T.J. Houshmandzadeh Thinks Terrell Owens Can Help Seattle
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If you’ve followed the rumor mill recently, you’ve heard about Seattle’s supposed interest in wide receiver Terrell Owens.
If you’re at least a casual fan of football, you’ve already developed an opinion about Terrell Owens. And you already know whether or not you want him in a Seahawks uniform.
The rumors stemmed from “exploratory phone calls” made by Seattle’s front office with Terrell Owens’ agent. Seattle’s actual interest in obtaining Terrell Owens is unknown, but the rumored phone calls have been confirmed: the Seattle Seahawks have at least considered the possibility of adding Owens to their roster.
Terrell Owens has developed a bad reputation in the National Football League. His name is synonymous with greed, attitude, and selfishness. In fact, not including his last season spent in Buffalo, every stop Owens has made during his career has ended badly.
At his current age (36), it could be argued that bringing Terrell Owens to Seattle would be a waste of time. Acquiring a talented receiver at the end of his career is pointless for a team trying to rebuild from the ground up.
But what if the Seahawks are looking to add contributors right away? What if the new regime has injected new optimism and the franchise is ready to start winning sooner than later?
I think a majority of Seahawks fans would be opposed to adding Terrell Owens, but a few vocal players have endorsed adding the veteran playmaker.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who recently predicted he would catch 100 passes this season, openly supported the idea of adding Terrell Owens to Seattle’s roster in a recent radio interview:
"“I’m all for it. If they feel like [they’re] gonna bring somebody in and he can help us, I’m all for it. I have no problem with it whatsoever. You know, it’s the NFL. [They’re] gonna bring guys in and if they feel like T.O. can help us, bring him in. I’m sure he can help us.”"
But isn’t Housh a little concerned about Owens’ declining production? Apparently not:
"“He played well last year. You know, it was probably one of his worst statistical seasons, but you gotta look at all the elements and the reasons why.”"
I’ll be the first to admit: I didn’t watch one Buffalo Bills game last season and never saw much of Terrell Owens on the field. But a total of 55 catches for 829 yards and 5 touchdowns is a mere shadow of Owens’ production during his prime. Statistically, he had a better season with Philadelphia in 2005 when he only played in 7 games due to injury.
But Houshmandzadeh is right; statistics don’t paint the entire picture. Football is a complex game, and statistics are usually a poor way to measure contributions made by an individual player.
Isaiah Stanback, recently claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks, played with Terrell Owens during his time in Dallas. Stanback, like Houshmandzadeh, seems to be a proponent for bringing Owens to Seattle:
"“The experience I had with him in Dallas was great. He was a great guy, he was a great teammate. All Terrell wants to do is win. Nobody is going to outwork him. He’s going to come in, he’s going to be in shape, he is going to work hard. All he wants to do is practice hard. He wants to get W’s. That’s what his passion is, and I know sometimes they show snippets, at least when I was in Dallas, of him yelling, you know, or whatever, but that was just him trying to hold everyone to the highest standard. It wasn’t him trying to down-talk anybody. He is a great guy.”"
Is Isaiah concerned about Owens’ age or a decline in ability?
"“If there is anybody who can play at thirty-six, it is that man right there. He got a lot of football left in him.”"
You’ve probably already developed your opinions about Terrell Owens. And the rumors about him coming to Seattle are probably just that. But after hear vocal support from players currently on Seattle’s roster, are you at least slightly convinced that Owens wouldn’t be such a bad acquisition after all?
Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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