PhotoDude.com

Fri. Jul 22, 2005

N.O. to T.O.

I’ve been so excited. Training camp for the Atlanta Falcons opens on Monday. And the vibes and auras and harmonic vortexes seem to be aligning for the Falcons to finally toss off their 39 year old voodoo hex that has kept them from ever having two winning seasons, back-to-back.

It was really looking good. And now this:

Terrell Owens made some of his strongest statements to date about his contract situation with the Eagles, saying “it’s not going to be a good situation” if he has to go to training camp under the conditions of his current contract.

“I want something to be rectified and we can just move on,” Owens said on a Comcast sports network in his hometown of Atlanta.

The Atlanta-based questioners asked Owens whether he’d like to play for the Falcons, and he warmed to the idea.

“If Joe Banner can give Drew Rosenhaus permission to seek a trade, then — who knows? — Atlanta might be on the list of people I can play for.”

AJC: Are Falcons on T.O.’s wish list?

And that’s always what it’s about with T.O., finding a team he “can play for.” He was happy in San Francisco, the team that made him a star … until he wasn’t. Luckily, that coincided with his free agent year, so he could freely move on … until his agent failed to file the proper paperwork, leaving him in the employ of the 49ers.

But luckily for T.O., they’d seen the light, and wanted him gone as well. So they traded him to Baltimore. Unfortunately for all concerned, the Ravens were not a team T.O. “can play for,” so he never even put on a uniform. A three way trade was arranged just to accommodate T.O., and he ended up in Philadelphia, a team he “can play for.”

Until he couldn’t. Which brings us to today (leaving out the Sharpie incident, the playing of the race card, the Desperate Housewives promo, etc, etc.). He’s under contract, but he doesn’t like it. I mean, that’s just his word, his name signed on the terms to which he’d agreed. He’s now beginning to dictate his new terms, and warning how ugly it will be if he is forced to live up to his word.

I have no doubt that Jim Mora likely chuckles at the thought of T.O. joining his team, because that’s clearly what Mora believes in … a team. T.O. believes in T.O. Through that belief, he is able to run up some amazing stats on the field.

But he is a cancer to the team. T.O. can’t even spell team, because he keeps trying to add a capital “I” between each letter.

You want a quick fix to a touchdown drought? T.O. might fit the bill. You want some flash and lots of press to bolster a sagging team reality? T.O. is the kind of guy Jerry “Quick Fix” Glanville would have hired.

You want to build a team that will hang together and fight through adversity and tough times on the way to a greater goal? T.O. will be the oil in your water.