Terrell Owens: The Should-be Hall of Famer

If someone asks me about the greatest receivers of all time, I’ve got a nice little tier list all made up. We’ve got a few different tiers, but in the S-tier, or God-tier, there are only three guys. The first two are pretty obvious, we have the graceful Jerry Rice and the explosive Randy Moss. The third one however, isn’t as obvious. There are plenty of wideouts in the long, storied history of the NFL that deserve that number 3 spot, such as Michael Irvin, Steve Largent, or Don Hutson. But in my mind, all of those guys are no match for the likes of Terrell Owens. How he missed the Hall of Fame vote again just baffles me. If you take a look at his stats throughout his career, then it should be obvious that he deserves to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. When presenting T.O.’s case for the Hall of Fame, all of the evidence presented should’ve simply been stated. 1,078 receptions. 15,934 yards. 153 touchdowns. 6 Pro Bowl selections. That’s second in yards, third in touchdowns, and number eight in receptions.

When Owens entered the NFL, he became one of Steve Young’s favorite targets with the San Francisco 49ers. During his time with the 49ers, Owens got some pretty good stuff to put into his highlight reel, with one his more impressive games coming against the Dallas Cowboys when he scored a pair of touchdowns and conquered the star at midfield in the stadium belonging to God’s favorite team. A few years would pass and the Philadelphia Eagles signed Owens for a few years. Teamed up with Donovan McNabb, T.O. and the Eagles made the Super Bowl, and Owens was arguably the best player in the entire game while playing on an injured leg. Of course, the Eagles ended up losing the Super Bowl to the Patriots, but Owens still put up a brilliant performance. After his stint with the Eagles, Owens was brought into Dallas and became Tony Romo’s number one weapon. Even though the Cowboys weren’t extremely successful during this period, they were one of the most exciting teams to watch. Owens then joined the Bills and became the oldest player in the NFL to have a TD reception of over 76 yards. The next year, he went to the Bengals with Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer and became the team’s top receiver in all categories. During the offseason, Owens then suffered an ACL tear which basically ended his career.

Owens absolutely should be in the Hall of Fame. Every team that he went to, he made better. He was one of the most fiery and exciting wideouts that the sport has ever seen and it is absolutely ludicrous that he hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I understand that there may have been issues off the football field and a couple of locker room issues, but it should not in any way, shape, or form, have any effect on T.O.’s shot at making it into the Hall of Fame. When it comes to the numbers and his play ON THE FIELD, Owens deserves to be enshrined in Canton. No matter what the committee says, T.O. will always be in my Hall of Fame and my S-tier of receivers.

Written by Rick Wronski