Today in Philly Sports History: The TO Driveway Press Conference, 2005

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The really amazing thing to me about the Terrell Owens era in Philadelphia was that all told, it only really lasted for 22 games--21 regular-season appearances and an ill-fated Super Bowl. That's really not many--barely a couple more than current wideout DeSean Jackson has already played in, and infinitely less than the likes of Greg Lewis, Todd Pinkston, Hank Baskett and even Freddie Mitchell eventually would. But damned if TO didn't make the most of his season-and-a-half in Philly, even making sure his off-season foibles were just as memorable as his play on the field.

One of the most infamous such occasions came on August 10th, 2005, the same day when Eagles coach Andy Reid suspended the wide receiver for a week after the two got into a shouting match at the Birds' training camp. Confronting the media circus outside his New Jersey home, Owens answered a series of questions the only way an insane, egomaniacal wide receiver knows how: Shritless and doing sit-ups.

The driveway press conference was perhaps the definitively surreal moment of the TO era in Philadelphia, as he answered questions about Reid suspending him with vague aphorisms, winking barbs, and several "No Comment"s--presaging an even more controversial conference Owens would hold that November. As for why he refused to interrupt his workout regiment to field the questions, Owens explained, "Hey, if I AM going to get back on the field, I gotta make sure I'm in shape." And when asked if the conference would set the record for "No Comment"s, he responded "Yeah it might be," before realizing the obvious joke and adding, "No comment."

Things would only get worse from there, as the fight with Hugh Douglas, the Rosenhaus conference, and the public panning of McNabb and the rest of the team would all spend the end of Owens's time in Philadelphia. Hopefully, about a half-decade detached from the incident, Philly fans can now at least look at the driveway conference and laugh at what a strange, awkward and unlikely-to-be-repeated moment the whole thing was in the history of Philly sports, if not all the NFL.

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