T.O. start not certain on Sunday
The New England Patriots expect Terrell Owens to play in the Super Bowl, and they expect the Eagles receiver to be a handful.
“He’s not going to be out there on crutches. If he’s out, he’s going to be able to run and play,” the Patriots’ Bill Belichick said Friday in the final coaches’ news conference before the NFL title game. “Whether we can cover him or not, that remains to be seen. But they’re not going to put the guy out there in a wheelchair.”
Owens has said he will play in the game even though his doctor refused to clear him following surgery to implant two screws and a plate in his right leg. However, Eagles coach Andy Reid said he might not start.
“Whether he starts or not, that’s irrelevant,” Reid said. “We have it broken down by different plays. If he can play, we’d like to see him, and if one of those happens to be the first play, it’s the first play, and if not, then Freddie (Mitchell) will be there.”
Owens severely sprained his ankle and fractured his right fibula in a Dec. 19 victory over Dallas. He missed the last two games of the regular season and playoff victories over Minnesota and Atlanta.
Players were unavailable for interviews on Friday, but earlier Owens said:
“I think the fans of Philadelphia are waiting for me to come out of that tunnel. They don’t have to wait any longer. They need to know I am coming out of that tunnel one way or another.”
Falcons’ Dunn NFL Man of Year
Warrick Dunn’s best friend — his mom — died before realizing a dream of becoming a homeowner, leaving her heartbroken 18-year-old son to raise five younger brothers and sisters.
The Atlanta Falcons running back smiled Friday while recalling his mother, Betty Smothers, a single parent and police officer killed in the line of duty in 1993, as a mentor who taught him humility and compassion.
“I’m soft-spoken. I used to sound just like her, so I could imitate her on the phone. That’s how close I think we were. … If I put on a wig, you were pretty much looking at my mom,” Dunn said after being selected as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
Through his “Home For The Holidays” program, created during his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997, the three-time, 1,000-yard runner has found a way to honor his mother’s memory.
So far, he has helped 52 single moms become first-time homeowners by making the down payments on fully furnished homes in Tampa, Atlanta and his hometown of Baton Rouge, La.
Dillon added to Pro Bowl roster
New England Patriots running back Corey Dillon was selected for his fourth Pro Bowl, making him the second member of the AFC champions to be added to the roster as an injury replacement.
He replaces Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James, who has a back injury.
Rudi Johnson, who replaced Dillon as the starter in Cincinnati this season, was chosen to replace Curtis Martin. The league’s leading rusher will miss the Pro Bowl with an undisclosed injury.