Terrell Owens is back in the NFL , with the Seattle Seahawks betting that they’ll see playmaking and not petulance from the wide receiver...
Owens, who is 38 and has not caught a pass in the league since Dec. 12, 2010, signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $1 million. It’s a deal that is, financially, low-risk. It’s the other stuff that T.O. brings that could be a problem. After all, other NFL teams could have picked him up and chose not to do so. And he washed out in his stint with the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League earlier this year.
Owens had anterior cruciate ligament surgery over a year ago and flashed enough talent Monday to make Pete Carroll and the Seahawks think he was worth the risk, running a 4.5 40 in his workout (via ESPN).
And maybe he is. T.O. certainly said all the right things in an interview with Shutdown Corner’s Doug Farrar in early July.
“I know how the business works,” he said. “I'm just hoping that someone can give me a chance. I'm just going to continue to work hard, training camp is going to come up here pretty soon, there are going to be injuries, and things of that nature. I know that there are some teams that need a veteran receiver — whether it's a No. 1, 2 or 3 — I feel like I can fill all those voids.”
On Monday night he tweeted: “God is good. Thankful. Grateful. To ALL my new teammates & the "12th Man"... Let's Do This!!”
So perhaps Carroll can succeed in rehabbing Owens’s career and reputation. But the Seattle Times’ Jerry Brewer writes: “It's like the Seahawks are determined to test the sturdiness of what they've built before the renovations are complete. It's like they want their three-man quarterback competition to be as stressful as possible. Owens' résumé — 1,078 career receptions, 15,934 yards, 153 touchdowns — dictates that he'll receive opportunities for as long as he can run fast. Still, you have to wonder if any of Owens' five former teams have exited the T.O. Experience feeling like his talent was worth the sideshow.”
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