I have made it clear that I am against Owens going to the Bears, but to be fair I thought I would at least post somebody else's opinion, so here is Mike Nadel, for sj-r.com making his case.
If the Eagles do what Upshaw says, T.O. could put the Bears over the top. I'm not just talking playoffs; I'm talking Super Bowl. Really.
Owens is one of the NFL's best receivers ever. He is big, strong, fast and fearless. If you could draw up a prototype for his position, you would draw up T.O.
Despite their 5-3 record and first-place standing in the NFC Nothing Division, the Bears have serious offensive shortcomings. Notably, they have only one receiver worth mentioning, Muhsin Muhammad. How much better would Owens make both Muhammad and rookie QB Kyle Orton? And talk about opening up the running game! Would opposing defenses still put eight men on the line of scrimmage with T.O. and M.M. on the field together?
If you're dead-set against everything I'm saying here, don't fret. There's about as much chance of the Bears signing Owens as there is of a Housewife (Gabrielle, please) dropping her towel for me. Had the McCaskeys imposed their will upon personnel decisions two decades ago, they'd have passed on most of the self-serving, outrageous and larger-than-life players (and coaches) who shuffled the '85 Bears to the Super Bowl.
For all of his personality flaws, T.O. is not a loser. He helped the 49ers win for years and he was a big reason the Eagles played in last season's Super Bowl. His incredible performance on Super Sunday, just seven weeks removed from a catastrophic leg injury, would have made a legend out of a more popular player.
And Owens is entertaining. I know many fans say they'd rather each player toss the ball to the ref after he scores, but that ship sailed long ago. What really matters is the "score" part of the equation, and Owens does it often. Does it hurt anyone if he does sit-ups in the end zone?
Look, I'm not talking about signing Owens to a long, lucrative contract. I'm talking about a modest deal - full of behavior clauses - for the rest of the season. He'd be well worth the risk.
If there is no rest of the season for Owens because the Eagles don't cut him, I propose the same type of contract for 2006 (and only 2006). Somebody is going to get a great receiver for a bargain price. Why not the Bears?
Yeah, but T.O. is such a J.E.R.K.!
True, but wouldn't he be on his best behavior with something to prove and a future contract at stake?
Try to forget that you "hate" Owens. If you're a White Sox fan, you used to hate A.J. Pierzynski, too. If you're a Bulls fan, you hated Dennis Rodman until he began dyeing the team's logo in his hair.
If Owens ever helps the Bears reach the Super Bowl, you'll stomach him just fine.