Terrell Owens In Seattle?
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Posted by: Shaun Dolence
Say it isn’t so. Was Terrell Owens seen in Seattle? Are the rumors swirling around the national media accurate?
At least a couple of users over at the Seattle P-I message boards think so. An excerpt from a post at the Seahawks message board at the P-I:
"T.O. has been spotted at Sea-Tac. I heard this from 5 different people that don’t even know each other. Has anyone else heard anything?"
I’m more inclined to believe this is either a practical joke or an absurd attempt by the writer to spur controversy. Let me make myself clear: Terrell Owens will not end up in Seattle, no matter how much speculation or momentum the rumors achieve.
Rumors have surfaced from several blogs around the country, and the conversation has even gained momentum through speculation on the NFL Network. An interesting selection from an article found at the Bleacher Report:
"After recently signing T.J. Houshmandzeh to a free-agent contract, the Seahawks are apparently set at the wide receiver position. Furthermore, T.O. has publicly fought with new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in the past, making the Seahawks’ interest in Owens appear somewhat far-fetched.Nevertheless, the rumors have continued to spring up because T.O. grew up in the west coast offense in San Francisco and would add a dimension to the Seahawks’ anemic passing game, which has been sorely lacking over the past two seasons.New Seahawks coach Jim Mora may be cocky enough to think that he can handle Owens and give him the opportunity to put the final stamp of greatness on his career in a Seahawks uniform."
For some strange reason, proponents of these rumors are citing the Seahawks “anemic” passing game the past couple of seasons, as if the Seahawks have been in the NFC cellar for the past half-decade. The Seahawks were 4-12 last season and experienced a rash of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but did everyone already forget about the five-year playoff run? How about the 2005 Super Bowl appearance and playoff wins in both 2006 and 2007? Apparently, Matt Hasselbeck’s 3,966 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2007 screams “anemic” to some people.
Terrell Owens is 35 years old, and has proven to be a headache to every organization who has taken a chance on him. He is a talented receiver, but a locker room cancer and the exact opposite of a team player. Tim Ruskell wouldn’t even consider talking to Owens if the Seahawks didn’t have a wide receiver on their roster; there is no chance in hell he signs him to a contract now.
Ruskell is a general manager who believes that character plays an integral role in building a winning attitude. According to Ruskell, “the key ingredient is bringing guys in who have character, to build team chemistry, so that everyone is moving in the same direction.” So why would the Seahawks bring in Terrell Owens? Even speaking with Owens about the possibility of playing in Seattle would be contradictory to everything the organization stands for.
I’ve been wrong several times before, but I’m pretty confident about this development. Terrell Owens has a zero percent chance of landing in Seattle.