Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, February 4, 2005, Washington Post

The Time For Talk is Over

It's Super Bowl time. The biggest football game of the year will kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. About half of the country will be watching when the defending champion New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Funny, but for such a big game, lots of the pregame talk hasn't been about the game. Instead, everyone is talking about . . .

Will T.O. play? Eagles star wide receiver Terrell "T.O." Owens hurt his ankle near the end of the regular season. He missed the Eagles' playoff wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

Owens promises he will play in the Super Bowl. The doctor who operated on Owens says he should not play because the ankle needs at least eight to 10 weeks to heal. Owens has been on the sidelines about seven weeks.

Should he try to play? That's up to him. He's a grown man and he can decide whether playing in the Super Bowl risks further injury or might hurt his team's chances to win.

But kids and their coaches should remember that T.O. is a pro. He is paid to play. While it may be okay for him to try to play, it is never okay for a kid who has been injured to play if the doctor says no.

Will Freddie Mitchell shut up? Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell made the Patriots mad when he said he didn't even know the names of the New England cornerbacks. (They are Asante Samuel and Randall Gay.)

I never like a player bragging before a big game. But if you are going to be a bigmouth, you had better be good, such as when Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" that the New York Jets would win Super Bowl III. Sure enough, Namath led the Jets to a 16-7 upset.

But Mitchell is just an average wide receiver. He caught only 22 passes during the regular season. Mitchell should keep quiet and hope that the Patriots' cornerbacks forget about him.

Will something naughty happen at halftime? No way! After last year's nonsense when Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Janet Jackson's costume during a halftime dance number, the Super Bowl folks went out and got Paul McCartney to perform during this year's halftime. When he was with the Beatles, McCartney wrote some of the most memorable music ever. It's a sure bet that Paul will keep his clothes on and stick to his songs. He's got some great ones.

At last, who will win? Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is terrific. But Terrell Owens and tight end Chad Lewis are injured. So it will be tough for even the magnificent Mr. McNabb to move the ball against the tough New England defense. The Eagles will need the Patriots to turn the ball over. Sorry, Eagles fans, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady does not make mistakes in big games.

Come Monday, I think people will be talking about a 27-17 Patriots' win.