Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs
There were not a lot of folks in the NFL who were willing to go on the record about the future of Terrell Owens in the league.
One was New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.
“He was second in the league in dropped passes last year with 33,” Payton said during a radio interview in New Orleans, “and a lot of those came at critical moments.”
Payton made it very plain the Saints had no interest in the 35-year old Owens who was released Wednesday night by the Dallas Cowboys.
Media outlets got “not interested” answers from more than half the league on Thursday. The leagues other half, probably did not want to talk about the subject at all. Even the Oakland Raiders, always the spot for wayward and troubled souls in the league, said they were happy with the receivers on their roster.
Give Al Davis a few days to think about it and that happiness might be tested. Still, it’s probably not the kind of guy you want to mix with a young, developing quarterback like JaMarcus Russell.
The last time Owens was a free agent, he had only two teams express any interest in him: Dallas and Denver, and the Broncos did not offer a signing bonus.
This time, Owens and his agent Drew Rosenhaus may have to wait until another team’s receivers get injured before they find an offer. It could be a sad ending to what’s been a pretty remarkable career for a one-time third-round draft choice out of Tennessee -Chattanooga. He has 951 catches for 14,122 yards and 139 touchdown catches over his career.
Some Chiefs fans think Owens would look good with an arrowhead on his helmet. They were quick to point to the Patriots ability to deal with another bad-boy receiver in Randy Moss as a reason Scott Pioli might take a shot with Owens.
I’m not sure his head coach would be real happy with that one. Todd Haley has first-hand experience with Owens (pictured above). It came during the 2006 season, when Haley was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach with the Cowboys. At one point, Dallas owner Jerry Jones said there would be disciplinary action taken against Haley for a dust up with the wide receiver. That never happened.
It started on a Wednesday, when Owens was late to the practice field.
“By the time I step on the field, Todd starts cursing at me, this and that, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I was in the restroom’,” Owens said at the time. He had an upset stomach. “He said, ‘I don’t [care] what you were doing. Everybody else is out here’.”
Owens apologized to head coach Bill Parcells and said he was told, “All right, just try to get out here a little earlier.”
But later that day, Owens and Haley got into a disagreement during a meeting. “I was venting, he was venting,” Owens said. “I felt it stayed behind closed doors. It’s all about frustration. Everybody is still frustrated from the loss on Sunday. At some point, we had our time to vent on Monday, Tuesday and have that bad taste that sick feeling out of your mouth. On Wednesday, it’s a new day. It’s a new game plan, a new team that we’re getting prepared for. That’s where our focus and direction should be. But obviously Todd, he’s been frustrated, and he’s taking it out on other people.”
When word of the dust-up between them became public a few days later through a source within the Cowboys, Owens felt betrayed. He said on his own radio show then that “there will be nothing else, no other dialogue” between him and Haley.
“There will be no more friendly, nothing because I don’t trust anybody like that,” Owens said. “I will go out and practice hard. I will respect him as a coach, and he should respect me as a player. Anything outside of that I am not going to be able to deal with. Right now, we are merely coworkers, and that’s it.”
That next Sunday, Owens caught three touchdown passes and he hugged Haley after the third catch.
There may be some catches, some yards and some touchdowns left in Terrell Owens. Whether or not anybody will see them remains to be seen.
CHIEFS SIGN WIDE RECEIVER
It wasn’t T.O. who joined the Chiefs on Thursday. It was C.J.
Added to the Chiefs roster was street free agent C.J. Jones, a wide receiver-returner who has bounced around the league since 2003. In that time, he’s been with Cleveland, Seattle and New England, as well as doing a spring season in NFL Europe.
The 5-11, 195-pound Florida native started his college football career at Garden City Community College in Kansas, finishing two years with 74 catches for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdown catches. He also had eight punt return touchdowns. He finished up at the University of Iowa, where in two seasons he touched the ball 112 times and produced 1,835 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns for the Hawkeyes. One of those scores was a 100-yard kickoff return on the opening play of the 2003 Orange Bowl against Southern Cal.
Jones was on the Patriots ’08 opening game roster against the Chiefs, although he was inactive for that game. He was then released. In the ’08 pre-season, he led the New England receivers with nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also returned seven punts for 11.3 yards and four kickoff returns for 29.5 yards. He spent the entire 2007 on New England’s practice squad, right through the team’s appearance in the Super Bowl. In the ’07 pre-season, he caught four passes for 68 yards, returned four punts for a 13.3-yard average and eight kickoffs for a 31-yard average.
He’s a cousin of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin and played high school football with Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork at Santaluces High School in Florida.
OTHER CHIEFS STUFF
Various media reports, and these generally come via player agents, say two UFA defensive backs will visit with the Chiefs sometime in the immediate future. Safety Keith Davis played last year for Dallas and CB Travis Daniels who was with Cleveland last year.
Also, ESPN reported that the agent for Romeo Crennel said there are no plans for former Cleveland head coach to serve as the Chiefs defensive coordinator. “That’s not going to happen at this time,” said Joe Linta.  ”Coach is focusing on his rehabilitation and then he will entertain opportunities in both football and in the media. He is looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Crennel is recovering from hip replacement surgery.
THE SCOREBOARD UPDATE ON THE COMINGS, GOINGS & CHANGING AROUND THE LEAGUE
BUCCANEERS – re-signed safety Jermaine Phillips, TE Jerramy Stevens and WR Cortez Hankton.
COWBOYS – released WR Terrell Owens and S Roy Williams.
JETS – re-signed K Jay Feely.
PATRIOTS - acquired WR Greg Lewis and a 2010 seventh-round draft choice from Philadelphia for a 2009 fifth-round pick. Signed CB Shawn Springs (Washington). Re-signed S James Sanders, P Chris Hanson and LB Eric Alexander.
RAIDERS – re-worked contract for WR Javon Walker.
RAVENS - will part ways with veteran kicker Matt Stover, who joined the franchise in 1991.
SAINTS – signed FB Heath Evans (New England) and released FB Mike Karney.
IN THE COURTROOM AND COP SHOP
Out in Los Angeles, Buffalo RB Marshawn Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor possession of a firearm that came from his traffic stop. He’ll do community service and pay a fine. Now, he waits for action from the NFL, which probably means a two to four-game suspension.
BEARS HALL OF FAMER DIES
George McAfee, who played for the Chicago Bears in the years before World War II, passed away Wednesday evening at the age of 90 in Durham, North Carolina.
McAfee spent eight seasons with the Bears and he was part of the Chicago team that beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship Game in 1940. He played for two years, then served in the Navy during World War II. He came back and played six more years with the Bears.
The Duke graduate played both ways and was a threat to score on any play. He had 234 total points, 5,313 combined net yards and 25 interceptions. He led the NFL in punt returns in 1948 and had a career punt return average of 12.78.
SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY …
Former Chiefs WR Fred Jones, who was born on March 6, 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a fourth-round choice of the Chiefs in the 1990 NFL Draft out of Grambling. Jones played four seasons with the team, appearing in 41 games with five starts. He caught 36 passes for 466 yards and averaged 18.3 yards on 23 kickoff returns. His most memorable play was recovering a punt blocked by Keith Cash and returning it to the Steelers nine-yard line in an overtime victory over Pittsburgh 27-24 in the 1993 AFC playoffs.
Born on March 6, 1943 in Houston was LB Ronnie Caveness. He was a second-round choice in the 1965 AFL Draft out of Arkansas. He played in seven games as a rookie, mostly on special teams. The Chiefs left him exposed in the 1966 expansion draft and Miami selected him. He ultimately ended up playing three seasons with his hometown Oilers.
Fred Jones was a bad little dude!
He also had something like a 70 reception against the Eagles (if I remember right) it was a go ahead TD for the win. He also made a devastating block in one of the Chiefs 2 playoff victories in 93 ( I think it was in the Houston game when Kieth Cash scored and bounced the ball off of a banner of Ryan.
He was a hell of a player, one of my all time personal favorites.
Wow, I really hate TO. He’s a whiny little bitch. I cannot believe that he is a 35 year old male. He really seems like he’s an 18 year old rookie.
T.O. just goes to show all pro athletes they have a shelf life. Your skills and attitude are not forever. So it is all down hill from here on T.O. Hope you did not spend it all on big boy toys. Life comes at you after football.
Much ado about nothing at all. Next.
Some odd simularities between T.O. and Carl Perterson. Just because someone wears a suit and works in an office does not mean he is any less disruptive. In the end as Owens became less useful/productive they let him go. I think the Chiefs did the same thing with Carl.
Grandpa kicker Matt Stover is on the way out – does he still have any leg? This might be a help at the right price.
Bob,
Can you address the rumours of the Chiefs leaving town because of some two million dollar lease deal and what it means??
I wish TO would just G-O. As in…away.
I’m sure someone will sign him, though. I’m surprised Denver hasn’t signed him already. They’re signing everybody else.
I don’t see him going to Oakland…even though he would be a perfect fit. He doesn’t do too well with losing. It might be fun to watch him and Al go at it, though. And what team deserves a guy like TO more than the Raiders…really?
And anybody that thinks TO should come here should be slapped. We already have a locker room cancer, remember?
Mirror mirror on the wall, which one be the most boorish of all?
Checkpoint Hailey say hello to Hardshell Terrell – immovable object meets irresistible force. Two “my ways” traveling a “or the highway” obstinacy course.
While ‘Bo’ knew a lot of things, Terrell “I’m Not Buck nor one of your Buckaroos” Owens is as water to Hailey’s oil – which is why in KC the twain to meet ne’er shall.
Besides, we have our own Bowe and he knows – so too shall Todd come to know…stay tuned.
Has any one ever taken the time to settel and pratice touch-down celerabtions that would not draw penatlaies ?
Jarred Allen has one that does not invole the ball, fans , delays — if you flex your arm and hand the officials the football at the same time ,and the whole team did this on a pre-approved basis , knowing full well that if you did draw a fowl , you might hang before midnight , or be cut .
A little strong ? It goes to say that a lot of good players have hurt thier teams and them selves with really no need .
We are creatures of habbit — change such in pratice , it can be a plus .
The little things take care of the big things ,T.O. needed this .
If your dog looks at you and wants to go outside ,and you dont let him out , then he pisses on floor , the one that needs training is the the door opener .
Whoever signs T.O. will get exactly what they deserve. It can only be Oakland. The crazy old man hasn’t got a clue and they need a disgruntled receiver to make them complete. The land of misfit toys is calling T.O…..
T.O. in his first year anywhere has done great things, it’s the years after that he becomes a cancer. I can see someone giving him a one year deal…
Wont see it till everone is signed ,then if a team losses a couple of W.R.s to season ending injuries , witch has an upside , every one on the team will feel good , when the need is there , plus he will come in late ( he is in good shape ) and he might even get paid good for one season .
That way he wont have to act like he feels good about team-fans-coaches-owners-cheerleaders-parking-etc.
Hey Bob, I think we need a deep burner opposite of Bowe and not another posessional WR like T.O. What do you think the chances for KC to sign Torry Holt once he’s released from STL?