Terrell Owens: Veteran WR's Return More a Matter of Hope Than Time

Right now, there are several teams around the NFL that could use a good wide receiver. The only problem is that there aren't that many good, reliable wide receivers just lying around.

Well, except for Terrell Owens. The soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran remains unemployed, a status that no doubt has something to do with the offseason surgery Owens had to repair a torn ACL.

Though, I guess Owens' age probably has something to do with his unemployment as well. Ditto his legendary ego and need for a paycheck worthy of an all-time great. He is Terrell Owens after all.

But he thinks he'll be back. In fact, in a brief exchange with some goons from TMZ, he said that it is "just a matter of time" before he's back in an NFL uniform.

"When you got faith in God," said Owens, "everything's possible."

Sounds like something Tim Tebow might say, but I guess that's neither here nor there.

Almighty creators aside, Owens does have a point. Anything and everything is possible at this point. If he can prove to an interested team that he's healthy and still capable of being a productive NFL wide receiver, he'll have a contract in no time. All he needs is a shot to prove these things.

Given the amount of injuries that already have and will strike the league's overall body of wide receivers, Owens is probably going to get that shot. The question is whether or not it will lead to anything.

That's the part where connecting the dots gets a little tricky. While we are indeed talking about one of the NFL's all-time great wide receivers, Owens is certainly not exempt from the cruel reality that every football player comes with a shelf life. Wide receivers do tend to last, but Owens is right at that age when even the good ones can't cut it anymore.

That would be enough to concern any NFL decision-maker. Add in the fact that Owens is coming off a major injury that happened very mysteriously, and it's abundantly apparent that he's a roll of the dice at this point. Worth signing maybe, but what happens after that is anyone's guess.

So a matter of time? Sure. But more so a matter of hope. Owens would be wise to cross his fingers.

If he wants to do more sit-ups in his front yard, that might help too.