Why No Outrage Over Ovechkin's Celebration?

Congrats to Alexander Ovechkin and his 50th goal of the season. But did you see the celebration afterwards?

I'm fine with it, but why doesn't anyone complain about it? If Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson score a TD and did that, there would be people crying about it. If a baseball player hit a home run, placed his bat down and did the same thing Ovechkin did, there would be a riot on the field.

Again, I am fine with it. These are professional sports. These guys get paid to do what they do. This isn't the NCAA where these are just kids trying their best. I don't want to see that in this NCAA tournament. But pro sports is full blown entertainment and, really, nothing more. I thought that the "hot stick" was funny just like I thought T.O.'s sharpie celebration was funny. If the opponents don't like it, they can express their feelings on the next play. T.O. may get a shot the next time he's on the field. The baseball player may get one high and tight in his next at-bat. In the NHL, well they have all kinds of ways of policing themselves.

The point is that these aren't apples and oranges. It isn't cool in the NHL and not in the NFL. Well, it is but it shouldn't be.

T.O.'s Affect On the NFL's Schedule

Hat tip to Chris Chase at Shutdown Corner for the idea for this.

The Buffalo Bills now have Terrell Owens. Of course there are some downsides to bringing a guy like that in. There are also some good things too. For starters: exposure.

Last year, the NFL couldn't capitalize on Brett Favre going to New York since the schedule had already been set when he was dealt. The 2009 schedule hasn't been released yet, so rest assured that T.O. will get a chance to show his wares to a national audience at some point(s) during the season.

Here are the Bills' opponents for the 2009 season:
HOME: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Colts, Texans, Buccaneers, Saints, Browns
ROAD: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars, Titans, Panthers, Falcons, Chiefs

I think that it's a no-brainer that one of the Bills-Patriots games will get some major love. Randy Moss vs Terrell Owens, anyone? Like Mr. Chase wondered, you know that this has to be a Week 1 Sunday night game. It has to be! Moss, T.O. and some guy named Tom Brady and his return after a year off with a knee injury.

There is also the Bills-Dolphins. Remember that this was one of the better rivalries in the NFL. It gets even better with Owens on one side and Bill Parcells, his former head coach in Dallas and current Czar of the Phins, on the other.

How about the Bills-Colts? I like the Bills-Saints, to be honest ... especially if N'Awlins reels in LaDainian Tomlinson. Think of the receiving talent that will be on that field. I also like the Bills-Panthers (the lone Panthers game I attended was against Buffalo).

These games will get sprinkled around. Maybe an early season Sunday nighter, a Monday night game or two (ESPN seems to like having a Bills game here and there) and maybe an NFL Network game. Don't forget that the NFL's primest time is actually the late game on Sunday.

I'm not sure what games the NFL will select, but rest assured that the Bills are coming to a prime-time slot near you.

Terrell Owens is Now a Buffalo/Toronto Bill

News is reporting that Terrell Owens met with and agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Bills. It is apparently a one-year deal.

This is quite interesting on so many fronts. One ... the Bills?? Really? The Bills really don't have a quarterback in place like San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas did and already have a premiere wide receiver in Lee Evans.

But Buffalo has been desperately trying to bring in a number of guys this year to help with the offense ... namely Laveranues Coles and Fred Taylor. With Marshawn Lynch pleading guilty for a weapons charge, the NFL could suspend him for a couple of games this season. Buffalo does need a guy like T.O. but it is hard to see why T.O. would go to Buffalo/Toronto.

It will be a great opportunity to show some humility and maybe get a deal from a contending team in 2010.

UPDATE: The deal looks like a one-year deal for $6.5 million.

Ten Places Terrell Owens Should Go to For Our Amusement

Forget logic for a moment. Forget salary caps, personnel and burned bridges. Imagine if we could plop Terrell Owens on any team we wanted. What would be that team? Here are my top 10 guesses ...

10-CAROLINA: Just to see if Steve Smith hits him or not.

9-BALTIMORE: He nearly was a Raven five years ago. I just want to see how Ray Lewis handles Owens if he gets a bit hot-tempered.

8-INDIANAPOLIS: T.O. would have to respect Peyton Manning, right? That will be until Manning throws a blame-tantrum his way (or does that scrunchy-face-while-pointing-out-what-route-you-were-supposed-to-run look).

7-NEW ENGLAND: Randy Moss + Terrell Owens = Unbelievable. T.O. would love to be in a place where the camera is always on. There is also the viewing pleasure to see if T.O. can destroy one of the model franchises in sports.

6-WASHINGTON: Daniel Snyder is Jerry Jones, Jr. You think he'd love to be the man who tamed T.O.? Imagine the rivalry if Owens walked into New Cowboys Stadium wearing a Redskins jersey.

5-MINNESOTA: It makes sense from a football standpoint. However, T.O. and Brad Childress loathed each other when all hell broke loose in Philly. This would get good!

4-NEW YORK: Giants? Jets? It doesn't matter. T.O. in the Big Apple might be exactly what A-Rod needs right now.

3-CINCINNATI: Who wouldn't want to see T.O. and Chad Johnson on the same team? I get chills just thinking about it.

2-OAKLAND: Imagine T.O. in Oakland. With a young, unproven Jamarcus Russell. Tom Freakin' Cable would be his coach. Oh, and Crazy Al is the owner. How long do you think it would take before T.O. ran that team?

1-PHILADELPHIA: Nothing would be better than McNabb-Owens II. Imagine both of them looking at each other and saying, "well, the closest we got to winning it all was that one season we were together".

Cowboys Cut Terrell Owens

Wow. I really, really, really didn't think that Jerry Jones had it in him. I can't believe that he actually cut Terrell Owens.

ESPN.com is reporting that they did just that.

Of course, there will be several teams lining up for T.O.'s services (unfortunately, methinks that my beloved Redskins could be one of them). There is usually a team or two that is desperate enough to look past anything to sign a guy. Just wait and see when Michael Vick becomes available.

What does this mean for Owens? Well, it looks as if his shot at winning a Super Bowl ring is over. He had a decent shot in Dallas and I can't see another legit contending team going after him. He has blown opportunities in three cities where the franchises were playoff-caliber teams. Why would anyone give him a shot unless you're the Detroit Lions?

Stephen A. Smith says that he'd be interested in going to a team like the Colts, Giants or Patriots. Well of course he does. What receiver wouldn't want to catch a pass from a Super Bowl MVP quarterback who has a great shot at a Super Bowl every year? The issue is that he doesn't fit in any of those places.

Can you really see T.O. as a Colt? That is a team that Peyton Manning is God and what he says goes. When is the last time you saw anyone yell back at Peyton after he goes off on them? I don't see how Owens can deal with that. As for Peyton's brother Eli, well the Giants are trying to rid themselves of Plaxico Burress. So why dump Burress for Owens? If you want a problem player, keep the one that has been there and known for being an ass and not known for imploding teams. The Patriots? Think Belichick and Brady will deal with that mess? Could T.O. and Randy Moss co-exist on the same team?

The Cardinals don't need him; Seahawks just signed Houshmandzadeh; Steelers won't touch a guy like that; Philly is obviously out; Washington doesn't have the money; Green Bay is too small for him and they'd be scared that he'd devour Aaron Rodgers; Tampa doesn't have a QB; Carolina doesn't need him; Neither does Denver, New Orleans or many of the top dogs; That leaves teams like the Chargers, Vikings, Bears, Jets and the bottom feeders.

Maybe he will just go away.