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Bob Ford | Strange days in Eagles camp
BY BOB FORD
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - (KRT) - The players haven't even started playing yet, haven't even put on pads and had the first serious contact, but this Philadelphia Eagles season is already out of control.
That became apparent sometime Monday afternoon under the hot sun while a small army of media members was staking out the dorms at Lehigh University, waiting for unhappy receiver Terrell Owens to decide if he was happy enough to report to training camp.
Whenever another boxcar-sized SUV rolled into the driveway area, the electronic portion of the army - a cluster of cameras and boom microphones and recorders - surrounded the vehicle. This was necessary because all the windows on all the trucks were tinted too dark to see inside.
"Aw, it's nobody," was the anguished cry on one such occasion, which must at least have dented the feelings of the occupant.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Time passed, and so did a parade of veterans who eventually piled out of the rolling boxcars, unloaded their suitcases, and enlisted a few helper kids to carry in their televisions, which were usually big enough to nearly fill the SUVs.
There was an embarrassing moment when one of the television reporters pounced on Darwin Walker as he emerged from his truck, addressed him as "Corey," and asked about the new contract resolution that had obviously brought him into camp.
Regrettably for the Eagles and perhaps for the player, too, defensive tackle Corey Simon, the team's franchise-player designee, remained one of two no-shows Monday. He was fined $6,000 for missing the check-in date and the 7 p.m. meeting that officially welcomes all the campers back to work.
The other no-show?
Well, that's where the surprise of the day arrived. Owens did make the scene, pulling into the parking lot along with agent Drew Rosenhaus at 6:05 p.m. He got out of whatever tank he was driving wearing a camouflage shirt, a camouflage baseball hat turned backward, shades, dark slacks and an enormous set of headphones that must have blocked out all other sound since he never seemed to notice or acknowledge the mob around him.
Owens went from parking lot to dorm and back again, all in the space of about 10 minutes. He didn't speak. He just walked with his head high, listening no doubt to the beat of a different drummer or maybe several.
"You can see he's all business. He's ready," Rosenhaus said. "That's the way he is. He's a professional and just doesn't really want to get caught up in all the talk."
Of course, most of the talk in the last several months has come from Owens. He's the one who told the television station in Atlanta that he wouldn't be showing up. He's the one who told the television station in Philadelphia that he would show up but he wouldn't be happy. He's the one, through Rosenhaus, who said as late as Sunday night that boycotting the camp was still a possibility.
If Owens is tired of the talk, that can only mean he's temporarily tired of talking.
In any case, Owens was there, dragging from the closet the tired war motif made popular by Jerome Brown and the University of Miami so long ago. By this point, it's a juvenile way of making a statement, but what did you expect?
At least he showed up.
That was more than could be said for Brian Westbrook, who was the other veteran not answering "here" when his name was called. Westbrook's agent, Fletcher Smith, has been negotiating a long-term deal for the running back, who grudgingly agreed to a one-year tender of $1.43 million this spring and is apparently still tender about it.
The Eagles issued a statement - without attribution to any member of the front office - in which Westbrook's decision was described as "counterproductive" and "almost unprecedented." The latter is certainly not true, and it remains to be seen if the former is true. If Westbrook gets what he wants, it is a sincerely productive strategy.
Either way, Westbrook donated his first $6,000 Monday as well, with another $6,000 to be added for each day he misses.
If there is a bet to be made on how all this will work out, the smart action, and history, indicates that both Simon and Westbrook will agree to new contracts before training camp ends. Their holdouts will be forgotten and they will resume their rightful places in the depth charts.
We haven't heard the last, however, from the man who said nothing Monday. Owens is still in the very center of the main ring of this circus.
Rosenhaus will meet today with team president Joe Banner, probably with Owens and head coach Andy Reid present as well. The subject of Owens' contract will come up. If the Eagles stick to their previous position - that there is nothing to talk about - then Owens will have a decision to make.
It is likely that he'll take the headphones off and speak for himself when that time comes. And it is likely, in retrospect, that Monday will seem completely normal compared to the chaos that follows.
"The game plan we put together, and we do have a plan," Rosenhaus said, "does not involve any type of holdout at this time."
Times change, of course, and the road that brought Terrell Owens to camp can lead him away again, too.
---
© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
BY BOB FORD
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - (KRT) - The players haven't even started playing yet, haven't even put on pads and had the first serious contact, but this Philadelphia Eagles season is already out of control.
That became apparent sometime Monday afternoon under the hot sun while a small army of media members was staking out the dorms at Lehigh University, waiting for unhappy receiver Terrell Owens to decide if he was happy enough to report to training camp.
Whenever another boxcar-sized SUV rolled into the driveway area, the electronic portion of the army - a cluster of cameras and boom microphones and recorders - surrounded the vehicle. This was necessary because all the windows on all the trucks were tinted too dark to see inside.
"Aw, it's nobody," was the anguished cry on one such occasion, which must at least have dented the feelings of the occupant.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Time passed, and so did a parade of veterans who eventually piled out of the rolling boxcars, unloaded their suitcases, and enlisted a few helper kids to carry in their televisions, which were usually big enough to nearly fill the SUVs.
There was an embarrassing moment when one of the television reporters pounced on Darwin Walker as he emerged from his truck, addressed him as "Corey," and asked about the new contract resolution that had obviously brought him into camp.
Regrettably for the Eagles and perhaps for the player, too, defensive tackle Corey Simon, the team's franchise-player designee, remained one of two no-shows Monday. He was fined $6,000 for missing the check-in date and the 7 p.m. meeting that officially welcomes all the campers back to work.
The other no-show?
Well, that's where the surprise of the day arrived. Owens did make the scene, pulling into the parking lot along with agent Drew Rosenhaus at 6:05 p.m. He got out of whatever tank he was driving wearing a camouflage shirt, a camouflage baseball hat turned backward, shades, dark slacks and an enormous set of headphones that must have blocked out all other sound since he never seemed to notice or acknowledge the mob around him.
Owens went from parking lot to dorm and back again, all in the space of about 10 minutes. He didn't speak. He just walked with his head high, listening no doubt to the beat of a different drummer or maybe several.
"You can see he's all business. He's ready," Rosenhaus said. "That's the way he is. He's a professional and just doesn't really want to get caught up in all the talk."
Of course, most of the talk in the last several months has come from Owens. He's the one who told the television station in Atlanta that he wouldn't be showing up. He's the one who told the television station in Philadelphia that he would show up but he wouldn't be happy. He's the one, through Rosenhaus, who said as late as Sunday night that boycotting the camp was still a possibility.
If Owens is tired of the talk, that can only mean he's temporarily tired of talking.
In any case, Owens was there, dragging from the closet the tired war motif made popular by Jerome Brown and the University of Miami so long ago. By this point, it's a juvenile way of making a statement, but what did you expect?
At least he showed up.
That was more than could be said for Brian Westbrook, who was the other veteran not answering "here" when his name was called. Westbrook's agent, Fletcher Smith, has been negotiating a long-term deal for the running back, who grudgingly agreed to a one-year tender of $1.43 million this spring and is apparently still tender about it.
The Eagles issued a statement - without attribution to any member of the front office - in which Westbrook's decision was described as "counterproductive" and "almost unprecedented." The latter is certainly not true, and it remains to be seen if the former is true. If Westbrook gets what he wants, it is a sincerely productive strategy.
Either way, Westbrook donated his first $6,000 Monday as well, with another $6,000 to be added for each day he misses.
If there is a bet to be made on how all this will work out, the smart action, and history, indicates that both Simon and Westbrook will agree to new contracts before training camp ends. Their holdouts will be forgotten and they will resume their rightful places in the depth charts.
We haven't heard the last, however, from the man who said nothing Monday. Owens is still in the very center of the main ring of this circus.
Rosenhaus will meet today with team president Joe Banner, probably with Owens and head coach Andy Reid present as well. The subject of Owens' contract will come up. If the Eagles stick to their previous position - that there is nothing to talk about - then Owens will have a decision to make.
It is likely that he'll take the headphones off and speak for himself when that time comes. And it is likely, in retrospect, that Monday will seem completely normal compared to the chaos that follows.
"The game plan we put together, and we do have a plan," Rosenhaus said, "does not involve any type of holdout at this time."
Times change, of course, and the road that brought Terrell Owens to camp can lead him away again, too.
---
© 2005, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
