T.O to N.E makes sense

Terrell Owens has been labelled an Egomaniac

Hall of Fame numbers, but no ring and no team ethic. That will be the legacy left by Terrell Owens if he cannot change it in the next season or two.

After 14 years in the National Football League, Owens has caught over 1,000 passes and is just shy of 15,000 yards.

Add in 144 touchdowns and a solid 14.9 yards per catch average and it is easy to see what this great athlete has brought to the game. There have been negative issues that have followed him from San Francisco to Philadelphia, but the bottom line is T.O. can still play.

Last year Terrell Owens had 55 receptions for 829 yards playing in Buffalo. He averaged 15.1 yards a catch and scored five touchdowns.

These numbers are not astronomical, but take into account Trent Edwards was throwing the passes T.O.’s way behind a dreadful offensive line and these stats look a lot more appealing.

Buffalo was ranked 30th overall in total offense and without Terrell Owens playing on the outside, things would have been much worse for them. Owens accounted for one-third of Buffalo’s entire passing yardage, and he was their leading receiver in his first year at the club.

Just imagine what Terrell Owens and the New England Patriots could achieve if a deal were to be done.

The immediate benefit of bringing Owens into the Patriots' recovering core is they would have two major threats on the outside. Not only would Owens and Moss be huge targets wide for Tom Brady, it would allow Wes Welker to play solely from the slot, where he is at his most potent, when he returns from injury.

Both Randy Moss and Wes Welker went well over 1,000 yards last season. If you add Terrell Owens to that mix, the Pats would have three very legitimate 1,000-plus yard receivers for Tom Brady to choose from.

The Patriots would also have Torry Holt and Julian Edelman adding depth to the wide receiver position.

New England brought in Torry Holt from free agency. Holt also has Hall of Fame caliber numbers, but his last two years have been somewhat unproductive.

Holt has failed to eclipse 800 yards in either of his two previous seasons, and he has averaged less than 50 yards a game in both 2008 and 2009.He failed to score a single TD last year, and he managed just three the year before.

The Patriots also re-signed David Patten who not only failed to play a single down last season, but also only managed to start eight games in the last four years.

If you look at Terrell Owens’ track record in Dallas—where he had a decent quarterback throwing him the ball—he went over 1,000 yards receiving three years in a row and scored 38 touchdowns, fumbling just once.

Over the last two years, T.O. has kept a consistent 15-yards-per-catch average. He can still stretch the field as he caught five 40-plus yard catches, and six 40-plus yard catches the two years prior.

There is a strong possibility this year will be Randy Moss’ final year as a Patriot. If that is the case, New England should do everything it can to try and exploit that.

Tom Brady will be the Brady of old after getting through his first season after recovering from a serious knee injury. If Brady has Moss, Owens, Welker, and Holt all to aim for, the record-breaking 2007 New England Patriots could be revisited.

The only objection that can be made for the Patriots not to sign Terrell Owens is his attitude, but where was that attitude when he had to endure a terrible season in Buffalo. And where was that attitude after countless playoff letdowns in Dallas.

New England has done a good deed by taking in Randy Moss, and the Patriots reaped the benefits, so who is to say lightning can’t strike again.

T.O. has already announced he would take a reduced salary to call Gillette Stadium home, and adding Owens to their roster would give the Patriots the best receiving core in the AFC East, and one of the most potent offensive attacks in the league.