Where should and where will T.O. be playing next season?
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Reporters from around the Tribune Co. family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.
Omar Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Terrell Owens should be playing for the Dolphins next season. Miami desperately needs a playmaking receiver that can give its passing game some punch and assist in quarterback Chad Henne’s development. But this Bill Parcells-led franchise wants nothing to do with a “diva receiva” like Owens, whom Parcells remembers from his days in Dallas. So don’t count on T.O. signing with Miami.
However, don’t rule out another AFC East team, one with a dominant quarterback and a head coach with the clout to carry Owens’ baggage. Bill Belichick and the Patriots helped Randy Moss resurrect his career and it could be the right time for the Patriots to take on another reclamation project. It’s scary to imagine Owens and Moss running routes together for Tom Brady.
Kevin Van Valkenburg, Baltimore Sun
I think I’ve solved the Terrell Owens issue. I know the perfect franchise for him. His inflated ego will fit right in, and so will his declining skills.
It just isn’t an NFL team. It’s ESPN.
Think about it. This is a match made in self-promoting heaven. T.O. isn’t an elite NFL wide receiver anymore, but he’d be the perfect fit in Bristol, Conn. He could do weekly podcasts with Bill Simmons, corny humor segments with Kenny Mayne and Rick Reilly, a daily shouting contest with Colin Cowherd or Skip Bayless, and he could even give Hannah Storm fashion advice. When you’ve reached the point in your career where you’re more about style than substance, why not journey to Bristol, the Mecca of ‘ME FIRST!’ athletes and wannabes?
I don’t want to see T.O. limp through another season with the Bears or Bengals, dropping passes and throwing sideline hissy fits. ESPN would just over-cover that anyway. Let’s just make this marriage official. Put him on the payroll.