Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Owens not Cowboys' biggest threat

by Mike Sielski

PHILADELPHIA — There's no need to rehash the damage a certain Dallas Cowboys receiver inflicted on the Eagles last season, but as he stood in front of his locker early yesterday morning, Sheldon Brown wouldn't let anyone change the topic. At any mention of Terrell Owens, Brown never veered from an argument that, though backed by statistical evidence, seems all but unbelievable.

Really, though, Brown is right.

Terrell Owens might not be the biggest problem for the Eagles on Sunday.

Terry Glenn might be.

“Everyone's going to talk about T.O. all week,” Brown, the Eagles cornerback, said. “The bottom line is, Terry Glenn is a stud. He is no pushover.

“You have to understand. (Tight end) Jason Witten is a stud. Julius Jones, the running back, is a stud. If we don't game-plan for the whole team, it does us no good. This is a team coming here, a good football team, not one guy.”

Leave that T.O. vs. the Eagles storyline (sounds like the title to one of those Japanese monster movies, no?) to the talking heads at ESPN and Fox, then, and do as Brown says. Understand: This isn't just about Owens. Glenn caught nine passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys' two victories over the Eagles last season, and the challenge he'll pose to Brown and the rest of the Eagles' depleted secondary is stiffer this year for Owens' presence.

In Dallas' three games this season, Glenn has more catches than Owens (15-14) for more yards (229-187) and more touchdowns (3-1). This is the eighth season that he and quarterback Drew Bledsoe have been teammates, so there is a familiarity and a comfort between them that probably doesn't exist yet between Bledsoe and Owens. And Glenn doesn't have a broken bone in his hand that's still healing, and it's unlikely he'll accidentally ingest painkillers and supplements, send himself to the hospital and send the sports world into a tizzy. Owens does, and did.

Put simply, with Lito Sheppard only now ready to practice after missing three games with a sprained ankle, with Rod Hood still hobbled, the task of covering Glenn and Witten and accounting for Jones would be difficult enough for the Eagles. Add Owens to the Cowboys' offense, and it's no wonder Bledsoe recently told reporters that these skill-position players are the best he's had complementing him in his 14-year career.

“If I was him, I'd say that, too,” Brown said, hinting it was wise for Bledsoe to pay homage to Owens' skills ... and his ego. “He's a very smart quarterback.”

He can be a skittish one, too, and that's the Eagles' best chance to neutralize Glenn and Owens and beat Dallas on Sunday. They must pressure him, obstruct his vision, make him move his feet, create enough chaos around him that his throws become inaccurate or ill-advised. The Eagles went all of Monday night's 31-9 victory over Green Bay without sacking Brett Favre, yet still managed to rattle him into throwing two interceptions. They must do more against Bledsoe.

They must get to him, limiting the time Brown and Joselio Hanson and Sheppard (if he plays) have to spend staying with Glenn and Owens.

Yes, it was tough enough for the Eagles last year, when it was Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson out wide for the Cowboys. Now Johnson is in Carolina, replaced by a receiver faster, stronger, and carrying a grudge against his old team.

Brown said the 1 1/2 seasons he spent covering Owens during Eagles practices won't help him much Sunday, since Dallas' vertical passing offense is so different from Andy Reid's West Coast-style system. He'll stay on his side of the field, lining up against either Glenn or Owens depending on the play, and you have to think he'll draw on every idiosyncrasy he learned from those daily duels with Owens and from the toasting that Glenn gave him last year.

Something, anything, to try to shut them down.

“You never know,” Brown said. “T.O.'s going to watch the film, too. He's going to try different things on releases. We do know what types of things he likes to do, and he understands what we bring to the table, too. ...
“Of course, you can't say enough about the other guy. He's been a thorn in our back. And I do know his name: Terry Glenn.”

It'll be easy to forget him this week amid the hype and hoopla, but no one should. Terrell Owens wants his pound of flesh from the Eagles on Sunday. Terry Glenn took that much from them last year, and no one following Sunday's game should forget that, especially the Eagles themselves.