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Where'd you go, T.O.? Bengals WR appears to finally have come of age.
by: Scott LaPeer
Before you roll your eyes at the mere mention of Terrell Owens, T.O., The T.O. Show, or any of the other monikers that have long been attached to one of the NFL's biggest 3-ring circuses-- Stop.
All I ask is for you to do what, at times, seemingly one too many teams in the NFL has... Give Terrell Owens a chance.
Volatile, poisonous, unpredictable, unprofessional, selfish, immature, disrespectful and destructive. The list of unflattering adjectives used to describe Terrell Owens throughout his 15 seasons in professional football most certainly go on and on. However, this season, his first as a Cincinnati Bengal, something refreshing has finally surfaced. Just like Owens, a lot of the previously descriptive prefixes and suffixes have apparently changed-- for the better.
Professional, selfless, mature... Not to mention, accountable. Is this the new T.O.?
At a dismal 2-8, and losers of 7 straight, the 2010 Bengals are easily one of the NFL's biggest disappointments. Yet, rising from the ever-increasing pile of rubble - almost on a weekly basis, now - has been a new, dare I say, refined Terrell Owens.
Yes, after 15 years in the league, and just weeks from turning 37-years old, Owens is behaving - finally - like a downright, lovely gentleman.
Sound funny? You and me both, brother.
While most critics believed T.O. was nothing more than a second-act, or sideshow in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, the wide receiver is making fools of them all.
As the Bengals flounder, Owens is flourishing; both as a player and person. 62 catches for 897 yards and 8 touchdowns. The yardage is good for 3rd best in the league. The touchdowns, 4th. Dubbed the "Bat Man" to teammate Chad Ochocinco's "Robin" upon his arrival in the Queen City, T.O. has performed like a superhero. He's almost certainly a Pro Bowler- again, and has actually accepted, and to this point, fulfilled a role as a team leader.
Owens has quietly (for the most part) gone about his business, and his business, in spite of the team's troubles, has been good. Great, really. It's been a true revelation of sorts, to enjoy Terrell Owens for his highlights on the field and not the low-lights off it we've come to expect.
Even after Cincinnati's latest loss, an embarrassing 49-31 outing against the lowly Buffalo Bills, Owens showed another glimpse of the person he seems to be growing into. "We're terrible," were the words Owens began his comments with afterwards, as many likely braced for yet another post-game tirade. However, if you take the time to listen, what surfaces, or rather what doesn't surface, is the childish finger-pointing and off-putting sentiments we've come to loathe T.O. for in the past. He says "we", purposely including himself, even while a contrary argument can reasonably be made. There was no whining, no blame, no excuse making. Only straight forward accountability.
In the past, when things have gone bad, Terrell Owens has, predictably, gone worse. For once, T.O. is performing like an All-Star in every sense of the term. Let's give credit where credit is due.
Gators win 61-55, avoid early-season upset
GAINESVILLE, FL (TAKE 2 SPORTS) - After a first half that appeared nearly worthy of its top 10 ranking, #9 Florida did just enough in the second to fend off a feisty Morehead State team, avoiding a disappointing mid-major letdown.
The Gators took a 17-point lead into half time, where after the break, senior Vernon Macklin's opening dunk pushed it to 19. Though, just when it looked like the visiting Eagles were being blown out of the O-Dome, senior Kenneth Faried rolled up his sleeves and went to work, leading Morehead back into the game with an effort worthy of the Ohio Valley Conference pre season Player of the Year honor given to him.
The boundlessly energetic Eagles big man dominated around the rim, even against the likes of Florida's taller post players, racking up 20 points and 18 rebounds, while also blocking 2 shots. Florida coach Billy Donovan knew all about Faried, calling him a "1st round NBA Draft pick" earlier in the week, yet the Gators could do nothing to contain his efforts.
"He just totally destroyed our frontcourt," Donovan said to the Orlando Sentinel. "He's not talented at all, and it's a great lesson for our guys. He's not a talented player. He has absolutely no offensive skill. He's not a great post player. He's not a great scorer. He is a relentless, and I use that with all capitals, a relentless-effort guy in terms of going after every single rebound."
Morehead reserve Lamont Austin's only points of the game, a 3-pointer with 10:50 remaining, cut Florida's lead to just 6, 45-39. Minutes later, Gator sophomore Kenny Boynton picked the right time to break out of an 0-8 shooting funk, scoring on a lay-up, and two straight 3-pointers to build the lead back to 11.
"When you're up on a team by 17 points, it's almost like you know the other team is going to come out and they're going to battle and fight," Donovan said. "And if you give them a glimmer of hope that they can get back into the game in the first four or five minutes of the half, you're going to create a level of energy for that team that you're going to have to deal with for the rest of the half."
Junior guard Erving Walker finished with 16 points, while Chandler Parsons had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Boynton added 10 points.
Florida (3-1) is off until returning to the home court Tuesday night to host Florida Atlantic.
GAINESVILLE, FL (Take 2 Sports) - In an early season battle between #4 Ohio State and #9 Florida, the Buckeyes showed not just the Gators, but the entire country, there's a much bigger difference between the 5 AP Poll spots separating the two.
Trailing by 3 at halftime, Ohio State made 24 of 34 field goals in the final 20 minutes, including 5 straight 3's in one stretch, en route to an early decision blowout at the O'Connell Center.
In just his second collegiate game, highly touted freshman Jared Sullinger lived up to his billing, and then some. The 6'9" big man was dominant down low, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Last year Ohio State All-American Evan Turner said Sullinger might not just be this year's Big 10 Freshman of the Year, he could be the conference Player of the Year. Turner could be right.
The Gators tried nearly everyone, but a combination of Alex Tyus, Vernon Macklin, Patric Young, and Erik Murphy did little to combat Sullinger's sheer size and strength. Sullinger shot 13-17 from the floor, with many of those buckets coming on easy 2nd half dunks and layups after the Buckeyes continuously shredded the Florida press.
After ending up on the wrong end of a 21-point swing in the game's final 20 minutes, Florida coach Billy Donovan had no shortage of praise for his opponents.
"Ohio State has a better chance of being a better team this year than they did a year ago," Donovan said. "Evan Turner's a great player, the player of the year in the country and they won 29 games and did a great job." "But when you have that kind of player, you really kind of become a little more one-dimensional. They are a complete team that probably has a chance to do a little more this season because there's going to be a lot more balance to their team."
Redshirt senior David Lighty was equal the assassin as Sullinger, repeatedly beating the smaller Gator guards off the dribble to finish near the rim. Lighty went 9-11 from the field (6-7 from the free throw line) to also add 26 points.
After a red-hot 1st half, Florida fell flat in the 2nd, with only sophomore guard Kenny Boynton providing substantial offense. Boynton went 5-8 from beyond the arc to finish with a team-high 21 points.
Florida (1-1) will re-coup before facing North Carolina A&T on Thursday night. Ohio State (2-0) moves on to next play UNC-Wilmington Saturday back in Columbus.
Scott's Thoughts: (A mixed bag of thoughts, comments, observations, etc.)
* First and foremost, Sullinger answered all questions about whether or not the freshman is "The Real Deal". He is. If he so chooses, Sullinger will easily be a 1st round NBA Draft pick next June, if not a lottery selection.
* The biggest difference in the game, at least to these trained eyes, was the complete failure of the full court press in the 2nd half. Donovan, perhaps against his own good sense, insisted on applying pressure from the inbound, while the Buckeyes had little, to no trouble at all breaking it, then whipping the ball around until they found the wide open man for an easy jumper, layup, or dunk. Because of the relative ease with which they broke the press, Florida was always 1 man out of place defending its own hoop, and left, more often than not, with its collective head spinning, followed by a "swish".
* While the Gators may be improved in size this year, they still lack a "true" big man, ala Sullinger. Vernon Macklin, in particular, displayed an improved presence around the hoop, but even as Florida's starting center, he's not enough to bang with a dominant big. Same goes for Tyus, Murphy, and Young.
* Speaking of Young, the McDonald's All-American from Jacksonville is an impressive specimen at first sight. For those who can recall, he reminds a lot of Donnell Harvey, when Harvey arrived on campus in 1999-2000. Incredible physical tools, but very, very raw offensively. At this exact point however, Harvey had a greater impact on each game than Young is.
* You might call it nit-picking, but there was an evident lack of passion down the stretch from Florida. Sounds like a small thing, but trust me, to a coaching staff it can be instances such as these (not fighting through screens and surrendering easy baskets, pulling up while chasing down a fast-breaking opponent instead of contesting a shot or committing a hard foul) that can be most disconcerting.
* While you will never hear me question the heart of point guard Erving Walker, the brain is a different matter. Walker can be electric offensively, particularly from distance (5-7 fgs, 15 pts), but he often plays as though he's too stubborn to accept he's only 5'8". His 7 turnovers is a perfect example of instances in which he ought to play it smart and safe, but instead drives the lane where he has a tendency to get stuck below the timber, sometimes leaving his feet even to pass with no sure outlet.
* It's pretty amazing to realize freshman point guard Scottie Wilbekin is only 17 and should be a high school senior this year. He's definitely serviceable and will get quality minutes backing up Walker and Boynton, but much like Young, he's still very much a work in progress.
* Just my opinion, but you can't tell me the Buckeyes' David Lighty wasn't playing with a little more spite and passion than any other night. The lone player left on either roster from the 2007 national championship game between the 2 schools, Lighty clapped and gestured emphatically down the stretch when the Rowdy Reptiles directed some less than flattering chanting at him. Considering how poorly he played in the Georgia Dome against UF as a freshman, torching the Gators for 26, and pretty much scoring at will had to be pretty gratifying.
* Before the season began I privately predicted a minimum Sweet 16 finish for Florida this year, with a Final 4 ceiling. There's a lot of basketball to be played, but right now I'm awfully tempted to lower that ceiling to Sweet 16.
Reminder: You can follow Scott on twitter all season long (www.twitter.com/SLAPEER) for all things Gators hoops including live, in-game updates.
Gators, Buckeyes Get College Hoops Season In Full Swing
As if hoops heads needed an excuse to officially signal the start of the college basketball season, Tuesday night's match up of #4 Ohio State vs. #9 Florida will do just that. Barely a week into the new season, the Buckeyes visit to Gainesville is the first game of the year featuring two top-10 teams against each other.
Ohio State vs. Florida... Sound familiar?
A quick history lesson tells us theirs is by no means a storied rivalry, but of late the 2 major-conference powers have squared off on more than a fair share of nationally spotlighted platforms. That history, no matter how brief, is one that can only fire up an already talented team of Bucks.
December 23, 2006. Gainesville, Florida.
Again, in one of the 2006-2007 season's premier early games, the 3rd-ranked Buckeyes traveled to a raucous O-Dome in Gainesville to play #4 Florida. On the heels of its first national basketball championship, a veteran Gator squad thoroughly dismantled Ohio State and freshman beast Greg Oden for a 26-point, 86-60 win.
January 8, 2007. BCS National Championship. Glendale, Arizona.
This time on the gridiron, in a showdown for college football's national title, an underdog Florida squad surrendered an opening kickoff return touchdown to the nation's #1 team, then proceeded to run roughshod over an outmatched Ohio State bunch, seizing the national crown in an emphatic 41-14 beatdown.
April 2, 2007. NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship. Atlanta, Georgia.
A marquee rematch roughly 3 months later, Florida and Ohio State met on the hardwood again, this time for college basketball's national crown. Different date, same result. The Gators became the first team in college hoops history to win back-to-back titles with the same starting 5, celebrating their 2nd straight "one shining moment" with a 74-65 win.
December 22, 2007. Columbus, Ohio.
The return of the home-and-home saw Florida travel to Columbus for the programs' 3rd match up in 1 calendar year. Again, the home team celebrated the "W". A fresh-faced Florida bunch struggled to keep pace with Ohio State and the Buckeyes cruised, winning 62-49.
Now 3 years later and all grown up, Florida will look to atone for the lone blemish in its recent run against the Buckeyes. Yet even with all 5 starters back, and an apparent return to the depth that has trademarked the stellar squads of the Billy Donovan era, a win at home Tuesday night won't come easy. The Buckeyes bring a lot of size and experience to the O'Connell Center, 2 traits that should test Florida's ability to out-think and out-muscle one of the nation's biggest line ups.
"They are a team that probably a year ago wasn't quite as good of a rebounding team and I think now they have the potential to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country with (Jared) Sullinger and (Dallas) Lauderdale and (Deshaun) Thomas," Florida coach Billy Donovan told the Gainesville Sun. "Those guys have a lot of length and size, and they can rebound too." "They're sending four guys and there's no question we'll have to do a good job rebounding the ball ."
In Sullinger, Ohio State boasts one of America's top freshmen. The 6'9" power forward is big and long, and talented enough to score in a wide variety of ways.In its season opening win last week, Sullinger scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, claiming the Big 10's first freshman of the week honors. Expect plenty more to come.
And that was just the front-court Donovan was concerned with.
The Bucks' back-court goes 6'5", 6'5", and 6'6" featuring 2 seniors and a junior. Redshirt-senior David Lighty, the lone player on either team remaining from that 2007 national championship game, is a smooth operator on both ends, and senior Jon Diebler has accuracy from beyond 3 like few others in the country.
Lighty has played once in front of the Rowdy Reptiles, and while he can't say he recalls it fondly, he does remember it well.
"I really didn't know what to expect going down there my first time," said Lighty. "We knew they were good, but when you get down there, it's kind of unreal, the support they have from all their fans."
Obviously, that memory has been relayed to his partner on the perimeter.
"You can't prepare for the crowd being loud and everyone against you," Diebler said. "Just the mindset of going on the road has to be different. You really have to come focused."
Florida will need to come focused, as well. After bowing out in the NCAA's first-round last year, the Gators received plenty of pre-season hype. Whether or not it's justified has, of course, yet to be demonstrated.
We should know a lot more about each team by around 9 pm Tuesday night. By that time, the curtains on another college hoops season should be officially opened for action.
Scott LaPeer will be at the Ohio State/Florida game Tuesday night in Gainesville. You can follow him on twitter for updates and info at www.twitter.com/SLAPEER
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