The circus started the second-to-last week of the 2004-05 regular season, when Owens tore up his ankle and leg and quarterback Donovan McNabb proclaimed that the Eagles could still make the Super Bowl without their star receiver. There is nothing wrong with that statement. In fact, when a star teammate sustains a serious injury, it is the leader's job to steer the ship and reassure the squad of the team's capability. McNabb did not say that Owens was a detriment to the team or that the Eagles would be better without him-at least not until this week, at which point McNabb deserves to publicly admonish Owens as severely as he wishes.
Contrast McNabb's remark with Owens' off-season conduct. T.O. hired power agent Drew Rosenhaus in the and demanded the renegotiation of his $49 million contract. He took a shot at McNabb by suggesting that Donovan was tired in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, resulting in the Eagles' loss to the New England Patriots. T.O. got into a training camp skirmish with the offensive coordinator, and this week he said the Eagles would be better with Brett Favre at quarterback and whined about the organization's supposedly less-than-satisfactory acknowledgement of his 100th career touchdown reception. Complaining about the organization is acceptable-you have to expect that from someone as self-absorbed as Owens, and Philly had to be aware of the egotistical baggage they bought when acquiring T.O. And if I caught my 100th career TD pass, I'd want a big party in my honor, too. But how could Owens be stupid enough to alienate McNabb, the face of the organization and the undisputed team leader? Maybe Owens can't stand to share the spotlight. In any case, the Eagles acted generously in delaying punishment for this long. They had to protect their quarterback and franchise player, who, for the record, has done nothing but elicit respect with mature leadership.
Who needs smarts when you've got sports?
A strange bit of news you don't hear often: Jacque Demers, who coached five NHL teams-including the Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens in 1993-and who served as the General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the late 90s, admitted last week in a new biography that he is illiterate. That is to say, a former head coach and GM of professional hockey teams could not and cannot read or write. I am no expert on front office nuance, but part of the General Manager's job description, I assume, would be most efficiently executed with certain faculties intact - reading and writing being near the top of the list. The head coach could feasibly memorize who is on the penalty kill and the third line, but the GM has to negotiate multi-million dollar contracts and manage player personnel. So, how did Demers do it? He hired two assistant GMs to handle the tough stuff, like reading. "I never really was a GM," he said. That must make the Lightning ownership feel great.
Coaching criticisms
Red Auerbach recovered from his latest surgery just soon enough to criticize Phil Jackson on the NBA's opening night last week. Auerbach set the NBA record with nine championships as a coach, and Jackson tied the mark with the Lakers in 2002. Phil is now out of his one-year retirement and aiming to surpass Auerbach. "Phil obviously is a good coach; you don't win that many games without being a good coach," said Auerbach. "One thing, though. He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say. Larry Brown doesn't pick his spots. He's a great coach." Auerbach's point is that Jackson rides superstar talent to championships while Brown turns bad teams into winners. That point cannot be disputed-Jordan, Pippen, Kobe and Shaq never required massive rebuilding processes. In other words, Phil gets A's by taking easy classes. But Red, if you're going to chide Phil for strolling onto great teams, then shouldn't we give him some slack this year for breaking his streak and signing on to coach Kobe and an otherwise totally unproven roster? Apparently not: "Phil Jackson, they've got a pretty good ball club out there, but he's got his built-in excuse," Auerbach said. "You can take any knowledgeable coach and put them in those situations, and they can't do any worse. If L.A. doesn't make the playoffs, it's building." So we should fault Phil for winning with superstars and then blame him for trying to rebuild a mediocre roster. I sense that someone is a bit jealous of the guy who's destined to break his record.
Taking it back
It's always presumptuous to discredit a prediction only one week into the season-particularly when the prediction is your own. But I have to admit to what now appears to be an egregious error in my NBA assessment. I put the Bucks (3-0) in the "no chance for the playoffs" category, partly a reflexive designation in light of Milwaukee's futility in recent years, but principally because I had no idea how good T.J. Ford is. Ford has cut up defenses and averaged 17 points and 10 assists in the Bucks' three wins. Andrew Bogut is making an immediate impact with 10 points and 11 boards per contest. Bobby Simmons and Maurice Williams look primed to have career years. And with 31 points per game, Michael Redd-the best pure shooter east of Seattle-is on the verge of super-stardom. Scratch "no chance." Possible 4-5 seed in the playoffs. But, Detroit will still win the division.