Should the Falcons finally sign Terrell Owens?
Terrell Owens didn't have much of an impact in Buffalo last season. (Mike Groll/Associated Press)
FLOWERY BRANCH – Folks keep asking the question and now is the time to finally address it.
I’ve been getting tweets at AJCFalcons on twitter.com. (Come follow, we have to celebrate going over 1,600 followers!) Folks have been leaving comments on the blog, sending e-mails and my guys at the barbershop keep asking it, too.
Loading ...Some fans don’t think Michael Jenkins is a worthy No. 2 and are not sure that Harry Douglas will make it back from his knee injury. It’s hard to panic in May, but that’s what hardcore football fans do.
Last season, the Falcons got by with Marty Booker, a quiet professional who came to work and did his job, after Douglas went down.
I’ve gently tried to dissuade the masses from this line of questioning and by citing the headache factor.
The Falcons have clearly been dodging any potential headache players in the post Michael Vick-era in trying to build a championship team.
Each time T.O. has been on the market the Falcons have turned their nose up at the one-time Decatur resident.
Does Terrell Owens have any gas left in the tank? He'll turn 37 in December. (Nell Redmond/Associated Press)
In 1996, the Falcons selected defensive tackle Shannon Brown with the 84th pick in the third round and passed on Owens. He went five picks later to San Francisco. Brown never played a down in the league. (Tedy Bruschi was selected just two picks after Brown. He, of course, went on to help New England stack some Super Bowl rings.)
When Owens’ time was up in Philadelphia, the Falcons weren’t interested.
When Owens’ time was up in Dallas, the Falcons weren’t interested.
Now that he’s out on the streets again and presumably humbled, the Falcons – along with the rest of the league – don’t appear interested.
Even the Cleveland Browns have told him to take a hike.
Let’s look at this from both sides. I want to list some reasons why the Falcons should sign T.O. Then list some reasons why they should not.
Then I’ll turn the floor over to you all.
YES: THE FALCONS SHOULD SIGN T. O.
- The Falcons want to surround Matt Ryan with weapons.
- How potent would a four-receiver formation be with Roddy White and T.O. in the slot on one side and Tony Gonzalez in the slot and Michael Jenkins or Harry Douglas on the other side. Mike Mularkey could put
Michael Jenkins scoring against Texas. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
back on his “Inspector Gadget Hat” and scribble away.
- T.O. didn’t cause any problems in Buffalo. You know, maybe after all of these years in the league he’s no longer a quarterback killer. He will turn 37 in December.
- Veteran wide receiver coach Terry Robiskie and Gonzalez could keep Owens in line. Robiskie used to be a Raider, you know.
- T.O. has averaged 14.9 yards per reception over 15 years and can still get open. He needs just 49 yards to reach 15,000.
- T.O. would help the popcorn sales at the Georgia Dome and give the Falcons some “sizzle” and “star” power.
NO: THE FALCONS SHOULD NOT SIGN T.O.
- T. O. is washed up. There’s nothing left in the tank.
- T.O. has thrown his quarterback under the bus in San Francisco (Jeff Garcia), Philadelphia (Donovan McNabb) and Dallas (Tony Romo) and the Falcons can’t risk him turning on Matt
Will there be a McNabb and Owens reunion in Washington? (Associated Press)
Ryan.
- T.O. will be an unnecessary distraction, crying in press conferences and trying to bring attention to himself.
- T.O.’s had a nice run. Maybe he should just get on with his life’s work.
- T.O. is a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first team All-Pro, but hasn’t done it since 2007.
YOUR TURN . . .
You can follow the Falcons Beat and Falcons Fan blogs on Twitter at AJCFalcons and you can join the Facebook Fan page at AJC Falcons.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
430 comments Add your comment
Jim
May 18th, 2010
7:41 am
Don`t need the circus that he is.
bob
May 18th, 2010
7:41 am
Nooooooooooooooooo!
James
May 18th, 2010
7:51 am
Yes! The Falcons could use a player with his hype. It could be an addition similar to when New England signed Randy Moss.
FalconsFan284
May 18th, 2010
8:03 am
This isn’t TO from five years ago. I believe he has finally matured. He may even be a pretty good number two receiver. He’s just not Falcon material.
Falcons put the team before themselves. Falcons stand together. Falcons are fierce on the field and gentlemen off of it. TO is not able to do any of that.
DX107
May 18th, 2010
8:04 am
We are finally CANCER free why pick up Owens!
SimpleDawg
May 18th, 2010
8:04 am
You’re kidding….right?
T.O.’s skills have diminished to a level that his row boat ass can’t overcome his battleship mouth. Inserting a cancerous element into a young locker room would be disastrous.
Sid
May 18th, 2010
8:05 am
I was going to vote but there was no option for “D. Orlando Ledbetter was out late last night and couldn’t come up with anything free from mental derangement to write about”. Go back to sleep Orlando.
Tweets that mention Should the Falcons finally sign Terrell Owens? | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
May 18th, 2010
8:06 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by D. Orlando Ledbetter. D. Orlando Ledbetter said: Should the Falcons finally sign Terrell Owens? http://bit.ly/bvXv7i [...]
Morrus
May 18th, 2010
8:06 am
Curiously, in a supposed anti-incumbent year, most of the departing are not retiring but seeking higher office. We may recycle more than we replace. The bad news is that a frustrating 114 seats still have but one contestant. Two of them aren’t even incumbents, meaning they will affect state policy without being vetted by voters. And I have to think that we’d be better off if many had run instead for the Legislature — and cut down on the number running unopposed. Georgia’s problems are numerous. They aren’t going away. There’s too much stale thinking at the Capitol, on both sides of the aisle. New voices would be welcome.
D-Bird
May 18th, 2010
8:08 am
I’m sorry to say, but yes the Falcons could use T.O! Let face it I finally went down to purchase my season tickets last week from the Ga Dome office and it was like a Ghost town! No hype, no energy nothing at all. The folks of Atlanta deserve a buzz right now and I feel that T.O would set that buzz off! Hey T.D! You might want to sign this guy T.O! He still has a resd that did not sell in Lithonia Ga.
The Real Falcon
May 18th, 2010
8:09 am
Whether we should or not the Falcons will not do it!
Billy O
May 18th, 2010
8:09 am
NO WAY!
The Real Falcon
May 18th, 2010
8:11 am
Again Morrus is running for something, he just doesn’t know what or where it is.
SirReal
May 18th, 2010
8:11 am
I dont see it happening for whatever reason. T.O.’s being blackballed by the league.
iQue
May 18th, 2010
8:15 am
At this point in his career and after a humbling experience in Buffalo only one thing should be on his mind…WINNING!
Rick Beach
May 18th, 2010
8:16 am
Oh Hell No!!!!
FalconsFan
May 18th, 2010
8:17 am
That’s just what the Falcons need, another ME first player and a player who “Falcons Fans” can cheer for. Remember when the Georgia Dome was full of Vick only fans? Mr. Blank has cleaned the Dome of those kind of fans and we’ve got a solid fan base that cheers for the FALCONS, not just one player, signing TO would only bring back the morons.
Hard choice
May 18th, 2010
8:17 am
Football … vs …. circus
Dun
May 18th, 2010
8:17 am
Who cares about T.O., he is history, nobody will even recognize his name in a year or two.
bob bishop
May 18th, 2010
8:18 am
not if they want to continue to get that check from the majority of season tix holders anymore…..how many more ways can this front office screw us ( and why is Rich McKay still there ? )
Leebo
May 18th, 2010
8:18 am
You’re outta your mind. He is a disease for which there is one cure – leave him alone.
tom
May 18th, 2010
8:19 am
Yes, hire Mr. Owens immediately. He has behaved in a respectful manner lately. Roddy White cannot do it all by himself.
sansho1
May 18th, 2010
8:21 am
Yes, by all means let’s bring aboard a locker room cancer, because D-Bird was not surrounded by cheerleaders when purchasing tickets in the middle of May. This must not stand!
tom
May 18th, 2010
8:21 am
Ref the comment about how Mr Blank has cleaned out the Vick fans. What rock are living under. When Vick was in town, those fans were in the Dome and made it known.
Michael "Stonehands" Jenkins
May 18th, 2010
8:22 am
I’d rather not sign him, but it would be nice to have a #2 receiver that can catch the ball! Jenkins drops too many balls, but so does OWens, so I don’t know who to go with!
gman
May 18th, 2010
8:22 am
I didn’t even read this ridiculous article. What a stupid question. There you go again Home ” DOL”
Sid
May 18th, 2010
8:24 am
Morrus, absolutely amazing………..your IQ is higher than my bank balance……..! Your words are like poetry, they ring like Poe yet causes one pause to excogitate. PLEASE tell me where you blog or tweet, you are an American hero.
Andrew
May 18th, 2010
8:25 am
Finally, DOLB starts makin’ some sense!
Blue Fender
May 18th, 2010
8:25 am
SirReal, TO isn’t being blackballed by the league. He has done it to himself with his big mouth and diva attitude. Sure, he may say that he’s a competitor and he only wants to win, but who in the league doesn’t (except maybe Jacarcus Russell). 31 other teams don’t want him for a reason.
Bird Dog
May 18th, 2010
8:25 am
He was pretty quiet in Buffalo. Maybe he has grown up finally. He would be a nice weapon if he kept his mouth shut. But, I don’t think the Falcons will do it. However, he would be an immediate upgrade over Jenkins, who is just short of terrible!
Chop Buster
May 18th, 2010
8:27 am
Naw. If this was the TO from the SF days I would say give him a shot. We all know he’s not the same guy and he is too inconsistent in catching the ball. We don’t need another Michael Jenkins.
Let's go
May 18th, 2010
8:29 am
Your point about Terry Robiskie and Tony Gonzalez being able to keep him in line may be the one reason they should give him a shot. 2 more reasons are: (a) he’s going to come cheap, and (b) Michael Jenkins is terrible and a washed up TO is better than him.
Kman
May 18th, 2010
8:29 am
Not only no but Hell NO!!!!
and to use another cliche
Run do not walk away.
Deke
May 18th, 2010
8:30 am
Owens is more name than game at this point. The Falcons stand to gain NOTHING from signing him, and stand to lose a lot by doing so.
Let's go
May 18th, 2010
8:33 am
Another reason to sign him: Mark Bradley would freak out and write some pretty bad stupid stuff about him and then TO would go all postal on him. That would be cool.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 18th, 2010
8:34 am
Sign him!
florida falcon
May 18th, 2010
8:35 am
T.O. is much better than Jenkins and would provide an improvement to the receiving corp. However his unpredictable (or some come say- Predictable) antics come at a price. I for one would vote to sign him and he even sneezes in a me-first way, then cut the fool. Good test for our young leaders to step up and keep the clown under control. We are tlking a 1 year deal anyway, not exactly and bank breaking contract.
ATL Fan
May 18th, 2010
8:38 am
I believe that the Falcons should heed the sage words of Queen:
Ok
Don’t do it don’t you try it baby
Don’t do that don’t don’t don’t
Don’t do that
You got a good thing going now
Don’t do it don’t do it
Don’t
Don’t try suicide
Nobody’s worth it
Don’t try suicide
Nobody cares
Don’t try suicide
You’re just gonna hate it
Dont try suicide
Nobody gives a damn.
retired on the lake ..... well almost
May 18th, 2010
8:39 am
Sid …… …… thank you for the word of the day. See if I can use it today.
SC Smith
May 18th, 2010
8:40 am
NO NO NO NO NO NO
Tosin
May 18th, 2010
8:41 am
I would say yes but we so much depth at the WR position with all the rookies and veterans. The coaches said they impressed with the rookie WRs at mini-camp so I wouldn’t see them signing T.O. But, if we didn’t have so many WRs, I would say sign T.O. I think he is still good and if T.O even tries to throw Matt Ryan under the bus, TD and Mike will release him in a sec.
Jeff Garcia
May 18th, 2010
8:44 am
If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat….. You know the rest!
Tosin
May 18th, 2010
8:45 am
Plus I think he has matured because he can’t go around saying hes all that now because his numbers haven’t been so great lately and its taking him this long to get signed by a NFL team. So I don’t believe he will be any type of cancer of any type and I believe he could start being a veteran leader now.
Sid
May 18th, 2010
8:48 am
Would he play special teams?
hirsutedawg
May 18th, 2010
8:49 am
H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS NO
Jeff Garcia
May 18th, 2010
8:49 am
Tosin,
People dont change. This guy is a clown. Just because he isnt that good anymore doesnt mean he wont be a complete pain and destroy Matt Ryans develpoment. Veteran leader?!?!?! Are you TO’s agent?
Boring Falcons could use T.O.
May 18th, 2010
8:51 am
T.O. would free up coverage on the other recievers.
Michael Jenkins has cost the Falcons too much for his dropped passes.
Iceman
May 18th, 2010
8:52 am
No freakin way. He is a whiny showboater that would drag down everything Matt and Roddy have built up in the QB/WR connection.
Sid
May 18th, 2010
8:52 am
Lol, retired on the lake ….. well almost, I had to look it up…………
IceFan
May 18th, 2010
8:53 am
Is this April Fools Day?????
Hell No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!