Cowboys: Former Receiver Terrell Owens To Canton?

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens is a finalist for the 2016 class of entrants to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Some of the best wide receivers to ever play professional football have worn the blue star, be it for an entire career or for a period of time.

Names like Drew Pearson, ‘Bullet’ Bob Hayes, Tony Hill and Michael Irvin certainly top the list for the Dallas Cowboys, but it would be foolish to not mention the guy formerly known as T.O.

Terrell Owens joined the Cowboys after signing a three-year contract during the 2006 offseason and immediately became one of the best receivers the team has ever had. In that relatively short run, Owens certainly made his mark on America’s Team after having completely insulted the organization back in 2000 during a blowout victory for Owens’ original team, the San Francisco 49ers.

For those still pissed over that episode, remember that Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith and safety George Teague more than corrected that issue the very same day.

Before joining the Cowboys, Owens had spent his previous two seasons completely destroying the locker room of the Philadelphia Eagles after helping that team reach only it’s second Super Bowl following the 2004 NFL regular season. Prior to that, he had essentially forced his own way out of San Francisco in similar fashion.

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According to the Dallas Morning News, Owens is in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Should he get there?

Well, there’s really no question about that at all.

Owens, while perhaps not a first-ballot entrant, is beyond worthy of the Hall of Fame.

Standing 6’3” and weighing over 220 pounds, Owens was the quintessential nightmare matchup for any and all defensive backs throughout his career. There just wasn’t anyone who could cover this guy one-on-one. Those who were fast enough to stay with him weren’t strong enough to take him down while those who had more strength were never fast enough.

Owens, as a player, was perhaps the most talented receiver to ever play football, although I’m not quite ready to place him beyond former teammate Jerry Rice, unquestionably the best receiver in the modern era of the sport. But there’s no denying the impact that Owens made on every team he played on, at least through his years with the Cowboys.

The question here isn’t what he meant to the Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers, Buffalo Bills or Cincinnati Bengals as individual teams. In fact, those first three on Owens’ list of employers likely won’t have much in the way of positive commentary regarding the receiver who taught many the meaning of the word ‘mercurial.’ There’s no denying that Owens was a self-promoting, egotistical, diva-type of player that was much more comfortable in the light of controversy than he was dousing himself with popcorn in an end zone following a touchdown.

Up for consideration is Owens’ volume of work in the NFL as a whole.

The deal here is that Owens ranks second-overall in career receiving yards with 15,934. His 153 touchdown receptions are good for third all-time. Owens went to six Pro Bowls, was first-team All-Pro five times and is also a member of the exclusive 1,000 catch club. I didn’t do the math, but he has to be No. 1 in fines from the NFL as well.

There was no middle ground with T.O. during his prime – fans either loved him or hated him. The same was true of his NFL peers, whether he was on the same team or not.

Then again, if behavior on and off-the-field was an issue, the Hall of Fame would look quite different.

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Owens was a workaholic that had the build of a chiseled Greek warrior and this was the starting point for his production. T.O. didn’t have the best hands, but he made more big catches than anyone can recall off the top of their head and he was certainly one of those players that was an eminent threat to score any time he had the ball.

The numbers don’t lie – Owens was one of the very best ever, and his bust will reside in Canton sooner than later. I don’t think any player ever garnered the attention of more fans and defensive coordinators just because he had pads and a helmet on.

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