Believe it or not, there are some people out there who question how great of a player Terrell Owens was during his career. Whether they watched just the final few seasons or maybe they're just blinded by bias, Owens will go down as one of the greatest receivers the NFL has ever seen. Therefore, I'm going to make the case for why he deserves First-Ballot honors for his 16-year career, as he's on the Pro Football Hall of Fame docket for the first time here in 2016.
Known for mostly for his antics both on and off the field -- doing sit-ups shirtless with the media talking about Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles or posing on the Dallas Cowboys star after a touchdown or taking popcorn and chucking it into his face (yes, there's even more) -- Owens was the definition of a diva wide receiver who loved the spotlight.
Except he backed it up.
Sixteen seasons, 201 starts for five different teams, he had success pretty much everywhere he landed after the always-dramatic fallout.
The team he was with the longest was the one he started his career with: the San Francisco 49ers. He was Jerry Rice's successor, and is arguably the second-greatest wideout of all time after him in the conversation with Randy Moss. He would then have an infamous two-year stint with the Eagles, in which they finally made it past the NFC Title game and into the Super Bowl, nearly defeating the New England Patriots.
He then made the curious choice to go back to that team with the logo he posed on for three years, the Cowboys. A falling out at that stop led to one season in Buffalo with the Bills before finally playing his last season in 2010 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
During all of those seasons and with a number of different quarterbacks, Owens racked up some incredible numbers:
- 1,078 receptions (sixth all time)
- 15,934 yards (2nd all time)
- 153 touchdowns (third all time)
- 39 carries, 251 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
His per-season numbers for his career are equally as impressive: 67.4 catches, 995.9 yards and 9.8 touchdowns. If you go look at his yearly numbers, you'll see that he was consistent too. It didn't matter who he played for; he always found a way to be productive, and he played with a flair that few players have ever matched.
Suffice to say, he was one of the best of all time. He will go down as a legend, and absolutely deserves to be voted in as a First-Ball Hall-of-Famer.
