@#$&!!! CB Now Priority 1

[BengalszoneBilly]

Wow! You're calling them to out stink the squealers AND the clowns!?! Damn!! That's pretty stinky!! I gotta run over to their fans website to see how they're taking this Owens bulls**t!! Probably the same way Jamal is going to in prison...up the ass!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Oh man!! This was posted at Ravens Talk.com:

Bad move, Ravens; you won't get nearly your money's worth

By Skip Bayless; Mercury News

Dear Ravens:

You just couldn't believe your eyes, could you? Right before them last November in Baltimore, ``Terrible'' Owens showed you precisely why he can wreck a team's chemistry as fast as its salary cap.

You saw Terrell Owens wave halfheartedly at Jeff Garcia's opening pass. You heard your Pro Bowl cornerback, Chris McAlister, say Owens quickly lost interest. You know the final score: You Fools 44, 49ers 6.

But no, you bought into T.O.'s Sharpie hype. You ignored the warnings from anyone who has closely observed this pass-dropping, finger-pointing, never-could-quite-be-a-star the past year. Ever since he signed that touchdown ball with a Sharpie on a Monday night in October 2002, Owens has crumbled under the pressure he created for himself.

But you panicked Thursday and turned a sweet deal into a potential disaster. You had this guy right where you wanted him, locked in for one season at a safe base salary of $5.3 million. You had him a little humbled, a little more controllable, after his agent blew an opt-out deadline. You had him needing to prove again his open-market worth before being able to opt out again and become a free agent after next season.

You could have rented him for a season, if you chose. You could have told him: ``Show us you were the one player we needed to win a Super Bowl, and we'll reward you with the signing bonus the 49ers would never have given you.'' You could have explained that all he needed to do was help take some pass-catching pressure off of Pro Bowl tight end Todd Heap, which would help take some ganged-up pressure off of Pro Bowl running back Jamal Lewis.

But you apparently got caught up in the Eastern seaboard's signing hysteria. First the Washington Redskins, then the Philadelphia Eagles, now you. Yet the Redskins made a much safer investment in running back Clinton Portis. The Eagles took a much better gamble on defensive end Jevon Kearse.

Owens is not a quarterback, though he soon will be telling former Cal star Kyle Boller what he is doing wrong. Owens can't run the ball the way Jamal Lewis can or stop the run the way Ray Lewis can, but now you have given him reason to believe he is every bit as valuable as any man in a locker room featuring an NFL-high eight Pro Bowl players. In fact, you gave him nearly 17 million reasons, if the Newsday report is true.

That report says you are tearing up his old deal and giving him a guaranteed signing bonus that nearly will equal the $17.7 million left on three remaining years of the old deal. Now it's up for grabs which was dumber: the agent blowing the deadline and potentially costing Owens millions, or you guys giving him premature millions.

If memory serves, you gave middle linebacker and team leader Ray Lewis a $19 million signing bonus a couple of years ago. Weren't you counting on Lewis to be the one man tough enough to threaten to punch Owens in the mouth if he didn't shut it?

Now Ray and T.O. are on essentially a level earning field. Now the line forms to the right featuring Ravens stars wondering exactly what Owens did last season to earn that kind of money. Now you'll get sick of hearing the word ``renegotiate.''

All you had to give the 49ers for Owens was a late second-round pick, a reasonable risk to keep him under contractual thumb for a 12-month audition. If he had made any noise or waves while having to play out his old deal, you could have shrugged and said, ``Let him eat crab cake.''

But you let him and his agent off the hook. Were you afraid that big, bad T.O. would cause more problems if you didn't give him what he wanted? No, you had the hammer. Now he'll use it on you.

Oh, are the 49ers ever having the last laugh after Brian Billick chose to run up the score with a late touchdown that capped a 44-6 victory. You guys probably think this is the final piece to the sometimes puzzling offense Billick runs. No team underachieved as badly as yours did last season, especially on offense. Billick is looking more and more like the NFL's most overrated offensive ``genius.'' Randy Moss often made him look brilliant when he was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota, and an all-time great Ravens defense made Billick a Super Bowl champion with Trent Dilfer running a paint-by-numbers offense.

Now you have to wonder what Billick sees in Owens other than misleading highlights. Is this Billick's biggest-in-Baltimore ego making him believe he can saddle Owens the way Steve Mariucci and Dennis Erickson could not? Or is this a coach more overhyped than Owens failing to see how stiff he sometimes runs, how his hands turn to stone under pressure, how last season he began losing his nerve for making body-rocking catches over the middle and how he has lost a touch of quickness and speed at 30?

Congratulations, Ravens. You now have a terribly overpaid receiver who is anything but a leader. Forget intangibles. Owens brings inscrutables. Yes, he will practice hard, but he is now a little too cool to always play hard.

Now you have a guy who thinks he is more of a celebrity than a football player, one who was much more productive when he played with a rage to prove himself to an NFL world that had not quite discovered him. Now you have validated his delusion with the kind of money he always thought he was worth.

Now, if he starts feeling the pressure and dropping balls, he will start blaming Boller, then Billick, then . . .

You have only yourselves to blame.

________________________________________________________________________________

And they're talking like this writer is an idiot? Every point he makes rings true. Sad thing is...we can only hope another team is just as foolhardy as the Ravens and takes our cancer Dillon off our hands!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Oh Sweet Jesus!! This from the Baltimore Sun Newspaper!!:

Owens upset over trade to Ravens

Pro Bowler sounds off on FOX sports show, allegedly blasts 49ers on Web site

By Jamison Hensley

Sun Staff

Originally published March 5, 2004, 9:54 PM EST

If Terrell Owens has his way, the mercurial Pro Bowl receiver will never play for the Ravens.

A day after he was traded from the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick, Owens wrote on his Web site, "I'm a Raven for now, but not for long," and reiterated his desire to play for the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox Sports' Best Damn Sports Show Period.

The Ravens, meanwhile, remain firm on keeping Owens despite his repeated protests and attributed his troubling remarks as a tactic to renegotiate his current contract. Team officials are still looking to bring Owens to Baltimore next week for a physical, which is the final step in completing what many believe is the biggest trade in the Ravens' nine-year history.

But according to Owens, 30, a player known for his over-the-top antics and no-holds-barred sound bites, this trade will only result in controversy - and not him suiting up for the Ravens.

"Right now, Terrell Owens is kind of unemployed at the moment," Owens said in a television interview Friday. "I don't have anything bad to say about Baltimore. And Baltimore was definitely one of my choices, but they weren't high on the list. My priority was trying to get to the Eagles."

Owens, however, still ranks high on the Ravens' list. The four-time Pro Bowl performer is the big-play receiver that the Ravens have desperately wanted since coach Brian Billick arrived six seasons ago.

When told of Owens' comments, Ravens officials implied that they - and not Owens - have all the leverage in this situation since they control his rights under NFL rules.

"Terrell Owens has a valid and binding contract with the Baltimore Ravens," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "This is not the first time I've heard of a player being disgruntled. Ray Lewis was disgruntled before he got his new deal. A disgruntled football player is nothing new to me. It's part of the business."

Asked if the Ravens had any intentions of trading Owens, Newsome said, "No. Right now, I want Terrell Owens to be playing for us opening day."

Owens' main point of contention is not having the freedom to choose where he could play.

He was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason but missed a deadline last month to void the final three seasons of his current deal. As a result, the 49ers could trade their disgruntled receiver.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles had reached a long-term, multimillion dollar agreement with Owens, only to see the 49ers finalize a trade with the Ravens instead.

The Ravens offered a second-round pick, while Philadelphia was only willing to deal a fifth-rounder and a receiver (either James Thrash or Billy McMullen). 49ers general manager Terry Donahue said of the decision to go with the Ravens, "Far and away, this was the best opportunity we had, and we jumped at it."

Owens said he believes the 49ers made the deal with the Ravens out of spite because the sides have had a tumultuous relationship.

"I'm just as shocked as everyone else," Owens said. "We were on the cusp of having something worked out with the Eagles and then the unfortunate happened within a matter of minutes.

"I want to go where I feel comfortable and where I can be happy. I don't want to go anywhere where someone just trades me off to. I feel like I'm entitled as a free agent to have my choice. Obviously I want to get paid, but at the same time, I want to get happy, too."

Owens' agent, David Joseph, has reportedly told league officials that Owens plans to file a grievance against the 49ers.

Spokesmen for the NFL and the NFL Players Association said no such action has taken place. An NFLPA spokesman said in an e-mail, "Once his agent failed to submit the proper paperwork in by the deadline of Feb. 21, Terrell Owens forfeited his right to become a free agent and became the property of the 49ers."

Eagles president Joe Banner said the team will not pursue any action with the league.

The Ravens, who could force Owens to play out the remaining three years of his deal (which would pay him a total of $17.7 million), have been trying to work out a new contract since the trade to avoid difficulties.

If the sides fail to reach a new agreement, Owens has two choices: He can either play under his current deal or hold out. Ravens officials confirmed that Owens' contract doesn't allow him to void any of the final three years of his deal.

Newsome said he has sensed no animosity after talking with Owens' agent Friday.

According to Newsome, he talked with Owens before and after Thursday's trade and described the conversation as positive. "Terrell Owens said, 'Baltimore has a lot of good things going on, and I look forward to being a Baltimore Raven,'" Newsome said.

Owens had a different interpretation.

"I've talked to Ozzie a few times the last couple of days," Owens said. "Honestly, I didn't really feel comfortable with our conversation. He knows I'm really not happy with the situation. I'm going to stand my ground and see if we can't get something resolved."

"This is no different than any offseason where players want to renegotiate," Billick said. "We're doing the best we can and under the best faith we can. We'd like to develop a relationship first. But we'll work through this. I have every confidence he's going to be here when he needs to be here and we're going to get done what we need to get done. In the end, he will enjoy it here and will be a valued member of this team."

Note: Quarterback Kyle Boller underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is getting better by the minute!

[Chad Johnson]

hahaha. He wont be a raven for long thats all i can say

[Kirkendall]

Well if he is a RAVEN I have to say they are in really good shape. They instantly upgraded their WR position, have the best MLB and RB in the league. Their defense hasn't lost anything and its the same team that ranked 3rd (in yards) and 6th (in points against). Sure, the QB is a question mark but Owens will instantly upgrade that too just like he did with Garcia. If both teams were sealed now and we play with what we got, I don't see how the Bengals could beat them. But we still have a couple of months of FA and the draft, so I guess we'll see.

BTW - If Owens does go, I'll bet the Ravens picked him up so they could get a 1st round pick (something they don't have this season).

Also regarding Owens himself, I hope that he is forced to play with the Ravens so he can cry and cry and cry. He's about the biggest bitching hermaphrodite in the league and should be forced out. I hate him, he really needs to learn how to just shut the hell up and earn his millions.

[Chad Johnson]

I HATE THE GUY TOO BUT I SURE AS HELL DONT WANNA PLAY THAT BASTARD TWICE. Think twice about it. Onme side see him pout and cry or play us once not evry year opposed to twice evry year.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Has everyone already forgotten we beat the almighty Terrell and the 'Niners last season? And that was with a much better QB than the Ravens currently possess! I see their whole current situation with TO as a negative thing now, especially since his fight of the trade sending him there! I doubt Ray Lewis is gonna like that too much!

[Kirkendall]

Has everyone already forgotten we beat the almighty Terrell and the 'Niners last season?

True dat Billy. But we had to score 41 points to do it.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Has everyone already forgotten we beat the almighty Terrell and the 'Niners last season?

True dat Billy. But we had to score 41 points to do it.

Believe me. With the alleged QB's that the Ravens have, it'll take 20 LESS points to do it next time!!

Boller!?! Wright!?! Right.

[kevnz]

This whole TO saga is one of the most amusing things I've seen in football....Damn that's just what you want if your a Raven, a star WR that doesn't want to play for you...Hell knowing TO he's likely to pout all season and not even play this year....He is a big damn baby

[BengalszoneBilly]

Well here's some more breaking news on Mr. "It's All About Me" Owens:

Players' Union Will Try to Get Owens Deal Rescinded

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, March 7, 2004; Page E01

The NFL Players Association plans to file a special-master case within the next few days to try to rescind Thursday's trade that sent Terrell Owens from the San Francisco 49ers to the Baltimore Ravens and have the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver declared a free agent, union chief Gene Upshaw said yesterday.

Upshaw spoke yesterday to Harold Henderson, the league's executive vice president for labor relations who serves as chairman of the NFL Management Council, about the case and the two are scheduled to speak again today.

If they can't resolve the dispute, Upshaw said, the union will seek to have special master Stephen B. Burbank, who is in charge of settling disputes regarding the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, void the final three seasons of Owens's contract and allow him to negotiate with any team he chooses.

"We think, at this point, that's the only case we can file," Upshaw said in a telephone interview. "That's what we'll do the early part of next week. I want to talk to Harold Henderson in the early part of next week to see if there's something the parties can work out short of that proceeding. If not, that's what we'll do."

The Ravens, meantime, likely will have an opportunity to nullify the trade. A source familiar with Owens's thinking said last night that Owens will refuse to show up Monday for his physical with the Ravens. Because all NFL trades are contingent upon a player passing a physical, the Ravens will have to decide whether to overturn the trade or waive that provision.

If the union succeeds in undoing the trade, the Ravens would get back the second-round pick in April's draft that they traded to the 49ers for Owens on Thursday and Owens would be an unrestricted free agent. Owens said in televised interviews Friday that he did not want to play for the Ravens and wanted to sign a new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Management Council ruled recently that Owens remained under contract to the 49ers because he and his agent, David Joseph, missed a Feb. 21 deadline to file the paperwork necessary for Owens to exercise a clause in his contract voiding its three remaining seasons. The 49ers immediately began shopping Owens, who was one of the league's most productive receivers during the past eight seasons but feuded with teammates and coaches and often was at the center of controversies.

Owens and Joseph believed they had a new contract with the Eagles lined up Thursday as a precursor to a trade that would send Owens to Philadelphia for a fifth-round draft pick and likely wide receiver James Thrash. But the 49ers preferred the Ravens' offer and completed that deal instead.

The Ravens inherited the remainder of Owens's current contract, which pays him salaries of $5.3 million next season, $5.9 million in 2005 and $6.5 million in 2006. Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said Thursday the club would try to negotiate a new contract with Owens, but those efforts have been unsuccessful. Owens's prospective new contract with the Eagles reportedly would have included a $10 million signing bonus and overall would have been worth more than $6 million per season.

Upshaw refused to comment publicly on the particulars of the case yesterday. But a person familiar with the proceedings said the union will concede that Joseph made a mistake by failing to file the paperwork in time to make Owens a free agent. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is unresolved.

The deadline for Owens to void the final three seasons in his contract originally was to come in early March, but was changed through an agreement between the league and the union. A source said yesterday that Joseph was notified of that change by fax. Joseph has not returned numerous phone messages in recent days seeking comment on the case.

According to a source, the union will say Owens should be declared a free agent because his intention was to leave the 49ers.

A league spokesman declined to comment on the case Friday. But an NFL official, speaking on the condition that he not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the proceedings, said the league believed Thursday's trade of Owens from the 49ers to the Ravens was valid and there was no reason to overturn it.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, the special master's decision would be subject to review by U.S. District Judge David S. Doty, who oversees the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. A special-master case is a trial-like proceeding and differs from the usual grievance process, in which the parties present their cases to an arbitrator.

[kevnz]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Damn, this is good fun....

[BengalszoneBilly]

Leave it to the Ravens to serve up some off season controversy, eh? They can't help but to step in s**t time after time!!

[kevnz]

Leave it to the Ravens to serve up some off season controversy, eh? They can't help but to step in s**t time after time!!

Can you imagine how they are gonna scream about the NFL being against them if they lose Owens???

Boo hoo...the NFL hates us, everybody hates us, it's not fair....waaaahhhhhhhh!!!

That chip on their shoulders would quadruple in size......

[jbengals1]

Like i said -- & the whole NFL community knows, the ravens without Lewis & Owens will be celler dwellers and CRY bo ho ho

"what abought me"...... "It is'nt fair"......"we dont know much".......""but we want our share".............."but you just take more than you give"

I dont know who sings that song or what its called but it can be the ravens theme song for 2004

[Kirkendall]

Personally, I don't understand how the union can do this.. I mean the Ravens did everything under the guidelines provided in the agreement and did nothing wrong. The 49ers did it absolutely right. They negotiated with the Eagles and Philly didn't want to give up a player that San Fran wanted, so they make some calls, find balitmore and make a trade for a second!!!

What am I missing? I thought everything was legit. Humm.. I guess when players cry they get want they want, they are like children a week before christmas demanding every toy they see. Question is, when TO cries, do tears come out?

[redsfan2]

Personally, I don't understand how the union can do this.. I mean the Ravens did everything under the guidelines provided in the agreement and did nothing wrong. The 49ers did it absolutely right. They negotiated with the Eagles and Philly didn't want to give up a player that San Fran wanted, so they make some calls, find balitmore and make a trade for a second!!!

What am I missing? I thought everything was legit. Humm.. I guess when players cry they get want they want, they are like children a week before christmas demanding every toy they see. Question is, when TO cries, do tears come out?

I think ......... make that hope that the union is doing this as a matter of principle in order to avoid allowing the owners to establish past practice for future situations that may appear to be similar but are unfair when examined closer.

I've filed grievences in the past that I knew were going to be denied for that reason. It also has the added advantage of shutting up the trouble maker ........ or at least giving him one less venue. Filing a grievence is a world away from winning it.

His most winnable case would likely be to sit out the year and sue his agent for loss of wages and costs. For me, it would also be the funniest ................ kinda like watching sharks eating each other.

But thats just me

[Kirkendall]

Personally, I don't understand how the union can do this.. I mean the Ravens did everything under the guidelines provided in the agreement and did nothing wrong.  The 49ers did it absolutely right.  They negotiated with the Eagles and Philly didn't want to give up a player that San Fran wanted, so they make some calls, find balitmore and make a trade for a second!!! 

What am I missing?  I thought everything was legit.  Humm.. I guess when players cry they get want they want, they are like children a week before christmas demanding every toy they see.  Question is, when TO cries, do tears come out?

I think ......... make that hope that the union is doing this as a matter of principle in order to avoid allowing the owners to establish past practice for future situations that may appear to be similar but are unfair when examined closer.

I've filed grievences in the past that I knew were going to be denied for that reason. It also has the added advantage of shutting up the trouble maker ........ or at least giving him one less venue. Filing a grievence is a world away from winning it.

His most winnable case would likely be to sit out the year and sue his agent for loss of wages and costs. For me, it would also be the funniest ................ kinda like watching sharks eating each other.

But thats just me

Oh, there's no doubt filing is an important aspect from making sure the man doesn't have too much control. But what did the the teams involved do that was wrong? The 49ers have all rights to do what they will with TO and they got a better investment. Just because TO negotiates a deal with the Eagles, doesn't mean he's going to get anything for it. He needs to wake up and realize the NFL isn't about him.

[redsfan2]

Oh, there's no doubt filing is an important aspect from making sure the man doesn't have too much control. But what did the the teams involved do that was wrong? The 49ers have all rights to do what they will with TO and they got a better investment. Just because TO negotiates a deal with the Eagles, doesn't mean he's going to get anything for it. He needs to wake up and realize the NFL isn't about him.

[chrishcovga]

Owens stated yesterday, that he is refusing to take his mandatory physical until the results of the NFLPA case clears...

Until Owens passes that physical, the trade is not official !!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Man they are a bunch of unhappy campers over at the Ravens Talk website! First Jamal...now Terrell! I'm surprised someone hasn't commited suicide over there yet!!

[Kirkendall]

Owens stated yesterday, that he is refusing to take his mandatory physical until the results of the NFLPA case clears...

Until Owens passes that physical, the trade is not official !!

The Ravens said they don't need a physical, they choose to forgo it because they didn't expect him to show up. It's not mandated unless a team requests it as a precondition to a trade.

-- I just heard it on the radio

[jbengals1]

This is a quote from Nfl.com and is on the front page of Nfl.com

"A paperwork error kept Terrell Owens a 49er for the time being"

I dont know if im reading into it too much but i think Owens isnt a raven but still a 49er

[jditty47]

you're reading it wrong, the paperwork was wrong when FA period opened up declaring him to be a FA, they did it wrong, but the deal with baltimore was a trade thats why for the time being hes a raven.

[jbengals1]

ok cool thanks 4 the update