't gotten hurt, we wouldn't be in this position today. Mooch wouldn't have gotten fired."

"We're all at fault, but I just feel like Joey [Harrington]'s been here four years, and being the No. 3 pick in the draft, he hasn't given us anything," Bly told the paper. "He hasn't given us what the third pick in the draft should give us."

 

 

[43M]

3 hours ago, texans_uk said:

People shot

TO - 0

Harrison - 1 (does hiring a hitman count as 2?)

What does this have to do with football?

My comment had nothing to do with what kind of people they are.   Harrison very well may be a bigger scumbag then Owens, but nothing he did was a detriment to his career or his team. 

[NFLExpert49]

9 minutes ago, FourThreeMafia said:

What does this have to do with football?

My comment had nothing to do with what kind of people they are.   Harrison very well may be a bigger scumbag then Owens, but nothing he did was a detriment to his career or his team. 

Nothing Owens did was detrimental to his team either. Check all the winning he was a part of. 

Peyton Manning was 6/6 in making the playoffs without Marvin Harrison, and went to 3 Super Bowls in those 6 years. He only made 1 Super Bowl in all the years he played with Marvin Harrison. 

Part of that was Harrison being a non-factor in the postseason. Not a surprise that a guy who was a complete cowardly joke after the catch was getting mauled by Ty Law in the postseason. 

 

[UKTexans]

5 minutes ago, FourThreeMafia said:

What does this have to do with football?

My comment had nothing to do with what kind of people they are.   Harrison very well may be a bigger scumbag then Owens, but nothing he did was a detriment to his career or his team. 

You insinuated Harrison garnered favour as he wasn't a disruption in the locker room, which to me has nothing to do with his Hall of Fame credibility. Anquan Boldin won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, does that increase his chances of getting to Canton? Andre Johnson was a model professional and did a great deal for charity but when it comes to HOF credentials I'm focusing on his production.

On the field performance's speak for themselves and TO should have been first ballot.

[JaguarCrazy2832]

14 hours ago, Bullet Club said:

I desperately wanted a TO HoF speech.

He likely would have done some crunches

[43M]

1 hour ago, NFLExpert49 said:

Nothing Owens did was detrimental to his team either. Check all the winning he was a part of. 

What a shock....you ignoring facts that hurt your argument.   I guess its not hard to claim youre an "expert" when you do that.   

Obviously TO was a great player who contributed to his teams success when he WASNT in Team Obliterator mode.....but thats clearly not what we are discussing.

1 hour ago, NFLExpert49 said:

Peyton Manning was 6/6 in making the playoffs without Marvin Harrison, and went to 3 Super Bowls in those 6 years. He only made 1 Super Bowl in all the years he played with Marvin Harrison. 

And?   Your logic is so embarrassingly bad.     You just blatantly ignore how the rest of the team was built, gameplans for each game, situational nuances, and a myriad of other variables that have to be considered when talking about Manning making the playoffs....all for the sake of discrediting Harrison.   

Okay....expert. 

 

[43M]

1 hour ago, texans_uk said:

You insinuated Harrison garnered favour as he wasn't a disruption in the locker room, which to me has nothing to do with his Hall of Fame credibility. Anquan Boldin won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, does that increase his chances of getting to Canton? Andre Johnson was a model professional and did a great deal for charity but when it comes to HOF credentials I'm focusing on his production.

On the field performance's speak for themselves and TO should have been first ballot.

Its not that Harrison garnered favor....he just wasnt a complete disruption that was just as well known for being a bad teammate and prima donna as he was being a great WR.

The Anquan Boldin comment is completely irrelevant.    The Man of the Year award is given exclusively for OFF FIELD stuff that didnt effect the team or his career in any way.   Again....what does that have to do with what Im talking about?   Im talking entirely about behaviors that affected the teams they played for and their careers.    On every team he ever played for, TO was a distraction and it had an impact on his career and the teams he played for.   Anyone trying to argue otherwise are either delusional or in denial.  

And for the record, Im not trying to argue that TO didnt deserve first ballot.     Based on his talent and how good he played on the field, he 100% deserved it.    My point is that its pretty clear voters took his reputation into account, and how it affected the teams he played for and his career as a whole.     If not for that baggage....he wouldve been a first ballot guy, no question.    

[UKTexans]

2 minutes ago, FourThreeMafia said:

And for the record, Im not trying to argue that TO didnt deserve first ballot.     Based on his talent and how good he played on the field, he 100% deserved it.    My point is that its pretty clear voters took his reputation into account, and how it affected the teams he played for and his career as a whole.     If not for that baggage....he wouldve been a first ballot guy, no question.    

Which is what everyone else is saying. I'm sure there are more former teammates out there who looked up to TO and considered him a role model than the press snippets about him being a distraction. Didn't seem to hurt his production, which is odd?

Off field "distraction" or not, it shouldn't sway the voters any more than legal convictions or humanitarian awards.

Either they consider all off field pros and cons or they don't.