Smoke Signals: Terrell Owens to Redskins?
Ed Werder of ESPN is reporting that new Redskins QB Donovan McNabb is lobbying for the Redskins to sign free agent WR Terrell Owens. Yes, apparently this is not some later-than-late April Fool's Day joke. McNabb thinks he had Owens played well together in Philadelphia [they did] and could do so again. The problem is that Owens is now six years older and is no longer the player he once was, though he thinks he is and continues to behave as if nothing has changed.
The Redskins have some experience with a star player trying to be general manager [Clinton Portis] and the results are about what you'd expect them to be. Here's hoping the Redskins avoid the team-killing, talent-declining Terrell Owens and try to develop the disappointing young wideouts [Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly] already on the roster.
It might be fair to conclude, however, that McNabb just got a look at his wideouts in the recent minicamp and decided the Skins need to get Owens in here quickly. That's not a good sign. The fact that the Redskins recently signed Marques Hagans and Roydell Williams, two receivers who no other team seems to want, would appear to confirm this.
ESPN is reporting that Head Coach Mike Shanahan regards upgrading the wide receiver position as a major priority -- indicating that the players already on the roster are viewed as part of the problem, not part of the solution. The Redskins have already starting scraping the bottom of the barrel to get some help and now they may be prepared to take a chance on Owens, a player Shanny has been known to find intriguing, but troubling.
It would certainly set a strange example to run off someone like Albert Haynesworth for being a troublemaker and then bring in someone like Terrell Owens. Exactly what would players and fans think of that?
Laron Landry is happy to still be a Redskin. Albert Haynesworth, not so much.
Speaking of Landry, he disappeared from the recent minicamp over reports he'd been offered to the Eagles as part of the McNabb trade, but quickly returned, reasoning that he had no bargaining power with the Redskins and he needs to learn this new 3-4 defense quickly.
recently and had a lot of interesting things to say. [No, really.] Here is his assessment of some of the top players in the Draft:
