Terrell Owens is upset he didn’t make the NFL’s Top 100, and he should be

NFL Network has been rolling out its “Top 100 players” throughout December. With each position group, we see more and more critique. Last weekend, the ten wide receivers were revealed, but former San Francisco 49ers standout Terrell Owens was not one of them. The receivers were Lance Alworth, Raymond Berry, Larry Fitzgerald, Marvin Harrison, Elroy Hirsch, Don Hutson, Steve Largent, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, and Paul Warfield.

Owens is third all-time in receiving yards, eighth in receptions and receiving touchdowns. If your argument is that Owens never won a Super Bowl, there are several players on the list that haven’t, so that point is moot. Speaking of, with the Eagles, Owens caught nine passes for 122 yards in the Super Bowl. He did so on a broken leg. If that’s not a signature moment, I’m not sure what is. Everyone here remembers some of his spectacular plays with the 49ers. If you don’t, here’s a video that has his top play from every season:

Owens was an animal. Size, strength, speed, and ability after the catch made him a nightmare. Watching some of those highlights above are still impressive. What makes Owens numbers special is that teams were doing everything they can to ensure he didn’t get the ball. That didn’t matter.

Take another player on the list, for example, Paul Warfield. Owens has over 7,000 more yards and 67 more touchdowns in 62 more games. Yes, the game changed from the ‘70s to the 2000s, but come on. The list, as we’ve seen with other positions, is flawed as coaches are picking guys that they remember coming up that were tough to stop as opposed to some of the recent greats of all-time. Owens was upset, and he has every right to be.