Owens is a necessary Eagle: hey, T.O., some numbers are more significant than the numbers on your paycheck

This summer, Terrell Owens has been more annoying than mosquitoes, flies and Hillary Clinton put together. Everyone it seems, is p.o.'d at T.O.

Weighing in on the subject with righteous indignation have been Charles Barkley, Rush Limbaugh, Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Vick Ray Lewis every sports talk radio host in the free or]d (as well as several in the third world) three guys at the health club and one guy and one blue-haired lady at the deli counter.

The outrage is easy to understand. It's one thing to take a stand about your salary; it's another to drag your teammates, coaches and fans through the negotiating mud by behaving like a hormonally imbalanced diva. We all can agree Owens should shut up and be happy he's one of the five highest-paid receivers in football.

But stop pounding your fists for a moment and ponder this thought: Why does he matter so much? This is why: Philadelphia is a Super Bowl contender with him and a big, fat question mark without him.

Besides controversy, Owens gives the Eagles perhaps the most well-rounded receiver in football He blocks better than Randy Moss and doesn't get the giggles and munchies. He's bigger and stronger than Marvin Harrison. He's craftier and more experienced than Chad Johnson. He eats corners alive in man-to-man situations. He knows how to find the soft spots in zones. Try to jam him and you risk giving up six. His energy elevates teammates.

"You love to have him out there," coach Andy Reid said after Owens' suspension ended last week. "He practices the way he plays. You have to slow him down."

Owens' value is best illustrated by numbers.

1,017 Receiving yards in 2004 that separated Owens from Greg Lewis, the second most productive Eagles wide receiver who still is on the roster and able to play. Owens had 1,200 yards; Lewis had 183.

Todd Pinkston, who had 676 receiving yards, is out for the year after rupturing his Achilles' in training camp. Freddie Mitchell, the Eagles' No. 3 wide receiver a year ago, was released in the offseason.

If Owens doesn't play for the Eagles, Lewis and rookie Reggie Brown, who have a total of three career starts, presumably will be the starters.

404 Owens' yards after the catch last season, according to STATS Inc. That amounts to 33.6 percent of his receiving yards. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb says: "What he does after the catch, that's something that stands out--being able to make guys miss, pick up extra yards and get in the end zone."

Owens broke 10 tackles last season, and he broke a tackle on 13.0 percent of his catches.

75 Inches between the top of Owens' head and the ground. "His size (6-3) helps because obviously you can see him develop into his route," McNabb says. "You just don't see players with his size do things like he does."

50 The estimated percent of McNabb's passes last season on which Owens was his primary read, according to McNabb.

30 The estimated percent of Eagles offensive plays in which opponents either double-teamed Owens or rolled a safety his way last season, according to Philadelphia coaches. "Put it this way," offensive coordinator Brad Childress says, "they were always aware of where he was."

10 Plays Reid estimates the Eagles have in a typical game plan that are designed to free Owens by moving him around. The number represents about 30 percent of the Eagles' pass attempts.

8 Touchdown receptions of at least 20 yards that Owens had last season. No player in the NFL had more.

7 Percentage points by which McNabb's completion rate increased after Owens joined the Eagles in 2004. McNabb's completion rate last year was 64.0 percent; before that it was 57.0.

McNabb says he and Owens have a special chemistry on the field and it hasn't been changed by Owens' behavior. Reid says McNabb's feel for Owens is better than the feel he has had for any other receiver. "They just kind of know what each other is going to do," Reid says.

5 Positions Owens plays for the Eagles. He played Z, or flanker, 60 percent of the time last season.

Coachspeak 101: It's the system, stupid

Could the Eagles have a formidable passing attack without Terrell Owens?

"I love having him," Eagles coach Andy Reid says. "But if he's not here, we're still very strong because within the structure of the offense, if people do the right things, good things will happen."

It should be noted that second-round pick Reggie Brown is having a good camp, but he's still learning some things, such as perfecting route depths. The team also is high on Greg Lewis, a former undrafted free agent who is the fastest receiver on the team.

speed reads

It's stupid to smoke pot. It's stupider to smoke pot when you play in the NFL. It's stupidest to smoke pot when you play in the NFL and then tell Bryant Gumbel about it on HBO. Then again, maybe Randy Moss had just taken a hit before his interview.

I want to see Doug Flutie play for the Patriots this season, I think he still can be effective at 42, and I think Bill Belichick will find a way to make Flutie into a handy little weapon who can play in special situations.