T.O. not impressed by Revis
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Terrell Owens took some more shots at former Eagles teammate Donovan McNabb on "The T.Ocho Show." (Oct. 24, 2010) Credit: AP
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Old slights die hard, it seems. Especially for Terrell Owens.
"Good, I'm looking forward to it," the Cincinnati wide receiver said of his Thanksgiving Day showdown with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Still vexed by Revis' "slouch" comment during last offseason, Owens fired the latest shot in the ongoing war of words Tuesday when he gave a less-than-favorable - and rather inaccurate - assessment of the Jets' Pro Bowl cornerback.
"[He's] just an average corner to me," Owens said. "Everybody has assessed his abilities as far as what he did last year, shutdown corner, this and that. He did very well last year. But I think I'm looking forward to the challenge just like he's looking forward to the challenge.
"I am not going to back down from anyone. I know my skill set. Last year we played, I know why I didn't perform to the best of my abilities. It's going to be a great game on Thursday."
Revis locked up Owens twice last season, holding the wide receiver - who then was a Buffalo Bill - to only six catches for 44 yards. But Owens believes those paltry numbers have more to do with the struggles of his former team than Revis' cover-corner skills.
"As far as me being a slouch, that has never been anything to describe me as far as a player and the things I bring to the table," he said. ". . . I had a friend out in California who also read the comments about how he assessed my play last year when I was with the Buffalo Bills - that I kind of gave up or shut it down as the game went along. When you are not really involved in the offense as much, you don't tone it down. You are just not involved in the offense."
Speaking to Cincinnati reporters on a conference call, Revis said: "Yeah, I called him a slouch last year. That's how I felt at that point in time because of the two games that I did cover him. He didn't have great games against me.'' Revis did add, however, "He's a great receiver and he's a competitor, so I'm sure he's licking his chops for this game and will try to come out and compete."
Owens' career has undergone a resurgence since he signed with the Bengals. He has 62 receptions for 897 yards and eight touchdowns through 10 games, compared with 55 receptions for 829 yards and just five touchdowns last season with Buffalo.
Owens said the hype surrounding Revis is media driven and undeserved.
"No disrespect, but he's only done one thing for one year," Owens said. "You talk about shutdown corners, you need to repeatedly do it year in and year out. I think he did it one year and everybody made a lot of hoopla about it. I think he started feeling himself, then he wanted to come out and say that I am a slouch. Other than that, I am never going to back down from any competition. That has never been in my nature.''
