Pianowski Responds Re: T.O.

By Scott Pianowksi

These are things I said about TO Thursday, at some point, in some order. They might not flow cohesively, but for what it's worth, I said them or wrote them:

I think most of what I have read on Wednesday was fair. Owens was suspended, he didn't leave on his own accord. But he did act like a man who was begging to be suspended.

When something like this happens to a player once, or maybe twice, maybe it's them. A full career of it? It's you. Accept responsibility. Steve Mariucci, Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid. What do they all have in common? Highly respected men who tried very hard to make it work with TO - and came away shaking their heads, thinking, there's no way you can do it.

How many teams would go after Owens in trade right now? Not many. Many no one. Is everyone just morons and only TO is enlightened? I can't buy that.

I realize this isn't as black-and-white as everyone seems, and Owens isn't quite as bad a guy as he's generally accepted as, but still, I think he created most of the current situation he's in. I can't find a way to get around that.

If the addendum had an addendum, I'd go the other side of what Mike's saying. TO isn't 100 percent in the wrong, but he's gone out of his way to make his life difficult and tricky and hard. I don't have sympathy for that. And I think he basically forced the one-week suspension with the collection of his acts, especially swearing at Reid and refusing to practice with the team when he's doing physical stuff elsewhere. If I ran the Eagles or rooted for them, I'd be thinking either (a) we're not giving in here, or (b) we need to move this guy. Period.

To a lesser extent, this is why the Vikings were smart to do what they did with Moss. As great as Randy Moss is, he brought the same circus element TO does, and a healthy cap chunk to boot, and eventually you realize, "hey, maybe we're better off without this guy, no matter that he's insanely talented." In some other sports, it may not matter as much, this type of disharmony - baseball especially, an individual game with no cap. But in a team game with a real cap, you can't have this element. It truly does have a cancerous affect, I truly believe that.

TO is Albert Belle. He needs chaos around him. I grant to Mike that Owens isn't always seen fairly in the media and in public opinion that has already painted him the antichrist, but TO's done all he can to make his situation as chaotic as it can be. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Done spamming y'all - out.