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3rd and Short
ESPN.COM
In this installment of Third and Short, our experts examine Terrell Owens. Is the Dallas Cowboys star overrated, as ESPN's Sal Paolantonio recently asserted? Is Owens' image tarnished by his off-the-field antics? When his career is over, will his Hall of Fame chances be hindered if he does not have a Super Bowl ring?
Merril Hoge: Is T.O. overrated, and how does he compare with Randy Moss?
Simply put, Terrell Owens is not overrated. It's easy to try to find fault with the guy because of his off-field persona and past issues with his teammates, but he's a heckuva football player. He's a consistent dynamic presence on the field who has to be accounted for at all times. There is no route that he can't or won't run, and he still has great explosiveness.
Owens is a tough matchup for opposing cornerbacks because he's too big and strong to bump at the line of scrimmage, and he still has the speed to eat up a cornerback's cushion if he gives too much room.
Some say he pales in comparison to Randy Moss, but I disagree. Moss is a great player who definitely has more explosiveness and is a better deep receiver than Owens, but Owens is a more complete receiver. He can run any route in the route tree and on top of that can break any of those routes for a big play. On the other hand, Moss doesn't run slants and curls nearly as much as you'd want a No. 1 receiver to run those routes. He is one-dimensional in the sense that he is predominantly a deep-threat receiver and can be taken away, while Owens is so effective at other aspects of the game that he can't be taken away by opposing defenses.
That's why he's one of the best in the game.
Pat Yasinskas: Do character issues affect how we view Owens' overall talent?
There's no doubt that the perception of Owens is diminished by the circus that surrounds him. Play along for a second and picture the most memorable T.O. moment. I'm guessing it's either an image of Owens doing sit-ups in his driveway for the media or the bizarre news conference after his "accidental overdose."
[+] Enlarge
Evan Pinkus/Getty Images
Terrell Owens caught 13 touchdowns in 2007, but how much does he have left in the tank?
That's a shame because Owens has tremendous talent and has accomplished a lot. But that gets lost because of all the off-field stuff. Owens is hardly the only wide receiver to be a little flaky. In general, the position is loaded with guys who seem to seek attention and/or controversy. Randy Moss and Chad Johnson jump quickly to mind.
Owens is a better receiver than either of those guys, and he's a Hall of Fame talent. But he won't be viewed that way because all the other stuff is what sticks in your mind when you think of Owens.
But that's not our fault. It's his. If he had carried himself like Jerry Rice, he'd have had a more productive career than he has had and would be thought of in the same vein as Rice.
James Walker: Does winning a Super Bowl matter in terms of a great wide receiver's Hall of Fame chances?
No. Winning isn't everything for wide receivers. There are plenty of Hall of Famers -- including receivers Steve Largent, Charlie Joiner and James Lofton -- whose legacies were not affected by their failure to win a Super Bowl.
A receiver is the final link in the offensive chain, whereas a quarterback controls the game from the outset because he's the lead decision-maker and touches the football on every play. That is why a quarterback's place in history relies more upon victories than any other position.
For all the fuss made over Owens' not being a winner, he holds a 67-30 record (.691 percentage) in regular-season games he's played in since 2001. Any player who wins nearly 70 percent of his games is revered in the NFL. Yet Owens' winning percentage goes unnoticed because of his antics.
Owens also has led teams to the playoffs in nine of his 12 seasons. He caught nine passes for 122 yards in the biggest game of his career: The Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. On the field, at least, that might go down as the defining moment of his career.
The statistics are undeniable: Owens has more receptions (882) and touchdowns (129) than any receiver currently in the Hall of Fame. Former Washington Commanders star Art Monk (940 receptions) will be inducted this summer, and Owens likely will surpass Monk's totals by the end of the 2008 season.
Owens has a decent chance to win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys before he retires. But if he doesn't, his career is still worthy of a trip to Canton.
ESPN.COM
In this installment of Third and Short, our experts examine Terrell Owens. Is the Dallas Cowboys star overrated, as ESPN's Sal Paolantonio recently asserted? Is Owens' image tarnished by his off-the-field antics? When his career is over, will his Hall of Fame chances be hindered if he does not have a Super Bowl ring?
Merril Hoge: Is T.O. overrated, and how does he compare with Randy Moss?
Simply put, Terrell Owens is not overrated. It's easy to try to find fault with the guy because of his off-field persona and past issues with his teammates, but he's a heckuva football player. He's a consistent dynamic presence on the field who has to be accounted for at all times. There is no route that he can't or won't run, and he still has great explosiveness.
Owens is a tough matchup for opposing cornerbacks because he's too big and strong to bump at the line of scrimmage, and he still has the speed to eat up a cornerback's cushion if he gives too much room.
Some say he pales in comparison to Randy Moss, but I disagree. Moss is a great player who definitely has more explosiveness and is a better deep receiver than Owens, but Owens is a more complete receiver. He can run any route in the route tree and on top of that can break any of those routes for a big play. On the other hand, Moss doesn't run slants and curls nearly as much as you'd want a No. 1 receiver to run those routes. He is one-dimensional in the sense that he is predominantly a deep-threat receiver and can be taken away, while Owens is so effective at other aspects of the game that he can't be taken away by opposing defenses.
That's why he's one of the best in the game.
Pat Yasinskas: Do character issues affect how we view Owens' overall talent?
There's no doubt that the perception of Owens is diminished by the circus that surrounds him. Play along for a second and picture the most memorable T.O. moment. I'm guessing it's either an image of Owens doing sit-ups in his driveway for the media or the bizarre news conference after his "accidental overdose."
[+] Enlarge
Evan Pinkus/Getty ImagesTerrell Owens caught 13 touchdowns in 2007, but how much does he have left in the tank?
That's a shame because Owens has tremendous talent and has accomplished a lot. But that gets lost because of all the off-field stuff. Owens is hardly the only wide receiver to be a little flaky. In general, the position is loaded with guys who seem to seek attention and/or controversy. Randy Moss and Chad Johnson jump quickly to mind.
Owens is a better receiver than either of those guys, and he's a Hall of Fame talent. But he won't be viewed that way because all the other stuff is what sticks in your mind when you think of Owens.
But that's not our fault. It's his. If he had carried himself like Jerry Rice, he'd have had a more productive career than he has had and would be thought of in the same vein as Rice.
James Walker: Does winning a Super Bowl matter in terms of a great wide receiver's Hall of Fame chances?
No. Winning isn't everything for wide receivers. There are plenty of Hall of Famers -- including receivers Steve Largent, Charlie Joiner and James Lofton -- whose legacies were not affected by their failure to win a Super Bowl.
A receiver is the final link in the offensive chain, whereas a quarterback controls the game from the outset because he's the lead decision-maker and touches the football on every play. That is why a quarterback's place in history relies more upon victories than any other position.
For all the fuss made over Owens' not being a winner, he holds a 67-30 record (.691 percentage) in regular-season games he's played in since 2001. Any player who wins nearly 70 percent of his games is revered in the NFL. Yet Owens' winning percentage goes unnoticed because of his antics.
Owens also has led teams to the playoffs in nine of his 12 seasons. He caught nine passes for 122 yards in the biggest game of his career: The Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. On the field, at least, that might go down as the defining moment of his career.
The statistics are undeniable: Owens has more receptions (882) and touchdowns (129) than any receiver currently in the Hall of Fame. Former Washington Commanders star Art Monk (940 receptions) will be inducted this summer, and Owens likely will surpass Monk's totals by the end of the 2008 season.
Owens has a decent chance to win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys before he retires. But if he doesn't, his career is still worthy of a trip to Canton.
