This sounds utterly and completely nuts, but what are the chances that Terrell Owens returns to San Francisco? If you're a 49ers fan, the thought either gets you pumped or makes you cringe.
On Tuesday, the team abruptly released veteran Braylon Edwards, who didn't pan out, mostly because of a nagging knee injury. And now the 49ers are so depleted at wide receiver that a T.O.-Niners reunion has to, at the very least, be considered.
Kyle Williams (head) and Ted Ginn Jr. (ankle) are both banged up, which leaves Michael Crabtree and Brett Swain as the only healthy receivers on the 49ers' roster. Swain, you might recall, was already a midseason acquisition because Josh Morgan was placed on injured reserve.
So, with Edwards' departure, the door is naturally open for somebody. Coach Jim Harbaugh didn't dismiss the notion that a player from the outside could come in and contribute.
"All options will be looked at," Harbaugh said, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "And like I said, decisions will be made with one thing in mind: What's best for the team, what helps the team win."
On one hand, it's easy to think T.O. can help. He had almost 1,000 receiving yards and caught nine touchdowns in 14 games last year with the Bengals, so he's got to be better a option than a practice squad call-up. And with regard to his diva ways, you take it one game at a time in the playoffs.
But on the other hand, can T.O. be trusted not to blow up a close-knit locker room in such a short time? What if, at 38, he isn't fully recovered from having his torn anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired? The 49ers, after all, had no interest in attending his public workout back in October.
That was then. This is now. The situation for the 49ers is much more pressing with the postseason right around the corner. Makes you wonder how much consideration they're giving this crazy idea.
