December 17, 2006

Terrell vs. DeAngelo -- Who Gives A Spit?: Consider the receiver before condemning the deliverer, says wfrazerjr.

Please do not adjust your monitors, but I'm going to tell you all to step off of Terrell Owens.

We all know his history. Owens knows his way around a Sharpie, and before Emmitt Smith was “Dancing With The Stars,” T.O. was dancing on them in Dallas. He’s not above insinuating his own quarterback might prefer dancing in a leather bar to visiting one of the strip variety.

Heck, Owens might even consider faking some sort of suicide attempt in an effort to gain more attention and sympathy from the media and fans.

Nah, I guess no one would go that far.

Still, Owens is considered one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and for pretty good reason. T.O. has posted more than 11,000 yards and caught 112 touchdowns while bitching and moaning his way to enmity across the land.

Even when he was about as popular as Natalie Maines at a Young Republicans mixer, Bill Parcells and the Cowboys welcomed him to the fold. Performance over personality, baby.

So no matter how much you may despise the man, you have to give him at least a little credit.

That credit, however, might not extend to spitting in another man’s face, as Owens has admitted he did during the Atlanta-Dallas game this weekend. T.O. gave the face wash to Falcons’ defensive back DeAngelo Hall.

Of course, the press and the peanut gallery have been quick to hammer Owens. I myself am not excusing, admiring or advocating his “hock-a-loogie” method of gaining a little distance from Hall’s mug.

But I think we have to take a look at the spittee before we condemn the spitter.

Hall is admittedly a good-to-great defensive back. He also hasn’t had an interception in two months and has been smoked like a holiday ham of late by Hines Ward and Devery Henderson.

Still, Hall handles himself with the humility of P.T. Barnum and the grace of a yappy Chihuahua. He basks in the reflected glow of his idol, Deion Sanders – and I’m not sure I can paint a better picture of a man than that.

So to blast Owens for laying a wet one on Hall is unwarranted. It’s not the method I would have chosen, but then, I don’t know what Hall was saying, and Owens didn’t know he’d shut Hall up later by catching a pair of TDs and helping to sink the Falcons.

I’m just saying, it could have been worse.

Owens could have ripped the helmet from Hall’s head and stomped him. He could have kicked him in the goalpost.

Or if he really wanted to hurt Hall’s feelings, Owens could have said he’d rather listen to Joe Theismann.

So find it in your heart to give T.O. a holiday pass for his saliva faux pas. It’s what Jesus would have expectorated of you.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 03:53 PM - 0 comments