New York Jets Lucky to Be Dodging Terrell Owens Bullet

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Jul 27, 2010

New York Jets Lucky to Be Dodging Terrell Owens Bullet Jets fans should have been a little scared Tuesday morning. Reports surfaced that their team was throwing its hat into the Terrell Owens sweepstakes.

A receiving corps of Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Terrell Owens?


It’s easy to point out that assembling this trio would be asking for trouble, and the Jets already have their share of contract disputes, Hard Knocks, spotlight lovers and ex-stars, but it also makes very little football sense.


When you have a running back who is a great pass-catcher in LaDainian Tomlinson, a solid pass-catching young tight end in Dustin Keller and two big name receivers who already need the ball, why bring in Terrell Owens?


And what about Jericho Cotchery, a solid third option already on the team? Or Brad Smith, an exciting gimmick player who is used as the slot guy from time to time?


The Jets also have an inexperienced quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who was at his best last year when he served as a game manager and not a gunslinger.


With an even more talented defense assembled for the upcoming season, the Jets should continue to be conservative on offense.


Terrell Owens is not a conservative choice.


What else is T.O. famous for (other than the Hall of Fame stats, antics and reality shows)?


He may drop more balls than any other great receiver ever. He wouldn’t be alone on the Jets either. Edwards also has forged a reputation as having poor hands to go along with his immense talent, leading the league in dropped passes in 2008.


And who was third in the league in drops last year? Santonio Holmes.


Terrell Owens may have made his reputation in the NFL as a possession receiver, but now he is clearly much more of a “big-play guy.” Edwards is a speedster, and Holmes generally served as Pittsburgh’s over-the-top threat to complement Hines Ward‘s possession-receiver tendencies.


Would the Jets really want Mark Sanchez throwing downfield to three guys who drop a lot of balls? The question answers itself.


Of course, it’s also hard to overlook the obvious. Terrell Owens needs the ball. In Dallas, he was the clear number one, mainly because Roy Williams underperformed, and still, Owens found somebody to be jealous of: Jason Witten.


Braylon Edwards is no different. After last year’s playoff loss to Indianapolis, Edwards remarked: “I don’t call plays. I just run them. … No disrespect, but they weren’t rolling the coverage toward me.”


Holmes, of course, is a guy who tells his fans to kill themselves on Twitter (though he later denied it).


This couldn’t end well, but luckily, it appears that it the Jets are about to be bailed out by Cincinnati.


Owner Mike Brown, Chad Ochicinco, and Carson Palmer all want T.O., and contract talks seem to be moving forward. Drew Rosenhaus, as always, is optimistic, and T.O. seems to be willing to take less money.


With back-to-back VH1 shows, it only makes sense that he and Ochocinco join forces on the field.


New York seems to have dodged the T.O. bullet.


Let’s let Rex Ryan be the only Jet crying in news conferences.




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