JordanTaber
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Owens had a 40+ yard catch against the Eagles called back by a Proctor hold. Had that stood, the little "15 games without 100+ yards" stat goes down the toilet.
It is hilarious to see how people have gone from "T.O. is FASTER THAN EVER THIS YEAR...CAN ANYONE RUN FASTER IN PADS THAN T.O.?, LOOK AT HOW HE BLEW PAST LEON HALL FOR THAT TD!!!" to "he's aging, he's lost a step, he's no longer an elite receiver, blah blah blah."
And the thing is, I KNEW this would happen. As soon as I heard that Brad Johnson would be starting the next 3 games, I knew his season would be shot statistically and clueless people would be asking that question.
Superpunk, if you honestly "see" a decline in T.O.'s ability on the field versus last year, it's all in your head. Trust me.
Owens DID physically decline, but that was back in 2004. He hasn't run like he did in 2001-2003 since, well, 2003. With that, his RAC ability declined dramatically.
Since then, he has actually managed to improve himself physically from where he was as an Eagle. He's still not where he was in 2001-2003 (he was the rare guy who could lose a step and still be several steps faster than everyone else), but if anything, he's faster this year than he was in 2007.
If you watch his 25 yard catch last night, you'll see that he can still fly.
Does anyone honestly believe that he lost everything right after the Philly game in week 2 (in which he caught 3-87, which would have been 4-120+ if not for the Proctor hold)?
Well, there was Green Bay, where it all started in terms of statistical decline. Of course, he sprinted up to Felix Jones to screen for him down field on his TD run....and he got blocked to the ground, got up, and caught Nick Collins from way behind on the interception return...hmmm.
And then there was the Commanders game...7-71-1...no big plays from him, all those targets. Had it already happened?
And he was quiet in the Cinci game...until he caught that long TD catch-and-run leaving (apparently unaware) people's jaws on the floor with his breakaway speed.
Then there was the Arizona loss...and that was it for Romo. In came Brad "unanimous choice for worst player in NFL history" Johnson. No breakout games the next 3 weeks.
And now T.O. has "aged before our eyes. He's losing it."
Right.
You guys want to know what the problem is? I'll tell you.
Think back to the last time they threw deep to Terrell Owens and the ball was actually in bounds. It obviously wasn't with Brad Johnson, who couldn't hit the ocean from a rowboat.
Owens is a deep receiver. That's what he does. He makes his big plays off balls thrown down the field. When you have a QB with a splint on his pinky (and a game plan designed to adjust to that), that inversely affects a deep threat. When you have a QB with the weakest arm in football starting for 3 games, that's a problem for everyone. It's also a problem for a guy who makes his living off deep passes.
And in case you're wondering about his little statistical slump with Romo prior to the injury (Green Bay, Washington, Cinci, Arizona)--just last season, he had a similar decline in statistics for 3 games--St. Louis, Buffalo, and New England--before coming out of it.
Heaven forbid Owens not taking a quick hitch thrown to him with the corner draped all over him for a big gain. He must have declined; just last year, they must have been throwing him nothing but parallel passes and slants into heavy traffic.
It is hilarious to see how people have gone from "T.O. is FASTER THAN EVER THIS YEAR...CAN ANYONE RUN FASTER IN PADS THAN T.O.?, LOOK AT HOW HE BLEW PAST LEON HALL FOR THAT TD!!!" to "he's aging, he's lost a step, he's no longer an elite receiver, blah blah blah."
And the thing is, I KNEW this would happen. As soon as I heard that Brad Johnson would be starting the next 3 games, I knew his season would be shot statistically and clueless people would be asking that question.
Superpunk, if you honestly "see" a decline in T.O.'s ability on the field versus last year, it's all in your head. Trust me.
Owens DID physically decline, but that was back in 2004. He hasn't run like he did in 2001-2003 since, well, 2003. With that, his RAC ability declined dramatically.
Since then, he has actually managed to improve himself physically from where he was as an Eagle. He's still not where he was in 2001-2003 (he was the rare guy who could lose a step and still be several steps faster than everyone else), but if anything, he's faster this year than he was in 2007.
If you watch his 25 yard catch last night, you'll see that he can still fly.
Does anyone honestly believe that he lost everything right after the Philly game in week 2 (in which he caught 3-87, which would have been 4-120+ if not for the Proctor hold)?
Well, there was Green Bay, where it all started in terms of statistical decline. Of course, he sprinted up to Felix Jones to screen for him down field on his TD run....and he got blocked to the ground, got up, and caught Nick Collins from way behind on the interception return...hmmm.
And then there was the Commanders game...7-71-1...no big plays from him, all those targets. Had it already happened?
And he was quiet in the Cinci game...until he caught that long TD catch-and-run leaving (apparently unaware) people's jaws on the floor with his breakaway speed.
Then there was the Arizona loss...and that was it for Romo. In came Brad "unanimous choice for worst player in NFL history" Johnson. No breakout games the next 3 weeks.
And now T.O. has "aged before our eyes. He's losing it."
Right.
You guys want to know what the problem is? I'll tell you.
Think back to the last time they threw deep to Terrell Owens and the ball was actually in bounds. It obviously wasn't with Brad Johnson, who couldn't hit the ocean from a rowboat.
Owens is a deep receiver. That's what he does. He makes his big plays off balls thrown down the field. When you have a QB with a splint on his pinky (and a game plan designed to adjust to that), that inversely affects a deep threat. When you have a QB with the weakest arm in football starting for 3 games, that's a problem for everyone. It's also a problem for a guy who makes his living off deep passes.
And in case you're wondering about his little statistical slump with Romo prior to the injury (Green Bay, Washington, Cinci, Arizona)--just last season, he had a similar decline in statistics for 3 games--St. Louis, Buffalo, and New England--before coming out of it.
Heaven forbid Owens not taking a quick hitch thrown to him with the corner draped all over him for a big gain. He must have declined; just last year, they must have been throwing him nothing but parallel passes and slants into heavy traffic.
