So, Terrell Owens has reached out to Donovan McNabb. He has come within inches of apologizing and now things are all better in Philadelphia. Everyone can move on. The goal is back in front of them and everyone is on the same page. Now that Owens and McNabb are close to buddy-buddy, everything has changed in Philly once again.
Not so fast.
Not because they're rough. Not because they were rough. But mainly because this is what most people had predicted from day one. Owens puts up a fight. The Eagles don't budge. Chaos ensues because the hailstorm of controversy just happens to follow T.O. around. Then everything settles and they do what they do on Sunday afternoons. They run routes, the throw passes, they catch passes.
They make touchdowns.
Things haven't changed in Philadelphia and they haven't changed in New England, either.
Not until someone comes along that is more than just a flash in the pan and knocks these model franchises down a peg can you really say that things have changed for these two teams that have been the pillars of dominance in an age where good teams come and go. They remain there. Constant.
Did Owens want a new contract? Of course. Just because he will wind up playing and playing to the best of his ability, not to mention getting along with McNabb, doesn't mean the Eagles simply called his bluff. There was no bluff. Owens did what he had to do and the Eagles did what they had to do. Feathers were ruffled during the process, but no bridges were burned.
In New England, things were less controversial. Maybe even quiet, nah, this is Boston we're talking about. They've shown every desire to replace the New York fans in the pecking order of sports. They're good right now and they'll let you know about it. And they want more.
Yes, Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weiss are out as the coordinators. That is definitely a bad thing for New England, but it would be silly to try to gauge just how bad it is before the season gets going. For now and until someone shows otherwise, the Patriots remain where they are at the top of the mountain.
There are question marks for both of these teams. However, there are decidedly fewer questions for the Eagles and Patriots to answer than the teams that are trying to catch up to them.
Plus, the most important thing, the Eagles and Patriots have both silenced their critics in the past. Both have shown the ability to take a question mark related to their team and fix what is wrong. Who else in the league can say that they make adjustments to what needs to be done better than either of these teams? Who else in the league can claim the consistency that they have both shown?
That's the thing, until someone answers their own questions, what's the point in worrying about what the Patriots and Eagles are doing? We know they're going to go out there week after week this season and we know pretty much where both teams will wind up.
Talent-wise, not wins and losses, but in the product that these two teams put on the field. We know what to expect. It's simple. Disciplined football teams that will gameplan your ears off and then when you finally think you've done something to beat them, they'll mix things up and confuse you once again. Sure, the talent has something to do with it, but this is the core of what makes these two teams something special. Everyone on that field knows what they are out there to do. More so than with any other team in the league.
There's the old "out of sight, out of mind" saying that applies to not just football. It also applies here.
With the Eagles and Patriots, the goal is never out of sight, and therefore never out of mind. They have the luxury of keeping a championship as their only goal because they've been there before.
Every time in the league aside from these two has a tough hurdle to leap before they can think of the Super Bowl. No one else can claim they are without a doubt the best in their conference until these two teams are no longer around in January.
Especially with the parity in the league right now, more and more teams are involved in this chase.
That is a part of what makes things so fun. The chase.
