T uh-O

Time to add my two cents to the T.O. saga...I've been trying not to pay attention to the whole thing, from the initial stirrings of contract problems months ago to the "will he or won't he" training camp arrival questions. I was even ok with him being kicked out of camp. But I finally succumbed to being concerned when he left training camp and immediately went to the media to ridicule his quarterback and his coaches (who dare to say hello to him using his first name, etc...). It's one thing to want more money or to act up, but there's an unspoken rule that you don't call out your teammates in public, and it's tough to overcome that. Now the Eagles are stuck.

They can't give in. They'd be humiliating themselves, destroying the image they've built of a strong team built on teamwork (and not individuals) that doesn't make concessions for anyone, and opening the floodgates to contract negotiation requests from all the other players who probably deserve more money but signed for less because "the Eagles don't negotiate." (Personally, I just wish a new contract could have quietly been signed back in the spring. But the ideal the Eagles, and much of the NFL, follow is what makes the league the best-run of all the major sports and keeps roll players from signing 6-year, $70 million contracts b/c they made a few good plays in their last game of the season.)

They can't let T.O. go. Again, they'd be humiliating themselves, and I think we can win without him, but if that was the plan we probably should have been looking for another WR a couple months ago. I don't even think he really wants to be traded. Who wants to leave a team that made it to the Super Bowl the year before and hasn't changed a whole lot? He just started complaining and then didn't know how to get out of it.

I think ultimately it will work out. A lot of sportswriters think we're in for a miserable season with T.O. acting up, causing tension, and screwing up plays. I disagree. Yeah, it'll be the main story of the year, no matter how far the team goes. But T.O. won't mail it in. He can't. The ego that has him causing this media circus is the same ego that got him playing in the Super Bowl just weeks after breaking his leg, the same ego that needs everyone to know he's the best receiver in the league. The part that makes me sad is last year the entire city of Philadelphia loved T.O. He brought excitement and anticipation to the whole town, from the very first trade rumors through each touchdown celebration. Every one was happy; Andy Reid even smiled a few times. If you were ever at a loss for conversation, you could always bring up "Hey, can you believe we got T.O.?" or "See, I knew he'd be different on the Eagles." Philly gives second chances, but this is a pretty big scandal to forget, especially with a national media that just loves to harp on anything negative about the city. (Hey, did you know we booed Santa once?)

The problem, and this would have been a problem at some point even if Bill Gates had given up his fortune to fund a new contract, is T.O. is just legitimately crazy. He sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber for crying out loud. It's what makes him so very good but also what makes him so volatile. He's almost like a child. He needs attention, but when he doesn't get enough of it or the kind of attention he wants, he doesn't know what to do. If only he had a babysitter to give him suggestions like "No T.O., if you want more money, attacking your quarterback, the face of the Eagles and pretty much the face of the NFL, isn't the way to go. Just stick with the sit ups on the lawn." Unfortunately he has Drew Rosenhaus, the slimiest slime that ever slimed, playing that role. Even Satan would think twice before keeping company with him. Child-like mentality + Iversonesque persecution complex + slimy agent = problems for the Eagles. In the worst case, and probably most likely, scenario, T.O. plays his heart out and we do well, but everyone's still bitter and he ends up leaving in the next year or so. I'm hoping for the best case scenario...T.O. wins back the trust of the city, cries when he accepts the Super Bowl trophy and thanks the fans for taking him back, then becomes the golden boy of Philly like Iverson a few years back (minus the pesky criminal charges).