The Miami Dolphins need a No. 1 receiver and they need one bad.
With Anquan Boldin being traded to the Baltimore Ravens, Brandon Marshall and Miles Austin receiving first-and third-round tenders in restricted free agency, and Antonio Bryant signing with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, the market for help at the position has pretty much run dry.
One name is still out there though, Terrell Owens. Could a Bill Parcells T.O. reunion be on the horizon?
There's no denying the talent that Owens brings to the table, even at 36-years-old. While with the Buffalo Bills last season, he had 55 catches for 829 yards and 5 touchdowns, including a 197-yard performance week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention he started the season slow.
Are those No. 1 receiver numbers? No, but its still better than any Dolphins wideout was able to accomplish. You have to remember Owens was also playing for the 30th ranked offense in the NFL.
Buffalo fired their offensive coordinator just before the season, fired their coach midway through the season, and rotated at quarterback between Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Brian Brohm.
If Owens was able to put up respectable stats in a system like that, its a fair assumption to think he's still capable of being a 1,000-yard receiver in this league if with the right team.
Miami just isn't that team, regardless how how well the fit looks on paper. Put the history between Dolphins Czar Bill Parcells and Owens out of the equation; they're both professionals, the past isn't the issue.
Yes, they had a serious falling out in Dallas and it's one of the reasons Parcells was forced out. But personal dislike aside, Owens is just plain and simple the wrong type of player to have on your team.
There's a reason no one besides Buffalo was willing to give him a chance last season. Terrell Owens may be one of the most talented and accomplished wide receivers in the history of the game, but on the flip side of that coin, he's also one of the worst presences a team can have.
He's burned bridges and insulted coaches and teammates from San Fransisco, to Philadelphia, Dallas, and Buffalo. Calling him a cancer may take it a step too far, but there's a reason people refer to T.O. that way.
He's the ultimate diva receiver. And even worse, his play doesn't match the attitude anymore. Owens is still good, but he isn't spectacular anymore; he isn't elite. But he still acts like he is, he still demands the ball like he is.
Does Chad Henne really need the type of stress and baggage that comes with a player like Owens?
Do the other receivers?
Does anyone on the Dolphins?
No, no, and no. Regardless of how great the team's need for a playmaker is, Terrell Owens just cannot be the answer. Even if he comes in on his best behavior, it wouldn't be long until his true colors showed.
Miami needs to let someone else sign No. 81. Let them take the production. And the Headache that comes with it.
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