Terrell Owens: Why T.O. Is the Greatest Receiver in NFL History

When asked who the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, most people jump to the conclusion that the answer is Jerry Rice.

Most of the time, you will never hear someone reply with Terrell Owens.

Owens' controversial antics on and off the field have overshadowed his achievements on the gridiron, which is why he is widely overlooked when it comes to ranking the top receivers in NFL history. The media would never acknowledge anything positive that Terrell Owens has done because they only focus on the negative events, such as his departures from his previous teams and the conflicts that ultimately lead to his exits.

It is certain that when Owens retires, instead of looking over the NFL records that he either currently holds or held at one time, the media will rather go over a timeline of the problems that he faced in 49ers">San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, etc.

The media will also most likely go over his most famous touchdown celebrations, like when he hid a sharpie pen in his sock and used it to sign the football once he reached the end zone.

Looking at Owens’ on the field performance, he is undoubtedly the greatest receiver in NFL history. Here is a list of the NFL records he currently holds and his other personal achievements. The factual evidence here is gathered from Owens' Wikipedia page:

NFL records 

• The only player in NFL history to score a receiving TD against all 32 NFL teams
• The only player in NFL history to score two TDs against all 32 NFL teams
• Oldest player to have a TD reception of 98+ yards (35 years, 350 days)
• Oldest player to have a TD reception of 78+ yards (36 years, 300 days)
• Oldest player to have a 200-yard receiving game (36 years, 300 days)
• Consecutive seasons with at least four touchdown receptions, 1996-2010 (15), at least four touchdowns, 1996-2010 (15, at least three touchdown receptions, 1996-2010 (15), at least three touchdowns, 1996-2010 (15 at least 500 receiving yards, 1996-2010 (15, at least 750 receiving yards, 1997-2010 (14), at least 40 receptions, 1997-2010 (14), at least 35 receptions, 1996-2010 (15), tied with Art Monk 1980-1994
• One of six players to have at least two receptions of 90+ yards

Career Notables:

• Fifth player to reach 150 touchdowns
• Sixth player to reach 1,000 career receptions, 6th player to reach 100 touchdown receptions, 6th player to reach 14,000 receiving yards
• Third player to reach 150 touchdown receptions, 3rd player to reach 15,000 receiving yards
• Through 15 seasons, has 156 total touchdowns (153 receiving), 15,934 receiving yards, 1,078 receptions, 39 rushing attempts, 251 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns
• Averaged one touchdown per game in 2001, 2004 and 2007
• Has had nine 1,000 yard seasons, including five consecutive (2000-2004)
• Tied for second all time in receiving touchdowns with Randy Moss and behind Jerry Rice
• Second all time in receiving yards behind Jerry Rice, fifth all time in receptions
• Second all time in seasons with 13+ touchdown receptions with seven

As you can see, Owens has had some remarkable on-the-field performances throughout his career, and these achievements are almost never discussed in the media due to his other issues.  One can put up Jerry Rice’s stats and compare them with Owens' and see that Rice’s are better, but there is just one asterisk which should be placed whenever the statistics are laid out: quarterback play.

Throughout Rice’s career, he has had Hall of Fame quarterbacks throwing him the ball. For the majority of his career, Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young tossing the football to him. Montana and Young are both enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame. I’m not saying that Rice only put up amazing statistics because of his Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but his QB play was a huge reason why he was able to be so productive in his career.

These are the following quarterbacks who Owens has had to work with throughout his career: Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Ryan Fitzpatrick, other Bills QB’s and Carson Palmer. Owens also had his first few seasons in the league with Steve Young, but those years were short-lived due to injuries to Young.

It is certain that Garcia, McNabb, Romo, Fitzpatrick and Palmer will never be Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Each of those QB’s has had very up-and-down careers which have led to a benching at one point or another. If Owens can put up such great statistics with those QB’s behind center, it isn’t farfetched to believe that Owens could have similar or better statistics than Rice if he had HOF QB’s throughout his career such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady etc.

Even Jerry Rice himself admits that Owens is a better receiver that he was, and if placed in a stable situation throughout his career, T.O. could have surpassed his statistics. Rice explained his stance on the Dan Patrick Show (report via Pro Football Talk):

“Dan, here’s the thing. I’m not the greatest receiver. Terrell Owens is the greatest receiver,” Rice said, tongue firmly planted in cheek. “That’s what I heard. He made a statement saying that if he had Joe Montana and Steve Young, he’d probably be breaking my records now. So Terrell is the greatest receiver.”

Rice denied that he was bothered by the talk. “I’m not really that surprised by it. I never played the game for the records. I played to win championships, and do great things with my teammates.”

That was a subtle dig at T.O. This one was less subtle:

“I had some different quarterbacks, Matt Cavanaugh...It’s all about how the wide receiver can complement the quarterback to make that person look better. Joe [Montana] told me I added five years to his career. ...It’s all about making things a little easier for that other person.”

Terrell Owens’ feuds with teams, quarterbacks, coaches and others have put him in difficult situations. With T.O.’s unpredictable nature, he has been forced to deal with new circumstances and personnel. If Owens didn’t have a personality, he could have had the opportunity to work with only a few quarterbacks and one system.

With the constant switching to new teams, schemes and systems, the learning curve for Owens has been drastic. This is just another reason why the statistics Owens has put up are even more remarkable.

If any other receiver had to jump around to different teams and systems so many times in his career, it is very doubtful that he would achieve similar success.

If Owens did not have his unpredictable personality, then it is plausible to believe that he would be loved by the media, and they would be praising him at every opportunity they had. Right now, Owens would already be signed to a team even though he is 37 years old.

By being himself, Owens has made his name become synonymous with divas. His personality as an entertainer has negatively affected his perception on the field, and that is very unfair. When looking at the circumstances that T.O. has been placed into, one can see that what he has done in his career is truly remarkable.

If even Jerry Rice can see that T.O. is the greatest receiver to play the game, others should also recognize Owens as the most physically gifted and best receiver in NFL history.

Asia Argento Charisma Carpenter Hilarie Burton Kelly Carlson Sara Foster