Terrell Owens, the transient receiver and darling of ESPN and social networkers, is a chopper in trouble now, seeking a safe place to put down. One of those havens is rumored to be Chargers Park, right here in San Diego. There are three chances of that — slim, none and fat.
He will not be cleared to land or even enter the airspace.
“We’re all set right now with our receivers,” says Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith, back from vacation a week before the opening of training camp. “I don’t want to be involved. A lot of people have us targeted, but they know I wouldn’t do it.
“You know me. It’s up to you to speculate on how I feel. You’d be a smart man if you did.”
Well, sometimes it’s difficult to be smart, but I’m at least wise enough to go beyond speculation on this one. Smith has enough problems, maybe even a few he doesn’t know about. He doesn’t need one with documentation.
While not the criminal sort, Owens, the glorified T.O., is no Gandhi, either. And although he says he’s never been a clubhouse cancer during his stops with the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys and Bills, biopsies performed by well-meaning amateurs probably prove otherwise.
Even new Washington boss Mike Shanahan, who seems so desperate for boarders he would take in Joe Stalin, says he wants no part of the 36-year-old who has caught 1,006 passes for 14,951 yards and 144 touchdowns.
T.O. will land somewhere, eventually, and the reason the Chargers are even brought up is because it’s perceived they need help at the position. Vincent Jackson, their top wide receiver, not only was a restricted free agent who refused to sign anything but a long-term deal, he also has been suspended three games in 2010 for his duet of DUI arrests.
But enough about Owens. He isn’t coming here.
The story is that Jackson and left tackle/Philip Rivers protector Marcus McNeill have refused to accept $3.2 million tender offers and may not report for duty until the Chargers have played 10 games (if that were the case, Jackson would have to miss the first three, anyway, according to Smith).
They want long-term contracts, which they deserve — although turning down $2.5-million raises makes little sense and obviously is agent-driven. But Smith & Co. have taken the NFL’s temperature in this economy as a lockout season looms over collective bargaining in 2011, and the GM is loath to distribute long-term deals at this time.
I’ve heard from many people who basically say: “Smith had no problems giving big deals to Philip Rivers, Luis Castillo and Jyles Tucker. Why not these guys?”
Well, that was then and this is now. With the exception of Rivers, it’s doubtful Castillo and Tucker would be given those contracts at this point.
“Of the 20 (restricted free agents) in the league, all of them have signed tenders — with the exception of our two and Logan Mankins in New England,” Smith says. “I don’t know if our guys or their agents think A.J. will fold, but my history should tell you something. I won’t be telling anything to these two guys; I have nothing to discuss.
“In a normal year, we would be doing contracts. My philosophy has not changed. I want to identify people and keep them. Under normal conditions, maybe we would have signed them. It’s a unique year, a difficult year.”
As for Jackson and McNeill, Smith doesn’t believe they’ll be in camp next week or join the team anytime soon.
“I think it’s over with,” the GM says. “I think they’re going to be here for six games, and then they think they’re going to be free. McNeill just wants a contract. Jackson wants Brandon Marshall (the receiver who signed a huge deal with Miami) money.
“We’re all businessmen. I’m disappointed. They have rights. Unfortunately, it’s not good for us to win a championship without our Pro Bowl left tackle and wide receiver. Not every player can get max contracts. The more star players you have, the more difficult it becomes. But it’s very difficult to win championships without your best players. Everyone knows that.
“But championships also are won by remarkable people who persevere. I’m not dreaming. ”
True. The best teams do not always win Super Bowls. Not many people thought New Orleans was the best club last year.
The quest for a championship is what drives Smith, so if you know him at all, this thing isn’t going down well — especially the McNeill dilemma. The Chargers have a $90-million investment in Rivers and it doesn’t take an oracle to figure out that, if Rivers goes down, so does the season.
“I acted right away to bring in (very veteran tackle) Tra Thomas, and we have Brandyn Dombrowski, who played well for us last year,” Smith says. “We’re moving on. It’s time for someone else to step up, bottom line. I always tell you that, in the NFL, disappointment is right around the corner, and disappointment is there now. It’s not a good situation for us; it’s not a good situation for them. But this doesn’t affect my decision-making.
“The agents have said, ‘Follow me,’ and they are. It’s their right. We’re in a holding pattern now, not forever; we’re slowing it down. The $3.2 million (tender offers) is the maximum allowed. I felt it was fair, a good way to get us through all this and win a championship.
“We’re not world champions. There’s never been a world championship in the history of the Chargers, last time I checked.”
I don’t have to check. But getting a ring without these two? There might be a better chance of finding one at an estate sale.
