Why Terrell Owens Should Be Applauded, Not Mocked, for Extending Football Career

It was announced on Thursday that wide receiver Terrell Owens wouldn't be hanging up his cleats after all. The future Hall of Famer will be playing for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League this year after generating no interest from NFL teams in the 2011 season.

While it seems like this is just the next move in a long line of head-scratching moves the attention-seeking Owens has made over the course of his career, it's actually one of the best things Owens could have decided to do.

Back in October, Owens hosted an open workout and invited representatives from all 32 NFL teams to attend. None did, considering they could avoid the media storm that would accompany the workout by watching it at home or at their team facilities.

The workout was only necessary because Owens, a free agent after the 2010 season, tore his ACL in the spring of 2011 and there were serious questions about his ability to rebound from the injury and subsequent surgery in time to be an effective member of an NFL team.

His recovery timetable continued to be pushed back and Owens wasn't healthy enough to get a spot on a team before the regular season began. Clearly, Owens held out hope that a team with a serious need for a veteran such as himself would see that he was healthy and in good enough shape to take the field.

At 38 years old, Owens isn't just a veteran. In the NFL, he's ancient. However, he's had one of the best careers a wide receiver could hope for, with eight seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards and just five years in which he didn't score double-digit touchdowns.

No one would know better than Owens about his ability to play the game at a high level, and it's clear he fully believes he is capable of doing so. Earlier this month, the judge presiding over his child support hearing told Owens his playing career is over.

Ultimately, that may have spurred his decision to take the job offered him by the Allen Wranglers, which they extended to him at the end of 2011. Owens clearly wants to play football, considers that his primary profession and believes he still has something to offer the game.

The IFL is a great landing spot for Owens. He can showcase his talent, bring attention and revenue to a marginal sports league and, if he lasts in the league long enough, probably end up being in two leagues' halls of fame.

Owens has done quite a few silly and strange things, to be sure, but his desire to continue to play the sport that he loves and earn his living while he does it is neither silly nor strange.

He should be happy a team wants to put him on their field and it's good to know that sometimes there are second chances for players like Owens.