T.O. Versus McNabb

The big match-up on Monday Night Football is not the Dallas Cowboys versus the Philadelphia Eagles. It is Terrell Owens versus Donovan McNabb>. T.O., who is rarely shy when it comes to interacting with the media, said “I will say that Donovan made me a better receiver in Philadelphia, but I think Donovan would have a hard time admitting I made him a better quarterback.”

Owens indicated that the Eagles’ QB had some insecurity issues, saying, “I remember being in that stadium and hearing them chanting my name, and that couldn’t bode well for Donovan.”

Owens has made it quite clear that he and Dallas QB Tony Romo have a special connection in that Romo gets T.O.

Prior to going to Dallas, Owens had an array of problems with the Eagles. Eventually, he refused to play for Philadelphia.

Owens indicated that the shift in dominance from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Cowboys had to do with which team he was on. He said, “The common denominator was me being in both places, but I will let you make that assessment.”

McNabb, who is coming off of a very good game, excelled when Owens was on the team. McNabb’s finest year (3,875 passing yards and 31 touchdowns) was in 2004. That year, he was tossing passes to Owens. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl, which Owens played in after coming back quickly from a broken bone in his leg.

Both Philadelphia and Dallas are 1-0 as they head into game two of the 2008-2009 season. McNabb was exceptional in his first start this season, completing 63.6% of his throws for 361 yards and three TDs. He threw no picks and garnered a QB rating of 131.0. But that was against the St. Louis Rams, a team with a much weaker defense.

In his first game, T.O. caught five passes for 87 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 17.4 YPC and made four first downs.

This game is as much about Owens versus McNabb as it is about who is the best team in the NFC East.