After Further Review: How does T.O. make the Seahawks roster?

By: Kim O'Hara | Posted: August 16, 2012

Fasten your seatbelts: Terrell Owens will make his first NFL appearance since December 2010 Saturday against Denver, head coach Pete Carroll confirmed Thursday. It should come as no surprise that Owens is described as being in “great shape”: his physical condition and performance on the field haven’t traditionally been areas of concern.  The inherent risk with Owens lies in the locker room or on the channel formerly known as Versus. 

I don’t love ascribing too much importance to preseason performances, but Owens will undoubtedly be fighting for a roster spot in the coming weeks.  Injury-addled incumbents Ben Obomanu, Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate should be available for the remainder of the preseason, as well as offseason acquisition Braylon Edwards.  Sidney Rice won’t take the field Saturday, but has recovered enough from his offseason shoulder surgeries to begin practicing more fully this week. 

So just how good will T.O. need to be these next three weeks?  At 38 years old, without an NFL snap to his credit since December 2010 and ACL surgery, he must first prove he can still physically hack it.  He showed no apparent signs of physical weakness this spring, scoring ten touchdowns in eight games with the IFL’s Allen Wranglers before being unceremoniously released.  The (shocking) reason for his exit?  The Wranglers organization felt Owens failed to demonstrate a full commitment to the team, exhibiting a “lack of effort both on and off the field”. 

Is it possible that Owens has learned nothing in his year-long NFL hiatus?  That must be a concern for Carroll, who plans to hand the offensive reins to Matt Flynn in his first year as an NFL starter.  So let’s say T.O. dazzles this preseason in a way only he (and a select few in the history of the game) can and earns a roster spot.  Can he be trusted as a teammate or, dare I say, a veteran leader?  An innate part of me believes it’s impossible for Owens not to have matured after the year he’s had, so I’d love to be proven wrong should he make the final fifty-three, but I can’t help thinking we’ve seen this whole show before.  You know, The T.O. Show.  

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Kim O'Hara is the Assocate Editor of TheFootballGirl.com. She is an avid fan of sports in general, but the NFL in particular. She has also been a contributor to ESPN the Magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @arahomik

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