T.O. not an issue for Philadelphia; ex-player's locker has new occupant

Losing the All-Pro wideout puts more pressure on QB Donovan McNabb.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- If there was any lingering doubt that Terrell Owens is no longer a part of the Philadelphia Eagles, this ought to clear it up: A rookie tight end moved into his old locker Wednesday.
And other than making his suspension official, the Eagles had nothing more to say.
Like it or not, life after T.O. has arrived for Philadelphia.
No more daily drama.
No more distractions.
No more sniping and griping.
No more playoffs?
Others ready
"We know T.O. is not here, so everyone who has to catch the ball has to step up," tight end L.J. Smith said.
Without Owens, the soap-opera atmosphere may be gone and team chemistry might be restored. But that doesn't change the fact that Donovan McNabb's top two targets are now Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown.
Lewis, a fourth receiver, has 26 catches for 284 yards and one TD this season. Brown showed promise with five catches for 94 yards and a TD on Sunday -- the first game without Owens -- but he's still a rookie.
It's enough to make fans flash back to the days of Charles Johnson and Torrance Small, Todd Pinkston and James Thrash.
The struggling Eagles are 4-4 and were having trouble on offense, even with one of the NFL's top playmakers in the lineup. A team that has played in the last four NFC championship games suddenly finds itself in a difficult position to make the playoffs.
Owens, who was dismissed from the Eagles on Monday, had 20 touchdowns in 21 regular-season games with Philadelphia. Losing the All-Pro wideout puts more pressure on McNabb, running back Brian Westbrook and the rest of the offense.
Precedent
"Everyone wants to say we didn't win championship games without a big-play receiver. Well, our big-play receiver was hurt last year and we won a championship game," cornerback Sheldon Brown said Wednesday.
The Eagles led the NFC all of last season and reached the Super Bowl, despite losing Owens to an ankle injury in Week 15. But Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell were the starting wideouts, McNabb was playing at a high level and the defense was dominant.
McNabb is struggling, Pinkston is out for the year with an injury and Mitchell is unemployed after being cut by the Eagles and Kansas City. Meanwhile, the defense has been inconsistent, allowing an average of 23.9 points per game.
"With No. 81 being out, we have to take it upon ourselves as a defense to play better," end Jevon Kearse said. "We have to create turnovers and give the offense a better chance."
The question
Can the Eagles survive without Owens?
They won a playoff game with Johnson and Small as the starting receivers. They went to three NFC title games -- and lost -- with Pinkston and Thrash.
Owens invigorated the offense when he arrived from San Francisco and helped the Eagles to a 13-1 start last season, with nine victories by double-digit margins. Now they'll have to settle for any wins they can get.
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