Why Terrell Owens to the New England Patriots Is Not Impossible

Yesterday, Terrell Owens did an interview with 96.5 The Buzz in Kansas City to promote the second season of The T.O. Show.

To the surprise of no one, the conversation quickly turned to football.

Owens, a guy never shy to speak his mind, immediately made it clear he had no interest in playing in Kansas City.

His reasoning was simple: “Me and Todd Haley, we don’t get along.”

Haley was the Cowboys' receivers coach in 2006 when TO was the No. 1 receiver in Dallas.

This should not be shocking to most fans as TO’s career is clearly winding down. It makes little sense for him to play with a team like Kansas City that is going to be in rebuilding mode next year.

Granted, the only type of team interested in signing the flamboyant receiver for the 2010-2011 season seems to be a rebuilding one.

With this being said, Owens made some interesting comments when he made his way over to Boston’s WJMN Radio.

“I’d definitely be open to that,” he said in response to playing for the Patriots in the upcoming season.

Owens went on to praise both starting quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, comparing himself to LeBron James in the sense that he would have no problem taking a pay cut and having a reduced role to play with such a strong lineup.

While comparing himself to LeBron is a little ridiculous, is TO’s statement really that outlandish?

Would the receiving corps of Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Terrell Owens really be any less dominant on the field than Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James should be on the court?

There is little argument that these possible New England starting three receivers would be the most dangerous in football.

While these guys are all extremely talented in their own right, let us not forget that Tom Brady would be the guy throwing to them.

Love him or hate him, it is just about unanimously agreed that Brady is a top-three quarterback in the league.

With this much talent around him, it is hard to imagine a scenario where the Patriots do not go on a tear against any and all challengers.

Is TO still the most dominant receiver in the NFL at this point? Of course not.

But can he still play at an elite level? In all likelihood, he can.

He keeps himself in tremendous physical condition, and with a solid offense alongside him, TO should still be able to achieve great things.

While he has been getting ripped left and right for his 2009 totals of 55 catches, 829 yards, and five touchdowns, many fans like to overlook how god-awful the offense was in Buffalo.

Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Brian Brohm are not exactly making First Team All-Pro anytime soon.

Jerry Rice at age 35 would have been hard pressed to have a 1,000-yard season with any of these guys throwing to him.

The headaches did not end there either, as the offensive line was atrocious as well, leading to an inconsistent run game and a ton of quarterback sacks and hits.

Furthermore, Owens had little help from his receivers outside of Lee Evans, who performed well below expectations.

However, it is easy to say that the Patriots organization has already written off TO since they do not need him to win.

This is true, but were the Patriots really that impressive in 2009?

The embarrassment Brady and the Patriots defense suffered at the hands of the Ravens during wild card weekend is a pretty strong indication towards no.

While the Patriots are a good team, they are no longer the elite unit they were just a few years ago.

As a matter of fact, many are calling the Patriots' shortcomings last year the first sign of their fall from grace.

A guy like Terrell Owens could change that.

We saw how much the loss of a star receiver (Wes Welker) hurt this squad, even with a competent replacement in Julian Edelman.

Owens could help keep the wheels moving smoothly in the event that Welker is not ready in time for the regular season.

Finally, let us also recall the damage Owens did against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

In this game, Owens had nine catches for 122 yards, a rock-solid game on the biggest stage possible despite a losing effort for his team, the Eagles.

This is even more impressive when considering the fact that TO suffered a severely sprained ankle and fractured fibula in mid-December.

He vowed to play in the Super Bowl no matter what, despite doctors' recommendations that he needed several more weeks to heal.

While this was six years ago, it showed you that TO possesses tenacity and the desire to win.

Furthermore, Bill Belichick has not been opposed to taking on troubled players in the interest of winning in the past.

Randy Moss was not exactly a model citizen when the Patriots picked him up, but his season totals since joining the team have been staggering.

Another example is running back Corey Dillon, who actually killed it for the Patriots in the aforementioned Super Bowl XXXIX with 106 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.

He was also a notorious trash-talker in Cincinnati, his squad prior to heading to New England.

Are the Patriots going to offer TO a contract tomorrow? Probably not.

Even so, do not rule out the possibility of this dream team coming together.

Give it one in three odds of happening this offseason.