Mornhinweg a big fan of Owens
This article was originally published in the Daily News on March 17, 2004.
On the surface, Terrell Owens and Andy Reid appear to be a match made in reality TV hell.
A flamboyant, pompom-shaking, Sharpie-writing, give-me-the-damn-ball wide receiver and a there's-no-I-in-team head coach.
How did this ever happen? Who managed to convince Joe Friday that Owens would be a good fit for his spread-the-ball-around offense?
Marty Mornhinweg, come on down.
Mornhinweg, the Eagles' assistant head coach, was the 49ers' offensive coordinator for four of Owens' eight seasons in San Francisco. Had an up-close-and-personal view of Owens' special pass-catching talent. Knew he wasn't as bad as his end-zone celebrations and sideline tantrums made him out to be. Convinced Reid that Owens might be the missing ingredient in the Eagles' Super Bowl recipe.
"We certainly talked a couple of times about him," Mornhinweg said yesterday. "I just told him what kind of player I thought he was. It wasn't much more than that. "
Mornhinweg is being too modest. Truth is, if he hadn't been around to sell Owens, Reid and the Eagles probably wouldn't have touched the wideout with a 10-foot Sharpie.
"Marty has great feelings for Terrell," Reid said. "Obviously, we talked. Marty had very good things to say. They're close. They worked with each other for those years [in San Francisco]. Marty was part of that [decision to go after Owens], yeah. "
Owens' career took off under Mornhinweg in San Francisco. Caught 14 TD passes, averaged 16.4 yards per catch and notched his first 1,000-yard season in his third pro season in '98. Had a career-high 1,451 receiving yards 2 years later.
"I've got great respect for Terrell as a player," Mornhinweg said. "He's a playmaker. He scores touchdowns. And I had 4 years of experience with that. I know what kind of threat he is for an offensive football team. "
Reid has two eyes. He knew that, too. What he didn't know was whether Owens would be more trouble than he was worth. Would Owens go berserk the first time Donovan McNabb dumped the ball off to a running back instead of throwing it to him? Would he berate offensive coordinator Brad Childress the way he did the 49ers' Greg Knapp last year? Would he turn every end-zone celebration into a Broadway production number?
"Terrell takes playing professional football very, very seriously," Mornhinweg said. "He'll do everything in his power to win. And yes, he wants the football when the game's on the line. But you want a guy with that attitude.
"I remember a playoff game in San Francisco. He was having one of his worst games. Then he came back and caught the winning touchdown with 3 seconds left. That's like your great home run hitters. Strikes out three times then hits the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. That's the kind of plays this guy makes. "
Owens has caught 51 touchdown passes in the last four seasons. He's a dangerous yards-after-the-catch receiver who gives the Eagles the kind of physicality they have desperately lacked at the position.
"With the addition of Terrell, that will put big-time heat on defenses across the field," Mornhinweg said. "He will make other people better around him because he may take a double [team] and leave another receiver or running back or tight end singled up. There's a kind of trickle-down effect to adding Terrell."