In Monday's New York Times, columnist William Rhoden tears the Jets a new one for not signing Terrell Owens before he took his act to Buffalo. Rhoden argues that whatever risk Owens provides to a team's locker room need not concern the Jets because it has been 40 years since they've won the Super Bowl.
Your Jets. A team that has not won a Super Bowl in 40 years hires a new coach who promises fans that the team is going to have an edge. They added significant defensive pieces, like Bart Scott, then passed on T. O. out of fear. Some edge. ... Instead, they passed and continue to ask Jets fans for patience. You should be seething.
On the surface, it is a sound argument. Owens puts up 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown seasons with regularity, and the Jets don't have a receiver capable of doing either. When you throw their willingness to throw caution to the wind and sign Brett Favre to the equation, the Jets' unwillingness to explore a relationship with Owens does seem odd.
Unless, of course, you believe that the Jets learned something from the Favre experience. Maybe they learned that ignoring the shortcomings of a player and focusing only on the bright spots leaves the team lacking in the end. In Favre's case, they ignored his inability to avoid turnovers and the physical breakdown that made him a lesser player in the second half of seasons. For Owens, the Bills are hoping that his tendency to drop passes in traffic and difficulty getting off the line against physical coverage were out of character.
At 35, that doesn't seem too likely. A look at Owens' stats in 2008 show that he had 38 or fewer yards in eight games last season. Some of those games were played without Tony Romo, but whoever plays quarterback for the Jets next season is likely to have some rough moments.Owens' skill set doesn't fit the needs of a team that's going to be building their passing game piecemeal.
Rhoden has argued time and again that the Jets should devote themselves to a young quarterback and take their lumps. He uses Joe Flacco of the Ravens as an example of how well that can work out. Flacco didn't have any receivers with Owens' ability in 2008, but he did have a stellar running game and a stingy defense on his side. The Jets look like they'll have those two things in place, and that's a lot more predictive of success in the NFL than a big-time wide receiver.
The Jets are obviously comfortable with the system that Rex Ryan is putting in place. Signing Owens would send the opposite message. Which side of that equation smells more like fear?
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
