A season of hope — and why T.O. is a stupid idiot

T.O. says he cannot play for a paltry $3.25 million per year. ...The Eagles, after sending Owens home from training camp... have said they will not negotiate a new deal with T.O., and that Mr. Personality will play football for them this year — under his current deal — or he won’t play at all. Some thoughts running through my mind as we prepare for yet another football season in East Texas...

• Upbeat is the rhythm : I’ve been here for about four years now, and I think this might be the first time that I’ve seen as much enthusiasm from local teams.

Everyone seems to have their own reasons. Kilgore fans are still high from last year, but the Bulldogs have a chance to have a good year this year, too. Last year was just that — last year. But the excitement is there in abundance as the Bulldogs’ opener with Greenville approaches.

In the case of programs at Sabine, West Rusk and Overton, it’s new head coaches that have spurred the interest. Greg Anderson is bringing a no-nonsense approach in Liberty City, and the players are responding. Mike Bowling and his new staff at West Rusk have the Raiders excited about football, and Stephen Dubose at Overton hopes his Mustangs can build on a good 2004 for a great 2005.

Leverett’s Chapel is just glad to have football back. The Lions, coached by Matt Everett, will have a six-man program this year, the first time football will be played at LC in quite some time.

• What do I think : You can read a lot of what I think (as if what I think actually matters) in the Kilgore News Herald’s football preview on Thursday, Aug. 25. But I guess I get asked some questions more than any others. Here goes.

— “How do you think Kilgore will do this year?”

I think the Ragin’ Red have a chance for another outstanding season. We have to be careful here, and be positive without being overconfident. Coach Mike Vallery and his staff bring back a lot of talent, like a playoff-tested quarterback (Chase Fisher), a tough-as-nails offensive lineman (Lon Roberts), a pair of powerful defensive ends (Eddie Jones and Wayne Daniels) and lots of other great players.

But as coaches say, you play the games one at a time. That was the approach taken last year, and I think last year turned out pretty well.

— “Who do you think will do well in District 17-4A?”

That’s Kilgore’s district. And to answer the question with a rather broad brush, I think the Bulldogs have a chance to do very well, and I think Marshall can, too. I think the rest of the district race, including the third playoff spot, is wide open.

— “How will Kilgore replace running back Keith Gilliam?”

Good question. I think the coaches would probably tell you that you don’t just replace a Keith Gilliam, a guy that produced over 2,700 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns last year. There are front-runners for the position. We’ll know more after the Bulldogs’ scrimmage on Friday against Diboll, but the early schedule — the non-district schedule — is when someone will have to, in coach-speak, “step up.”

— “Is Sabine finally going to make the playoffs?”

Whoaaa, Nellie. Let’s not put the cart before the horse.

I think the Cardinals will be improved off the field — in fact, I think they already are. And I think that attitude will translate on the field, as well. I do think Sabine has a chance to get better this year, maybe even two or three more victories than last season. But football is tough to predict. They play in a competitive Class 3A district. Playoffs? Jury’s out, big time.

• The T.O./ Eagles mess: If you’re a sports fan, chances are you probably haven’t turned on your TV this week without seeing disgruntled Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens mouthing off about coach Andy Reid, quarterback Donovan McNabb, Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and probably even Ronald McDonald.

The whole thing began when Owens fired his agent, hired the NFL’s most-hated man (agent Drew Rosenhaus) and began pushing for a new contract — after just signing a big deal before last season, when he proclaimed his “heart was in Philadelphia.”

Let’s not forget that this is a guy that had to squirm his way to Philadelphia after he was originally traded from San Francisco to Baltimore, then had an arbitrator basically nullify that transaction so he could be a part of a three-team deal to Philly. That deal, by the way, left the Ravens and the 49ers — Owens’ original team — with virtually nothing (San Francisco got oft-injured defensive lineman Brandon Whitting, who is no longer with the team, and no longer in football).

T.O. says he cannot play for a paltry $3.25 million per year. He says his quarterback (that’d be McNabb) is a hypocrite. He claims Reid is too controlling. The Eagles, after sending Owens home from training camp until Wednesday, have said they will not negotiate a new deal with T.O., and that Mr. Personality will play football for them this year — under his current deal — or he won’t play at all.

Here’s my take: both sides got what they deserved.

Just about everyone in football knew Owens could be a jerk. He’s been the poster boy for disruptiveness since he had a break-out year in 2001. And let’s not forget that the Eagles offered the 49ers little to nothing for Owens originally, before the Niners’ deal with Baltimore started.

The Eagles, then, are not without blame. They either knew they could be getting a massive headache as their new wide receiver and thought they could deal with it, or they thought Owens would just be happy to get out of San Francisco.

McNabb has an ego as big as Dallas (in my opinion) and he’s the face of the Eagles’ franchise. If he says he can’t play with Owens, then it won’t happen. But the Eagles deserve this. They brought it on themselves.

On the other hand, that doesn’t give Owens the right to moan about his contract. Three million dollars a year? I think my family and I could live nicely on that. I love these people who say, “aww, let him get all he can get. One day, he’ll be old and the team will cut him, and cheat him out of the money left on his contract.”

Maybe so. But he signed a contract last season that made him one of the highest-paid receivers in football. Shouldn’t that contract be binding? Shouldn’t it count for something?

Bottom line — all this turmoil is ruining, I think, the Eagles’ chances to get back to the Super Bowl. It’s an interesting soap opera, one that Dallas fans should pay attention to, since the Cowboys and the Eagles are in the same division.