(ndy) (LAT-WP All-Sports!)

(ndy) (LAT-WP All-Sports!)
//Fellow Receiver Toomer Appalled by Owens' Actions//
By Bob Glauber
(c) 2003, Newsday
Amani Toomer reacted like the rest of us when he saw what 49ers receiver Terrell Owens did last Sunday. He was appalled.
"I just felt it was uncalled for," said the Giants receiver, who watched with a combination of disbelief and contempt as Owens cursed out 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in the third quarter of a blowout loss to Minnesota. "There are much better ways to vent your frustration."
Evidently, Owens hasn't figured them out. He is perhaps the best receiver in the NFL. He is unquestionably the game's biggest dope.
Owens demands our attention for all the wrong reasons, and in the process, drowns out the accomplishments of other gifted players who choose to showcase their athletic gifts with class and with grace. Players such as Toomer, the best-kept secret in the NFL.
Toomer laughed when it was suggested to him the other day that his biggest "problem" is that he chooses not to be a publicity-hungry jerk like Owens, and that perhaps he'd raise his stature in this controversy-driven world of ours if only he'd scream at Jim Fassel every now and then, or curse Kerry Collins after an incompletion, or autograph a ball after scoring a touchdown.
"That's just not me," he said.
Thank goodness.
Toomer wouldn't dream of pulling the shenanigans that have turned Owens into a locker- room cancer and coach-killer. Toomer is content simply to run his routes with a ballet-like grace and swiftness reminiscent of Lynn Swann. If there are any complaints about not getting the ball enough, they will not be made in front of a television camera. Toomer did throw his helmet in disgust the other day at practice after a botched play, but that was nothing compared with Owens' growing list of transgressions.
"In one sense, you can understand him because he's frustrated," said Toomer, who has 13 catches for 305 yards and two touchdowns heading into Sunday's game against Miami. His 23.5-yard average is tops among receivers with at least 10 receptions. "But to do it on the field in a public situation is uncalled for. It should be done behind closed doors. I feel like the coaches work just as hard as he does, if not harder. To be berated like that in front of everyone on national TV is wrong. A player doesn't want that, so why would anyone else? That's the thing that frustrates me. If I was in that same situation, I don't know how necessary that would be to me.
"The point of the game is for your team to win," he said. "If you win, there's enough for everybody. If you're on a winning team and you're a good player, you can throw the numbers and stats out the window. I don't think I've ever been one of those stat guys, because we're trying to win, not trying to send one guy to the Pro Bowl."
The Giants had the chance to draft Owens in 1996 but instead chose Toomer with their second- round pick. Owens went to the 49ers in the third round. Both receivers took a while before developing into elite pass-catchers. Toomer is on pace for his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season, Owens his fourth.
But somewhere along the way, Owens turned into a chronic self-promoter and complainer, and Toomer made the more sensible choice by taking the high road. It has made all the difference for both players.
In Toomer, the Giants have a productive pass-catcher and beloved teammate. In Owens, the 49ers have a great receiver and a reviled teammate. Owens has ripped quarterback Jeff Garcia, his offensive linemen and his coaches. Garcia no longer talks to his receiver. Nor do the offensive linemen. You'd think a guy in the final year of his contract would at least make an attempt to be more diplomatic. Not Owens, who has ruined any chance of re-signing with the 49ers and is surely turning off prospective free-agent suitors.
Coach Dennis Erickson met with Owens on Monday and said such behavior will no longer be tolerated. Which is like telling a child who stole a candy bar that he'd better not do that again, rather than punishing him for his initial mistake. But why should we expect anything different from Erickson, who was a poor choice for head coach in the first place?
Erickson was gutless in not coming down hard on Owens, who deserved at least a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. The coach could have won over his players by sitting Owens. Instead, he turned into the receiver's latest enabler. Owens thus continues to get away with his childish and destructive behavior because everyone around him is beholden to his talent.
Oh, and one more thing. The Jets will be looking for a big-time receiver next year to make up for the loss of Laveranues Coles. Owens will be on the market. Memo to Jets General Manager Terry Bradway and Coach Herman Edwards: Don't even think about it.
Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service