Bucky Brooks, an NFL.com analyst since 2009, played in the NFL from 1994-99 and later worked as a regional college scout for NFL teams from 2000-07.
CALABASAS, Calif. -- It is over.
That's my opinion of Terrell Owens' career after watching him work out in front of a media throng Tuesday afternoon.
Owens is not at a point physically where he can make an immediate contribution to a team. The combination of age, character and injury history will certainly make him a tough sell to teams looking to add a veteran playmaker for a stretch run.
Of course, things certainly could change based on Owens' continued rehabilitation and various teams' needs due to injury or lack of production. However, the market for a 37-year-old receiver known for causing locker room disruption would appear to be a very small one.
While Tuesday's display was only designed to be a snapshot of Owens' progress following knee surgery, here are my observations from the workout:
» Owens showed up in terrific physical shape. He was completely shredded with very little body fat, and looked close to his playing weight. Although he didn't officially weigh in, he certainly appeared to be in the 220-pound range.
» He didn't show any noticeable signs of a limp or discomfort with his left knee. He appeared to have full flexion during his gait and easily went through the dynamic warm up without issue. His flexibility and balance were impressive for a player only six months removed from reconstructive surgery.
» In speed ladder drills, Owens breezed through and showcased his quickness, agility and body control. He didn't have any issues working to his left or right and flashed some explosiveness finishing the drills.
» Owens displayed balance and body control while running a 20-yard shuttle. He easily touched the line while changing directions and showed a little burst on the finish. His unofficial time (4.26 according to my watch) would rank near the middle of the pack among NFL Scouting Combine participants in 2011. It should be noted that Owens might not have trained for the shuttle drills like draft hopefuls, but the time provides a bit of a measuring stick for evaluators looking to gauge his explosiveness.
» He didn't look good running through the three-cone drill. He was slow in and out of his turns, and failed to show much of a transition burst. He didn't really give maximum effort in the drill, and his unofficial time of 7.25 reflected his lack of burst. For comparison's sake, the best time at last year's combine was 6.42 by WR Jeff Maehl of Oregon.
» While running the W-drill, Owens displayed balance, body control and burst. He easily maneuvered around the cones and was efficient with his steps in and out of breaks. He transitioned pretty well out of his breaks and finished each cut with a decent burst.
» His balance, body control and acceleration rated average during the slide-and-shuffle and the carioca-and-burst drills. He glided through the lateral movements without any issues, but failed to explode out of his breaks when making transitions. He also began to show signs of fatigue during these drills. He routinely bent over to grab his shorts, and he started to huff and puff following each repetition.
» Owens reacted well during a simulated stalk block drill. He easily shadowed the defender's movements and had little difficulty staying square throughout the drill.
» Owens displayed good initial quickness and lateral movement during the press release drill. He made hard plants to either side, and flashed a quick burst off the initial movement. Although it is difficult to gauge how effective his moves would be against NFL-caliber corners, his transitions were smooth and he didn't show any issues with his knee.
» Owens ran 13 routes during a scripted portion of the workout. His route running was fairly precise on short and intermediate routes. He sank his hips well prior to making his breaks, and flashed some explosiveness out of his cuts on curls and square-ins. He also showed good body control and transition quickness on shake routes and snags, which required double movements. He didn't favor his surgically repaired knee, and his willingness to make hard plants on the leg was indicative of his confidence in the leg.
» Owens was impressive tracking down deep balls on three go-routes at the end of the route running session. He flashed instant acceleration while the ball was in flight, which indicates he still possesses a second gear at his age.
» The only route that appeared to give Owens problems was the deep comeback. He had a tough time getting out of his break, and failed to make the catch on both attempts to run the route. Part of that could be due to the lack of timing between thrower and catcher, but it also could indicate an issue with his body control out of the break.
Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter @BuckyBrooks
