Terrell Owens’ Injury Just A Twenty Second TO For His Career

A whistle for a short timeout has been blown for one of the NFL’s greatest superstars.

Known for his incredible physique and necessity to be the center of attention, 37-year-old Terrell Owens is again the hottest, current headliner in the NFL, even as the league has put up its “out of service” sign.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that the wideout had surgery to repair a torn ACL in one of his knees. The article goes on to say that he could be ready to step onto the field within six months (mid-to-late November at the latest).

Along with this new revelation, there are also other stories popping up from all over speculating whether or not the star receiver has played his last downs with the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2010 season. Whenever a superstar has to decide on whether or not to attempt a comeback after incurring such a debilitating injury at his age, the decision usually leans towards accepting father time and calling it quits.

The only problem is that this is Owens.

This is not just your average football player or even a great star in the sport who accepts what he is given and taking it. The former third round choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 1996 is one of the most stubborn players of all time. Acknowledgement and acceptance are words that are not in his vocabulary when it comes to his football career.

That being said, take the recent rumors of Owens’ contemplating retirement with a grain of salt. Fans should have learned their lesson with another stubborn football star who kept the public on the edge of their seats during the off-season of his last few years just because he yearned for their attention and admiration (he was that quarterback from those Wrangler Jeans commercials who played for the Vikings last year). Owens will now take over the mantle of leading the public on a summer fiasco of teetering between ending or resuming his career.

Leaving at this point in his career wouldn’t make a great deal of sense for one of the league’s most productive WR last season. The former Tennessee-Chattanooga college standout was the Bengals best receiving threat (and, arguably, their best player) and was on pace for an All-Pro like season before getting injured in week 14. If anything, 2010 was a bounce back year, which helped erased his disturbing 2009 campaign in Buffalo.

With such an impressive showing and illustrating to all the haters that he still has it, why would he bail when he could strike while the iron is hot?

Owens can also thank the league in presenting a favorable forecast for a return in the near future.

The league remains at a standstill with the impending lockout between the players and owners still intact. This has stalled free agency, which has halted players without a team to secure a residence upon a roster. It has also prevented new rookies from being introduced to a team’s philosophy and many players are not getting into shape with teams incapable of holding camps and workouts.

For Owens, that will mean that the longer the lockout is still active for the league, the more enticing of an option he becomes on a team that is in need of a wideout.

He may be injured and recovering from surgery, but there is no player who will work as hard to morph his body back into the chiseled, magazine cover-style Adonis he once was. He’s also a player that’s been in the league for over fifteen years and wouldn’t need extensive time being acclimated to a team’s playbook and goals. He will also look at this upcoming year as a season of redemption as others seriously doubt his effectiveness due to his injury and age, which means he will most likely be affordable for many franchises.

Even though he may be a self-absorbed, narcissistic prima donna who is more intrigued by the number of followers he has on Twitter and the television ratings for his reality show on VH1, he’s a top-notch, star receiver who can make a difference on any team.

Aside from his ability and ego playing into how is future will end up, continuing another year or two would help to wrap up his career with a stronger sense of where he falls in regards to his legacy in the NFL.

It’s hard to root or boo Owens, who has essentially been the biggest anti-hero in the NFL since he started becoming recognized as one of the top receivers in the league. There are times when his antics can be viewed as both self-centered and entertaining. A big reflection of those moments is each opportunity he has when he crosses the end zone.

The six foot, three inch, 225 pound star always keeps the public’s eyes glued to their HD television screens whenever he approaches the white finish line to score six points. His celebrations have always been egotistical, but it has bolstered a great following with fans and fellow NFL stars who try to top Owens’ famous touchdown moments.

This showcase of enjoyment is just one of the many ways summarizing his career is conflicting. Although there are moments where he can be a head case for his team, concentrates more on being a star off the field, and is extremely arrogant believing he’s the most exceptional human being in the world; there is no denying his greatness as a wide receiver and his influence in the NFL since he’s been here.

Playing another season or two would help to summarize what he was to the NFL: the villain or the hero?

Surgery is usually a crippling procedure that would end any football player’s career if they are older than 35. Yet, this is a Terrell Owens discussion, which means that this is no ordinary NFL player. A star with such adulation and self-perception of himself will not allow one little operation to his knee end his stellar career. This is merely a periodical break before he returns to the NFL next season.

Consider this more of a 20-second TO for TO’s career, and not just a full timeout that ends it.