Terrell Owens has another lobbyist in his corner for a Hall of Fame bid -- and he's one of the most respected receivers in recent NFL history.
Calvin Johnson told the Detroit Free Press this weekend that the mercurial Owens, twice boxed out of the Hall by voters, should absolutely get a gold jacket.
"Hands down," Johnson said. "You can't name 10 receivers [better]. You got to at least name T.O. probably in there at some point."
Johnson added: "If he was a humble guy -- I'm not saying he's not a humble guy, but if he didn't have all the craziness in the media -- maybe he'd be a first ballot. I don't know. I'm not a voter, I don't know. But I just assume that maybe that played into it."
While this isn't a fresh take by Johnson it is an interesting one. In many ways, Johnson and Owens represent two ends of the voting spectrum. Johnson, who is 29th all-time in receiving yards, 43rd in receptions and 22nd in touchdowns, will almost certainly be considered for Canton on the strength of his off-the-field persona. Johnson was generous with reporters throughout his career, didn't stir the pot and dove into charitable work. He was known as the consummate teammate.
Owens, on the other hand, is statistically one of the five greatest receivers in NFL history but exposed a different side of the voting process where locker room presence and other outside minutiae combine together to form a counter-argument.
Owens will eventually get in because it's the right thing to do, just like it's right to eventually put Johnson in for the kind of player and person he was. Hopefully Megatron's opinion can help add a voice of reason.
"[Owens is] one of the greatest receivers to play," Johnson said. "All of us growing up, if you're a professional player or a college player, you're molding your game after guys. You see guys, you see things guys do. Like Randy Moss, I'm a Randy Moss guy. T.O., he's a bruiser. You take different things from different guys."
