TO

OK, so Terrell Owens is a jerk. No shit, Sherlock. Some news flash.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and team owners have known this from the beginning. They signed a guy who criticized his coach in San Francisco and even insinuated that his former quarterback was a homosexual. So, who did they think would step off the plane in Philly?

Now, after a little more jaw-flapping in which Owens criticized Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Eagles have dropped T.O. like a wet football. Benched, suspended and finally traded, Owens spent the remainder of last season watching games from his couch in Atlanta. Sure, a true team player holds back his criticism from the press. A good team player doesn't offend owners or argue with his coach. The only thing is, no one ever said T.O. was a team player.

The real kicker is, Owens is the only thing the Eagles had going right for them. The once-dominant Eagle defense is now decimated by injury and the refusal to re-sign key veterans from the previous year's squad. Their run defense is porous, and their pass defense seems to have flown south for the winter. Donovan McNabb has been struggling, banged up and playing with a "sports hernia" for which he has yet to undergo surgery. Instead, he's limping around the backfield, unable to get out of his own way let alone the paths of the 300 lb. linemen charging like bull elephants. Speaking of linemen, the Eagles' offensive line seems incapable of stopping even the softest crew of pass rushers. Two out of every three snaps have opponents breaking through the line and either flushing or crushing McNabb. Is this a Super Bowl team?

Finally, there's head coach Andy Reid. He has never been able to manage the game clock well. He has so persistently avoided the run game that teams have begun, with much success, to simply rule it out and stack up players in pass coverage. He has even abandoned the long passing game, eliminating the possibility for a big play downfield or, just as big, a pass interference call. Basically, all a team must do to beat the Eagles is defend the ten-yard stretch between the line of scrimmage and the first-down marker.

All Terrell Owens does is catch touchdowns. The guy gets open at some point in every play. He has great jumping ability and even greater hands. He can turn a five-yard pass into an end-zone dance in the blink of an eye, leaving cornerbacks dumbfounded in his wake. Owens was on pace for a career season, until his suspension for hurting McNabb and team owner Jeff Lurie's feelings. He was the best player on the team, and the only one holding up his end of trying to win games.

There's no crying in football, but without T.O. next season, the Eagles are going to feel some pain!