Eagles: The T.O. Temper Tantrum

In March of last year, Terrell Owens was traded first to the Baltimore Ravens, but then decided he’d rather be with the more competitive Philadelphia Eagles. Skip Bayless, then still with The San Jose Mercury (he’s now with ESPN) had covered Owens’ hijinks with the 49ers. (Which included the Sharpie Incident, the Pom-Pom Incident, the dancing on the Dallas Cowboys’ Star Logo at Center Field Incident, etc.) He predicted that that Terrell would cause a fair amount of headaches and sleepless nights for Eagles head coach Andy Reid:

Shortly into a Tuesday news conference that felt more like a Super Bowl celebration, Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid made the mistake of calling his new savior Ter-RELL.

Sitting next to Reid, perhaps for the last time, Terrell Owens interrupted his new scapegoat — sorry, coach. “It’s TERR-ell,” said Owens, playfully slapping Reid on his back.

As tough a disciplinarian as Reid is, the man has no idea what he has gotten himself into. Neither, for that matter, does his “savior.”

Be careful what you wish for, Philadelphia. You, too, T.O.

Bayless was right on both counts, but a season too soon. After a relatively benign first year that saw Owens become QB Donovan McNabb’s primary target, Owens has demanded that his contract be reworked.

Why? For his family, which seems like a rather odd argument (but definitely of the moment, as S. T. Karnick recently noted). Owens and his family currently live in the attractive south Jersey suburb of Moorestown. It’s a nice era (and an old stomping ground of mine), but it’s a safe bet that the average working man can eke by there on $49 million (which includes a $7.5 million roster bonus that kicks in next off-season) that Owens will receive under his current contract with the Eagles.

So should he get a raise? Right now, the Eagles, who have become the dominant team in the NFC thanks to their shrewd handling of the salary cap, are having none of it. As Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News wrote in late July (subscription may be required):

If the Eagles redo Owens, what