Owens's reputation doesn't faze Bledsoe
From: Boston Sunday Globe 5/28/2006
Drew Bledsoe is about to have his first encounter with his newest and loudest teammate, the mercurial Terrell Owens. Although he knows Owens only by reputation, Bledsoe believes he's dealt with him before. Or at least guys like him.
``I haven't met him, but we've talked on the phone a couple of times," the Cowboys quarterback said from his home near Bend, Ore., where he was before an upcoming minicamp in Dallas.
``I'm excited to have him on our team. I've played with a lot of great wide receivers, and a lot of them are kind of high-strung. It comes with the position, I think. If they don't get the ball, they get upset. That's most great wide receivers. You've got to go to them and explain what you saw on the field if you missed them. I'm used to that.
``Against certain teams, you may need to talk with those guys before the game if you think a team is going to give them a tough time and try to take them out of the game. You explain what we're going to be trying and tell them to stay with you because their time will come.
``I really don't have any reservations about playing with T.O. I'm looking forward to it. We all know what T.O. can do in a game."
True, but in San Francisco and Philadelphia, they also know what he can do to a team, which, to be polite, is to divide it. His one-way personality clash with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb last season destroyed the defending NFC champions' season and nearly did the same to Owens's career after he was suspended and then shipped out to the Cowboys.
Yet Bledsoe believes he'll be no more of a distraction than most high-speed, high-maintenance wideouts he's seen during his 14 years in the NFL.
``The only difference between T.O. and some other guys I can think of is he seems to go on television and talk about how he feels," Bledsoe said with a laugh. ``But Bill [Parcells] keeps it pretty simple. You do your job, you do what you're supposed to, and there's no problem. You don't, and he takes care of it.
``I don't think T.O. will have any problems here. I spoke with friends of mine who played with him in San Francisco and Philadelphia and they all said they loved the guy. Not one of them said they wouldn't want to play with him again. They all said he works hard, practices hard, wants to win, and makes you better. We all know what he's capable of when he gets the ball. I'm looking forward to seeing that."
If Owens plays the way he did in his first season in Philadelphia, Bledsoe and wide receiver Terry Glenn should be the beneficiaries. That year, Owens had 77 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns despite missing the final two games and most of the playoffs with a broken leg. He came back in time for the Super Bowl and had nine catches for 122 yards in the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the Patriots. It is that kind of game-breaking brilliance Bledsoe believes could bring him closer to his third Super Bowl.
`We were a few field goals from being 14-2," Bledsoe said of last season. ``We've got a real good defense, the line will be better now that [left tackle] Flozell [Adams] is healthy again. [Jason] Fabini will help us at right tackle along with [Rob] Petitti [who started every game last year as a sixth-round draft choice]. We can run the ball. And T.O. should really help Terry and our passing game.
``They can't double-team Terry every play now, and I don't believe there's a guy in the league who can cover Terry one-on-one. I haven't seen anyone who could do it yet."
Bledsoe said Glenn has matured greatly since leaving New England and will understand when he doesn't get the ball because it's going in Owens's direction. Whether his new teammate does the same will have a lot to say about how things go in Dallas . . . and how many aspirin Bledsoe has to swallow this year.
``Guys say things," Bledsoe said. ``I understand that. Fortunately, I've always been the kind of person who doesn't remember that stuff for very long."
That trait may be as important as any skill he brings to the Cowboys this fall.
Drew Bledsoe is about to have his first encounter with his newest and loudest teammate, the mercurial Terrell Owens. Although he knows Owens only by reputation, Bledsoe believes he's dealt with him before. Or at least guys like him.
``I haven't met him, but we've talked on the phone a couple of times," the Cowboys quarterback said from his home near Bend, Ore., where he was before an upcoming minicamp in Dallas.
``I'm excited to have him on our team. I've played with a lot of great wide receivers, and a lot of them are kind of high-strung. It comes with the position, I think. If they don't get the ball, they get upset. That's most great wide receivers. You've got to go to them and explain what you saw on the field if you missed them. I'm used to that.
``Against certain teams, you may need to talk with those guys before the game if you think a team is going to give them a tough time and try to take them out of the game. You explain what we're going to be trying and tell them to stay with you because their time will come.
``I really don't have any reservations about playing with T.O. I'm looking forward to it. We all know what T.O. can do in a game."
True, but in San Francisco and Philadelphia, they also know what he can do to a team, which, to be polite, is to divide it. His one-way personality clash with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb last season destroyed the defending NFC champions' season and nearly did the same to Owens's career after he was suspended and then shipped out to the Cowboys.
Yet Bledsoe believes he'll be no more of a distraction than most high-speed, high-maintenance wideouts he's seen during his 14 years in the NFL.
``The only difference between T.O. and some other guys I can think of is he seems to go on television and talk about how he feels," Bledsoe said with a laugh. ``But Bill [Parcells] keeps it pretty simple. You do your job, you do what you're supposed to, and there's no problem. You don't, and he takes care of it.
``I don't think T.O. will have any problems here. I spoke with friends of mine who played with him in San Francisco and Philadelphia and they all said they loved the guy. Not one of them said they wouldn't want to play with him again. They all said he works hard, practices hard, wants to win, and makes you better. We all know what he's capable of when he gets the ball. I'm looking forward to seeing that."
If Owens plays the way he did in his first season in Philadelphia, Bledsoe and wide receiver Terry Glenn should be the beneficiaries. That year, Owens had 77 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns despite missing the final two games and most of the playoffs with a broken leg. He came back in time for the Super Bowl and had nine catches for 122 yards in the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the Patriots. It is that kind of game-breaking brilliance Bledsoe believes could bring him closer to his third Super Bowl.
`We were a few field goals from being 14-2," Bledsoe said of last season. ``We've got a real good defense, the line will be better now that [left tackle] Flozell [Adams] is healthy again. [Jason] Fabini will help us at right tackle along with [Rob] Petitti [who started every game last year as a sixth-round draft choice]. We can run the ball. And T.O. should really help Terry and our passing game.
``They can't double-team Terry every play now, and I don't believe there's a guy in the league who can cover Terry one-on-one. I haven't seen anyone who could do it yet."
Bledsoe said Glenn has matured greatly since leaving New England and will understand when he doesn't get the ball because it's going in Owens's direction. Whether his new teammate does the same will have a lot to say about how things go in Dallas . . . and how many aspirin Bledsoe has to swallow this year.
``Guys say things," Bledsoe said. ``I understand that. Fortunately, I've always been the kind of person who doesn't remember that stuff for very long."
That trait may be as important as any skill he brings to the Cowboys this fall.
posted by The Gryphon at 11:51 AM
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