Old Dog, Same Tricks

47-year-old Terrell Owens barbecuing cornerbacks half his age is your motivation for the week

Ask anyone who watched Terell Owens play, and they will tell you: He was perhaps the most un-coverable guy in NFL history. Peak Randy Ross and Megatron get a vote, and nothing more need be said about Jerry Rice, but T.O.’s combination of speed, power, and swagger propelled him to unparalleled levels of defensive-back dominance.

He came with a lot of baggage, played on one leg in his only Super Bowl, and spent the last two years of his career bouncing around irrelevant franchises like Buffalo and Cincinnati. All of that tarnished his legacy somewhat, but if you needed a reminder of his greatness, T.O. provided it at Deion Sanders’ cornerback camp this weekend, slow-roasting participants half his age like some blue-ribbon brisket.

As you watch this, keep in mind that T.O. will be 48 years old in December. It could be argued that he is in better shape now than he was during his last several seasons in the NFL and it shows. His routes are razor sharp and he cuts like an F1 car. He flashes deep speed, bullies guys off the line, and shows he still has the strength to make tough catches in traffic, a T.O. signature compared to his tap-dancing peers.

Sure it’s against a bunch of kids who don’t appear to be blue-chippers, but it’s still pretty cool to watch T.O. turn back the clock and do what he does best: Roast opposing secondaries to a fine crisp. This week, with a long weekend of backyard grilling on the way, we can’t think of anything more inspiring than that.