Pacman Yes, T.O. No

The announcement came last Thursday that Adam "Pacman" Jones signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. This is not a shock as the Bengals are known to take risks with players that other teams have deemed "damaged goods".

Jones is probably better known for his season long suspension in 2007 and his numerous run-ins with the law than he has been for his on the field accomplishments in the NFL.

If someone who didn't even play last season and has a questionable legal past like Jones can get an NFL job, what does that say about the playing future of wide receiver Terrell Owens?

The Bengals brought Owens in for a visit in early March and was very close to signing him but ended up signing the younger Antonio Bryant to a four year contract.

Adam Jones understands one thing that Owens doesn't. Your only monetary worth as an employee is what someone is willing to pay you. Jones most likely took a deal at the league minimum and was given playing incentives to increase the total amount of the contract. Owens, and his agent Drew Rosenhaus, reportedly want at least 5 million dollars for Terrell's services this next season.

The reality is Owens is a 36 year old who is coming off his worst season since 1999. He turned the 49ers locker room on its head and tried to create dissent amongst his teammates in Philadelphia. Then there was his  Romo-Witten writing secret plays on table napkins incident in Dallas. T.O. was quiet last season in Buffalo, but if he would have spoken up, would anybody have listened to him anyway?

Adam Jones has had his problems off the field, but by all accounts has been a decent "locker room" guy. Owens, like Barry Bonds, will never shake the reputation as a locker room cancer and still believes he is an elite player. The Bengals obviously felt that Jones was worth the risk and Owens wasn't. "Pacman" seems to realize this is his last chance to play in the NFL. It seems that Owens last chance may have come to pass.




Every Morning Quarterback by Aharon Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Can the Bears Bare T.O.?

Before I make my point, let me offer you a few facts.

Thanks to the Jay Cutler trade, the Bears are missing their 1st and 3rd round pick in this year's NFL Draft. 

The team's current wide receiver corps consists of Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox, and Devin Aromashodu. 

They have brought in personnel, perceived as malcontents from other teams, such as Jay Cutler, Mike Martz, and Julius Peppers. 

Their two best defensive players, Tommie Harris and Brian Urlacher, are aging veterans and have had injury problems in recent seasons. 


Team President, Ted Phillips, was quoted as saying, “There’s a fine line sometimes between winning and losing, but we expect to win now in 2010.” That means General Manager, Jerry Angelo, and Head Coach, Lovie Smith, have to win now.

So my question is: why not sign Terrell Owens? If the key players in the organization are looking to win now, sign the future Hall of Fame receiver for one year.


He is not the deep threat he once was, but he still runs excellent routes and is not afraid to go over the middle. He could teach the Bears' young receivers a trick or two along the way.


Perhaps the Bears are waiting to see what will be available at the receiver postion during the draft, but signing a veteran like Owens before hand could allow you to draft for another position.


I'm no NFL G.M., but this one seems like a no-brainer. Then again, so did the Bears drafting Curtis Enis.

 


Every Morning Quarterback by Aharon Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.everymorningqb.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.everymorningqb.com.