Doomsday101
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OXNARD, Calif. (AP) - Drew Bledsoe either has the best job in the NFL or the worst. He is, after all, Terrell Owens' quarterback.
Let's start with why that's a good thing.
Throwing to a big, strong, fast, sure-handed target like Owens should make it easier for Bledsoe to move the Dallas Cowboys down the field.
In San Francisco, Jeff Garcia became a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback by throwing to Owens. Donovan McNabb already was a Pro Bowl quarterback before T.O. joined him in Philadelphia in 2004, but their one full season together produced the best numbers of McNabb's career.
Problem is, Garcia and McNabb are rarely linked to Owens by stats or Pro Bowls. The dominant memory remains the venomous ways their relationships ended, with Owens in the role of rattlesnake.
The short story is that he insinuated that Garcia was gay, then soured on McNabb after being cursed at in a huddle. Things got so out of control that the 49ers and Eagles both dumped Owens, opting for locker room harmony over a dominant No. 1 receiver.
"Nobody should be able to be as disruptive and really cut the energy of the team down," said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who acknowledged a year after that disastrous camp that signing Owens was a mistake.
So, Drew: Do you really believe things will go differently for you and T.O.?
"I'm not concerned about it in the least," Bledsoe said. "I've dealt with a lot of receivers that are volatile guys. That's just part of the nature of the position, and so far I haven't had any problems with any of them."
Bledsoe's list of high-maintenance receivers includes a younger version of Terry Glenn in New England, Eric Moulds in Buffalo and Keyshawn Johnson last season with the Cowboys.
"I've always chosen to be proactive," Bledsoe said. "I feel like if you are honest with somebody and they know what to expect ... then the problems don't come up."
Owens wasn't around team headquarters much this summer, but he and Bledsoe did start buddying up through phone calls and text messages.
"He pretty much has been what I expected him to be," said Bledsoe, who hasn't read Owens' new book detailing the Philadelphia meltdown. "He's a personable guy. He's a guy that I enjoy being around and that really hasn't been a surprise to me at all."
Training camp, however, hasn't always gone as planned. They struggled to find a rhythm the first five days, then Owens hurt a hamstring and has been out ever since. Bledsoe said they might work together after practice once Owens returns to get their timing down.
"This is what training camp and practice is all about," Owens said. "We're not going to get it done in one day, a week."
Bledsoe knows Owens' feud with McNabb began in the huddle. He doesn't care. He's not about to be on his best behavior in the heat of competition.
Would he ever tell Owens, or any receiver, to shut up - like McNabb supposedly did?
"If they need to be told that, then, yeah," he said.
Two other things working in Bledsoe's favor are Parcells' presence and, perhaps more important, the honeymoon phase.
Owens was fine his first season in Philadelphia. The going theory is that he'll be fine this season, too, especially since he has a $5 million salary and a $3 million roster bonus in March riding on it.
The jury is still out on whether Parcells truly agreed with team owner Jerry Jones' decision to sign Owens, but he's come across as tolerant, if not supportive.
He insists Owens will be judged strictly on how he behaves here, even suggesting that Garcia and McNabb could be "the guys with the problems." Parcells also likes reminding everyone he's dealt with troublemaking stars before, such as Johnson, Lawrence Taylor, Bryan Cox.
"I wasn't there for any of (Owens') history; I wasn't living in a closet either," Parcells said. "Each year is pretty much different in the NFL, and it's always been my approach with players to kind of tell them what I want and try to give them an understanding of what we're trying to do and then pretty much go by what I see after that."
It sounds like a simple formula. And it sounds like what folks at Eagles camp were saying two years ago.
"I'll just tell Drew, 'Hey, good luck,"' McNabb said.
Bledsoe's answer: "We're going to be fine
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5859872
Let's start with why that's a good thing.
Throwing to a big, strong, fast, sure-handed target like Owens should make it easier for Bledsoe to move the Dallas Cowboys down the field.
In San Francisco, Jeff Garcia became a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback by throwing to Owens. Donovan McNabb already was a Pro Bowl quarterback before T.O. joined him in Philadelphia in 2004, but their one full season together produced the best numbers of McNabb's career.
Problem is, Garcia and McNabb are rarely linked to Owens by stats or Pro Bowls. The dominant memory remains the venomous ways their relationships ended, with Owens in the role of rattlesnake.
The short story is that he insinuated that Garcia was gay, then soured on McNabb after being cursed at in a huddle. Things got so out of control that the 49ers and Eagles both dumped Owens, opting for locker room harmony over a dominant No. 1 receiver.
"Nobody should be able to be as disruptive and really cut the energy of the team down," said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who acknowledged a year after that disastrous camp that signing Owens was a mistake.
So, Drew: Do you really believe things will go differently for you and T.O.?
"I'm not concerned about it in the least," Bledsoe said. "I've dealt with a lot of receivers that are volatile guys. That's just part of the nature of the position, and so far I haven't had any problems with any of them."
Bledsoe's list of high-maintenance receivers includes a younger version of Terry Glenn in New England, Eric Moulds in Buffalo and Keyshawn Johnson last season with the Cowboys.
"I've always chosen to be proactive," Bledsoe said. "I feel like if you are honest with somebody and they know what to expect ... then the problems don't come up."
Owens wasn't around team headquarters much this summer, but he and Bledsoe did start buddying up through phone calls and text messages.
"He pretty much has been what I expected him to be," said Bledsoe, who hasn't read Owens' new book detailing the Philadelphia meltdown. "He's a personable guy. He's a guy that I enjoy being around and that really hasn't been a surprise to me at all."
Training camp, however, hasn't always gone as planned. They struggled to find a rhythm the first five days, then Owens hurt a hamstring and has been out ever since. Bledsoe said they might work together after practice once Owens returns to get their timing down.
"This is what training camp and practice is all about," Owens said. "We're not going to get it done in one day, a week."
Bledsoe knows Owens' feud with McNabb began in the huddle. He doesn't care. He's not about to be on his best behavior in the heat of competition.
Would he ever tell Owens, or any receiver, to shut up - like McNabb supposedly did?
"If they need to be told that, then, yeah," he said.
Two other things working in Bledsoe's favor are Parcells' presence and, perhaps more important, the honeymoon phase.
Owens was fine his first season in Philadelphia. The going theory is that he'll be fine this season, too, especially since he has a $5 million salary and a $3 million roster bonus in March riding on it.
The jury is still out on whether Parcells truly agreed with team owner Jerry Jones' decision to sign Owens, but he's come across as tolerant, if not supportive.
He insists Owens will be judged strictly on how he behaves here, even suggesting that Garcia and McNabb could be "the guys with the problems." Parcells also likes reminding everyone he's dealt with troublemaking stars before, such as Johnson, Lawrence Taylor, Bryan Cox.
"I wasn't there for any of (Owens') history; I wasn't living in a closet either," Parcells said. "Each year is pretty much different in the NFL, and it's always been my approach with players to kind of tell them what I want and try to give them an understanding of what we're trying to do and then pretty much go by what I see after that."
It sounds like a simple formula. And it sounds like what folks at Eagles camp were saying two years ago.
"I'll just tell Drew, 'Hey, good luck,"' McNabb said.
Bledsoe's answer: "We're going to be fine
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5859872
