New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - The New Biggest Idiot at SI

Congrats, Dr. Z! Congrats, Peter "P.O.S." King! You've been replaced. There's a new moron heading up the Idiot Department at SI and his name is Michael Silver. Here's just one reason why:

Quote:

I have four words for Jeffrey Lurie, Joe Banner and Andy Reid, the men who control the Philadelphia Eagles' utopian universe, and they're not going to be very popular: Give T.O. the dough.

Yes, I know Terrell Owens is bound by the seven-year, $49-million contract he signed last year, and I'm well aware that the emotive wideout can be a royal pain in the ass to his coaches, teammates, fans and -- most important -- me. I'm still mad at him for the irresponsible comments he made about Jeff Garcia's sexuality in Playboy a year ago, and we haven't had a good conversation since before he left the 49ers.

I am also well aware that his premature demand for a new contract and the possibility that he may miss some or all of training camp because of it -- as well as his statement Friday to Comcast SportsNet Southeast that the Eagles could feel free to "get rid of me" -- are undoubtedly causing much bigger headaches for you three Philly poobahs.

That said, let's get real. The man is good. He is, despite what many in the Eagles organization would have you believe, the biggest reason the team finally shed its big-game choker label and reached a Super Bowl. And, most of all, when the franchise faced its biggest moment in nearly a quarter-decade, T.O. shook off a severe ankle injury and took one for the team -- OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF HIS HEART.

Of all the insane things I've seen in pro sports, and there have been a lot of them, few rival the fact that before Super Bowl XXXIX, Owens signed an injury waiver before being cleared to play in the game. It's stunning that he was asked to do so by the Eagles, even more so that he agreed.

To review: Owens broke his right leg and suffered severe ligament damage to his ankle in the team's third-to-last regular season game and, after undergoing surgery, was told by doctors he'd need at least two months to heal. The Eagles won a pair of playoff games without him to reach the Super Bowl, at which point T.O. pronounced himself fit to return more than a week-and-a-half ahead of schedule.

Sure, the Eagles said. Go ahead. As long as you sign this injury waiver indemnifying us in case you reinjure the ankle.

Say WHAT?

Again, to review: Owens hurt the ankle while playing football -- and very good football at that -- for the Philadelphia Eagles. His desire was to return to the football field to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl. And if Owens, in the midst of doing that, were to have suffered further injury to the leg?

Uh, sorry man, but you'll have to pay for that out of your own pocket.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ens/index.html

The thing is, I don't necessarily disagree about having Owens sign the injury waiver. If he was willing to play, but they didn't want to risk having to pay for further damage to his leg, then they should have had the guts to tell him he couldn't play.

But the rest of the article is rediculous. TO did not play out of the goodness of his own heart as Silver claims. How do I know? Look at TO's history. Have you ever seen him do anything that wasn't striclty for TO's benefit? Not that I have kept up with him very much, but I haven't. So, why would I expect that to change now? I shouldn't and I won't.

TO played in the SB injured because: a) he never knows if he'll ever get back to a SB and b) he wanted to be the hero who came in injured and won the game. Who of us sports fans hasn't dreamed of overcoming all the odds to win the big game? If we're honest with ourselves we dreamed of that not because of the fans or the teammates, but because of the glory it would bring.

So, TO played. He didn't win the game, but he played exceptionally and impressively. And he reaped the benefits of that just as he knew he would. I've read on this site many times where people have said that his SB performance changed their minds, at least a little, about TO. Then what does he do? He takes that well-earned Glory and does what many of us suspected he would...he tries to trade it in for something even more important to him...MONEY.

That's not unselfish behavior. That's TO.