Eagles must sit and wait for T.O.

That's the only part they can play in the unfolding drama between the world's angriest wide receiver and the National Football League.

The Baltimore Ravens acquired Owens from the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick Thursday, shortly after the Eagles believed they had negotiated a contract with the four-time Pro Bowl receiver.

"At this point, the league has approved the trade and Terrell is property of another team," Eagles president Joe Banner said last night. "Anything I might say is liable to get me in trouble at this point. "

Owens does not have any such fear. In an interview with Channel 10 last night from his home in suburban Atlanta, he said he believes he will end up with the Eagles.

"I've just got a good feeling I just may well be in Philadelphia," he said.

Owens wants to come to Philadelphia so badly that he has ordered No. 81 Eagles jerseys for his family. That order is on hold, but Owens has refused to get involved in contract negotiations with the Ravens and said he will not report for a scheduled physical today in Baltimore.

He said he will fight to the bitter end to become a free agent and sign with the Eagles.

The NFL Players Assocation told the Washington Post over the weekend that it will help Owens in that fight. Gene Upshaw, the head of the union, said the NFLPA will file a "special-master case" this week to try to get the trade rescinded.

"I think we have a good case," Owens told Channel 10. "After talking to Gene, he said he was going to do everything possible. He felt like we had a case. "

Owens maintains that he - along with his agent, David Joseph - should have been notified about the need to let the 49ers know by Feb. 21 that he was going to void the final three years of his contract and become a free agent. That procedural gaffe cost Owens a chance at becoming a free agent and set this messy situation in motion.

"When I told Gene I needed the same notification, he couldn't dispute that," Owens said. "He kind of felt like I had a case. "

Playing the waiting game is not a big deal for the Eagles because there is no other free-agent wide receiver out there right now who interests them. Though Seattle's Darrell Jackson has had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the last three years, the Eagles do not believe he is the answer to their need for a No. 1 receiver.

Justin McCareins, the only other free-agent receiver who drew interest from the Eagles, was traded from the Tennesee Titans to the New York Jets on Friday.

If the union were to be successful in getting Owens declared a free agent, it would be interesting to see how things unfold. Since being dealt to the Ravens, Owens has said during two separate television interviews that the Eagles were his top choice.

Would that still be the case if Owens were declared an unrestricted free agent, or would he want to shop himself for a more lucrative contract than the one he agreed to with the Eagles on Thursday?

All indications are that he is happy with the deal he struck with the Eagles. When asked whether more money from the Ravens would make him more inclined to go to Baltimore, Owens said it would not.

The Eagles were pleasantly surprised by Owens' salary demands. It has been reported that he agreed to a deal that included a $10 million signing bonus and an annual salary of $6 million.

Upshaw, the executive director of the NFLPA, spoke twice over the weekend to Harold Henderson, the NFL's executive vice president of labor relations, about Owens' case.

If the case is not resolved, Upshaw said he will seek to have special master Stephen B. Burbank intervene. Burbank is in charge of settling disputes pertaining to the league's collective bargaining agreement.

"We think, at this point, that's the only case we can file," Upshaw said.

A special-master case is a trial-like proceeding that differs from the standard grievance process, in which cases are presented to an arbitrator. Any special-master decision would have to be reviewed by U.S. District Judge David S. Doty in Minnesota, who oversees the league's collective bargaining agreement.

All NFL trades are contingent on a player's passing a physical, so if Owens does not show up today, the Ravens will have the option of overturning the deal and sending the wide receiver back to the 49ers for the second-round pick they surrendered.

If that happens, it's possible the Niners will either have to try to deal Owens again or release him.

One league source said yesterday that he doesn't think Owens will win his case to become a free agent.