T.O. Is an Eagle

[Rhone Ranger]

ESPN Article (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1760284)

The Ravens got ripped. All they get is a measly 5th round draft pick and they already let their co-top WR go in free agency because they thought they had T.O... :mad:

[MikeVic]

Hah. Do the Ravens and 49ers play this season at all? I want to see Ray Lewis and Ed Reed nail Owens. Although.... this works out better for the Steelers.:D

[Kodos]

This is a crock. I'm disgusted that whining seems to consistently get results these days in the NFL.

[Butter]

Being a Bengals fan, I'm thrilled to death that Brian (I am the Greatest!) Billick has been screwed over.

TO is an ass, but in this case there is really nothing to root for.

[corbes]

Hot damn.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

The thing that is the worst about this is that TO is waaaaaay more likely to implode in Philly than in Balla-moe. Is he gonna listen to McNabb? He would have had to listin to Ray...

Just one more example of a crybaby getting his way. WAAAAAAAAA! MOMMY!!!

[Rhone Ranger]

Hah. Do the Ravens and 49ers play this season at all? I want to see Ray Lewis and Ed Reed nail Owens. Although.... this works out better for the Steelers.:D

The Ravens don't play the 49ers this season, but the Ravens do play the Eagles and will therefore get the opportunity to say hello to their old "teammate" T.O.

Chris McAlister (cornerback) completely shut down T.O. this past season when the Ravens played the 49ers. I expect a repeat performance now that he's an Eagle. :)

[Rhone Ranger]

The thing that is the worst about this is that TO is waaaaaay more likely to implode in Philly than in Balla-moe. Is he gonna listen to McNabb? He would have had to listin to Ray...

Just one more example of a crybaby getting his way. WAAAAAAAAA! MOMMY!!!

Yeah, I'm thinking that too. There aren't many people who can make T.O. behave. Ray Lewis might be one (though we'll never know) but I can't think of anyone on the Eagles who can keep T.O. from acting like a big baby. Donovan McNabb has the prestige but he's too nice a guy to read T.O. the riot act.

On the other hand, Andy Reid is the sort of coach who doesn't put up with a lot of crap. But the Eagles signed T.O. to a big-bonus seven-year deal, meaning that they're basically stuck with him unless they want to bust up their own salary cap. So T.O. will be safe to whine and cry as much as he wants and the Eagles will just have grit their teeth and take it. Ugh, I'm not even an Eagles fan but just as a football fan that's going to make me sick to watch. Apparently Donovan McNabb was actively lobbying to bring T.O. to Philly but I wonder if he's going to regret that decision very soon.

[SunDancer]

Just curious, how are the Eagles players reacting to this?

[spleen1015]

The Eagles will continue to not make it to the Super Bowl.

[Rhone Ranger]

Here's a thought...

Consider that at the beginning of this last season, the Eagles got off to a slow start, lost some games, and everyone was really on their case. People were particularly critical of Donovan McNabb. The Eagles were a "team in crisis" for several weeks there.

Now imagine that T.O. had been part of the mix at that time. How nightmarish would that have been?! He would have been yelling at Donovan, screaming at the coordinators, whining to Andy Reid... it would have been ridiculous.

T.O. is not known to handle adversity well. :rolleyes:

[Butter]

So, did you want him in Baltimore or not?

[sabotai]

If T.O. had been on the Eagles last year, I honestly beleive they would not have bounced back like they did. Because instead of worrying about getting into winning condition again, they would have been worrying about T.O. big mouth.

[sabotai]

dola,

If anything, the 49ers got robbed because in the end, they get nothing. At least the Ravens get their 2nd round pick back.

[Rhone Ranger]

So, did you want him in Baltimore or not?

Yes and no. I think T.O. is a total weenie and I hate the idea that he would pollute my team and I actually would have to cheer for him, even if he's playing well. :mad:

But from a practical perspective, the Ravens WR corps is pitiful, and they're desperate for a better receiver. So desperate that it might, might be worth doing a deal with the devil in the form of T.O. That's probably what the Ravens' front office was thinking when they made the trade.

On balance, I think I'm happy that he will not be on the (Ravens) team though because I just can't stand the guy. I'd rather lose a couple of games for lack of a passing attack but not despise my own players. :)


If anything, the 49ers got robbed because in the end, they get nothing. At least the Ravens get their 2nd round pick back.

The 49ers did get a backup defensive end from the Eagles. It isn't much though.

I guess the NFLPA had a much stronger case than was initially expected. The 49ers and Ravens both really caved in and accepted table scraps in this deal.

[Butter]

On balance, I think I'm happy that he will not be on the (Ravens) team though because I just can't stand the guy. I'd rather lose a couple of games for lack of a passing attack but not despise my own players. :)

Understood.
See also:
Dillon, Corey.

[CraigSca]

A tale of two teams:

They both have the same philosophy - ability to evaluate talent, sign players to long term contracts early in their career, invest in a good quarterback. The rest, basically interchangeable parts. Never ever get into cap trouble.

One team wins the Superbowl 2 out of 3 years. The other, loses the NFC Championship 3 years in a row.

One team stay the course. The other team panics and begins signing players to the kinds of deals that will backfire (either immediately or in the short-term).

The Eaglers are doing the opposite of the exact thing that made them a winner. T.O. may pay off in the extreme short run, but I'd be surprised if J.K. is anything but an overly expensive injury factory. Once the inevitable begins to occur, and the team can't sustain their current level of play, I'm sure T.O. will be the first to rally the troops with an invigorating "there's no 'I' in team, fellas!" speech.

The Eagles were actually good because of their salary cap philosophy. Yet, the fans bitch and moan about their coach (who is nothing but a winner) their GM (who has built a great team over the years) and the fact they can't get over the hump. I admit, it would be frustrating to lose the NFC Championship three years in a row, but you don't abandon what got you here because of a string of bad luck.

-Craig

[sabotai]

The 49ers did get a backup defensive end from the Eagles. It isn't much though.

I guess the NFLPA had a much stronger case than was initially expected. The 49ers and Ravens both really caved in and accepted table scraps in this deal.

Yes, a back up defensive end to the 49ers. Glanced over that. Sure makes up for not getting that 2nd rounded. :)

And I don't think they had a case, I think the teams just wanted to shut TO up...

[rkmsuf]

I can already envision the 2004 season...

McNabb hits Owens with a 50 yard TD and races towards the endzone to celebrate. When he gets there TO has already put a white glove on one hand and is moonwalking. Seeing this, Donovan races towards the stands and pulls a young boy out of the crowd who happens to resemble McCauley Culkin and the three proceed to jam...

[Rhone Ranger]

Well, it looks like at least one of the ESPN writers has similar feelings about how things might go badly in Philadelphia...

ESPN Article (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=ratto_ray&id=1761067)

[cincyreds]

spoiled brat is what T.O. is I tell you!

I wouln't have that cancer on my team, not even on my fantasy football team!

RIP

[Kodos]

Yes and no. I think T.O. is a total weenie and I hate the idea that he would pollute my team and I actually would have to cheer for him, even if he's playing well. :mad:

On balance, I think I'm happy that he will not be on the (Ravens) team though because I just can't stand the guy. I'd rather lose a couple of games for lack of a passing attack but not despise my own players. :)


Wow. I'm apparently not the only guy who feels this way. Nice going, Rhone! This is the precise reason why the deal to acquire David Boston would be upsetting me if I was still a Dolphin fan.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Notice how Mooch didn't even try to make a play for his former star reciever, even with the Lions WR problems...

[damnMikeBrown]

I'm disappointed. I really don't like Baltimore or the "thug life" thing they have going on there. I wanted Owens there, both so that he would not produce in their offense, and to further clump the ass-hats of the NFL together. Just makes it easier to root against them.

Philly, man, geez. I agree with the above poster, they really paniced here. Yes, it may fix a glaring need, but the huge contract for a (moderately put) troubled player, in addition to Kearse's (Griffey Jr., Jr.) and they have massive potential for failure. Massive.

[MikeVic]

Yeah, I meant to say Ravens vs Eagles. :)

[bamcgee]

I think the 49rs are the only team that made out in this deal (along with the NFLPA). The Ravens look like fools for wanting TO in the first place and then losing him. The NFL looks like idiots for not having their stuff together. The Eagles got what they always wanted - a prototypical team cancer.

But the 49rs got rid of TO - addition by subtraction - and got a player. What a mess.

[Greyroofoo]

ESPN Article (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1760284)

The Ravens got ripped. All they get is a measly 5th round draft pick and they already let their co-top WR go in free agency because they thought they had T.O... :mad:

i wouldn't say the ravens got "ripped"
what they did get was a free draft pick

[Rhone Ranger]

i wouldn't say the ravens got "ripped"
what they did get was a free draft pick

Because the Ravens thought they had T.O. under contract, they purposely did not pursue other WR free agents during the last two weeks. Now that the T.O. trade has been (effectively) reversed, most if not all of the decent free-agent WRs have already signed with other teams. The Ravens come up empty after T.O. leaves town, only to find that everyone else has left town too.

One can certainly make the case that the Ravens should have been aware of this risk (and for all we know, maybe they were). But a 5th round pick doesn't seem like adequate compensation for having a good-faith NFL-sanctioned trade reversed when it had a significant impact on free agent decisions beyond T.O.

[Craptacular]

At least the NFL didn't go down without a fight! :rolleyes:

[bhlloy]

Not going after any WR's in free agency is not necessarily a bad thing given this years WR crop. The Ravens offense is going to suck for a couple of years yet with Boller/Wright so plenty of time to let a Lee Evans or Rashaun Woods develop and break out.

[JimboJ]

What's all this talk about the Eagles panicking? Did you see their performance in the last 2 NFC champ games? They finally addressed a need that has be present for several years. Would they rather have had Marvin Harrison? Of course. But in case you didn't notice, there weren't a lot of impact FA receivers out there.

Whether Owens is the guy to take them over the top, or whether he turns out to be the cancer everyone says he is, its time for the Eagles to stop playing it safe and take a chance for once. I'm sick of all the "good character" guys they keep waltzing through here, and I'm sick of the Eagles always being the team with the most $ under the salary cap, and most of all I'm sick of this anemic group of stooges they call receivers.

For better or worse, things are about to get a lot more exciting here in Philly, and isn't that what football is about?

[BigJohn&TheLions]

They could use a corner, how about Ty Law? And Corey Dillon would make for a great insurance policy at RB. Maybe to address the backup QB situation they could bring in Ryan Leaf. Maybe Boston will blow it down in Miami and they could bring him up too! Wait a minute, then they'd be the Raiders...

[Ksyrup]

Wait a minute, then they'd be the Raiders...
No, only after they coax Desmond Howard and Larry Brown out of retirement and trade for Dexter Jackson, would they truly be the Raiders.

[Rhone Ranger]

Not going after any WR's in free agency is not necessarily a bad thing given this years WR crop. The Ravens offense is going to suck for a couple of years yet with Boller/Wright so plenty of time to let a Lee Evans or Rashaun Woods develop and break out.

Yeah, the question is whether the Ravens have a high enough draft pick to snag any of this year's group of promising rookie WRs. They don't have a first-rounder this year. I think their best pick is the 53rd?