We Need a Timeout on T.O.

Sal Palaontonio, a former Philly sports guy who works for ESPN, keeps me up-to-date on the latest on the T. O. saga. His verdict appears to be "Save us from overkill"...

Like Banquo's ghost, the specter of Owens' presence haunts this team and this city. Indeed, it is a saga that is Shakespearean in scope, a tragedy that could bring down both a proud team and one of the NFL's truly magnificent talents.

Once wildly popular and beloved, Owens is now considered a traitor to the very team that he once praised for rescuing him from the purgatory of staying in San Francisco and the servitude of playing in Baltimore.

As for the Eagles, while few will admit it publicly, reaching the Super Bowl last year for the first time in 24 seasons would not have been possible without Owens. And, despite what Reid says, getting back without him seems to be at the very least an extremely difficult task – just like it was for three straight losses in the NFC championship game.

And in this very mad-about-sports town, people are taking sides – from the gas station attendant to the radio talk show host.

Every day, in drive time on WIP-AM, the city's raucous sports radio station, the divisive Howard Eskin – a personal friend of Reid's – has crucified Owens. When Owens complained that he needed a new deal because he had to "feed his family," Eskin started a food drive for No. 81, so that Owens wouldn't miss a meal. It was Eskin who first reported that Owens slept in some team meetings and was late for others last season – a report that the Owens camp did not deny publicly, but privately accused the Eagles front office of leaking.

And each Eskin zing has created a reaction from the dwindling number of Owens' supporters in the media, chief among them ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who is also a regular general columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In a recent column, Smith – who often talks to Owens – intimated that the Eagles simply were not used to players rocking the boat, because the leader in the locker room is the ultimate "company man," Donovan McNabb.

"I definitely need to know the definition of 'company man,'" McNabb replied. "A smart player? A smart athlete? A smart person? Knowing how to handle a situation? Knowing how to handle things in the right manner? That may be something that defines me."

Smith's column inspired a wicked response from another Inquirer columnist, Phil Sheridan, who is routinely lined up with Eagles management.

Even the venerable Philadelphia Daily News baseball sage Bill Conlin felt compelled to weigh into the Eagles' dominance of the sports news cycle – begging Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park to please stop the Eagles chants between pitches.

Here's the bad news for people looking for a rest from this mess: There is more than a month until the Eagles report to training camp on July 29. And the only thing worth discussing until then is whether Owens will be showing up on time – if at all.

I'll save my angst for the fall and for late January. In the meantime, I'm going to go shopping for a Reggie Brown jersey.