T.O. delivers KOs in Eagles 31-17 win over Giants

By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY

PHILADELPHIA  The City of Brotherly Love does not shower affection as freely as its moniker suggests. Philadelphia fanatics booed when the Eagles took Donovan McNabb second overall in the 1999 draft, displeased simply because he was not Ricky Williams , the running back they coveted.

Eagles WR Terrell Owens pulls in a 20-yard touchdown against the Giants in the first quarter. Owens scored three TDs in Philly's 31-17 victory. By George Widman, AP

For reasons unknown, they have even booed Santa Claus.

And yet Terrell Owens, the wide receiver who can be as disruptive as he is explosive, has gotten a free pass into their hearts after he rejected a trade from the San Francisco 49ers to the Baltimore Ravens because he'd rather be in Philadelphia.

After the Eagles made three consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship Game without a sniff of a Super Bowl, their fans are convinced T.O. is the big-play man who can carry them to the big game.

Owens, whose new midnight green jersey already tops the league's sales charts, returned the love by snaring three of McNabb's four touchdown passes in a rousing 31-17 rout of the New York Giants on Sunday. (Related item: Box score)

Even the Philadelphia police jumped to the aid of the four-time Pro Bowler. Owens was running late and traffic was snarled all around him when he asked a traffic cop to show him the fastest route to the players' parking lot.

"Dude," the officer replied, "you're not going to make it."

A call for assistance brought a police escort to the rescue.

Week 1 highlights Old faces in new places: Of all the NFL players with a new address, Terrell Owens had the biggest day Sunday. The former 49er had eight catches for 68 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Eagles past the New York Giants. Others in new jerseys making an impact: Troy Vincent led Buffalo with eight tackles. Pittsburgh's Duce Staley ran for 91 yards on 24 attempts. Jeff Garcia passed for a TD and ran for another to lead Cleveland. Washington running back Clinton Portis ran for 148 yards on 29 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown on his first carry. No Raven reviews: Deion Sanders was seldom tested by the Cleveland Browns and did not have a tackle nor an interception, but the 37-year-old Baltimore defensive back had a 5-yard punt return. New coaches: Dennis Green, Tom Coughlin and Norv Turner were coaching new teams after being fired the past few years. All three lost. The only new coach besides Joe Gibbs to get a win was Atlanta's Jim Mora, who beat his old team, the San Francisco 49ers. The league's other new former assistants-turned-head coaches, Chicago's Lovie Smith and Buffalo's Mike Mularkey, suffered narrow defeats.

Owens said he was delayed because a friend was preparing to have a kidney transplant.

Asked how much he was running behind schedule before the NFC East matchup, he replied, "I was on time for the game. That's all that matters."

The Eagles said Owens wouldn't be fined for being late.

T.O. led Philadelphia in both receptions (eight) and receiving yards (68) while his catches of 20, 3 and 12 yards enabled the nine-year veteran to match his career high for touchdowns in one game.

Asked if he ever envisioned a three-score debut, T.O.'s answer was all T.O.

"Yup," he replied. Then he mentioned that it could have been four.

"This is what I've always expected," he continued. "This is what I lobbied to get here for. It's a great start for the team and the organization."

Owens' presence is so dynamic, and he requires so much defensive attention, that it created opportunities for other members of the Eagles.

McNabb spread the ball to seven receivers while connecting on 26 of 36 pass attempts for 330 yards and those four scores. He was not intercepted. His passer rating: an eye-popping 137.5.

Brian Westbrook, being asked to carry the load on the ground with the free agent departure of Duce Staley, responded with the first 100-yard effort of his career. He carried 17 times for 119 yards, including a 50-yard romp.

In all, Philadelphia piled up 454 yards in total offense.

Quarterback Kurt Warner made his debut for the Giants, who lost their ninth in a row and first under new coach Tom Coughlin. "We have our work cut out for us, but I'm not discouraged," Coughlin said.

Released by the Rams in June after losing his job to Marc Bulger, Warner is keeping the position warm for rookie Eli Manning. Warner finished 16-of-28 for 203 yards and was sacked four times. Tiki Barber had 125 yards rushing on nine carries. Manning was 3-of-9 for 66 yards, and fumbled after being hit hard on the final play.

"I thought we made progress," Warner said. "But it's never good enough if you don't win."

After New York's Ron Dayne opened the scoring with a 3-yard run midway through the opening quarter, the Eagles overwhelmed the tattered Giants with 24 unanswered points.

Philadelphia needed only three plays and 1 minute, 59 seconds to cover 71 yards and counter Dayne's burst. McNabb capped the drive by finding Owens in the right corner of the end zone.

Owens struck again on the Eagles' next possession. On second-and-goal at the Giants' 3, McNabb scrambled to his right under heavy pressure from defensive end Michael Strahan. Owens read the situation, drifted to his right and snagged McNabb's 3-yard toss. The Eagles were in full flight.

Owens had traveled to McNabb's Arizona home to work with him soon after he joined his new team. The two roomed together during preseason in an effort to develop a rapport as quickly as possible.

Here is a frightening thought for the rest of the NFL, and it comes from the usually soft-spoken McNabb.

"Things are improving," he said, "but we are not where we want to be."

While Owens ultimately wore out his welcome in San Francisco with antics designed to draw attention to himself, owner Jeffrey Lurie sees him as a perfect fit for the Eagles, who have not won an NFL title since 1960.

"He's an athlete who wants to win badly, and that's where we are at as a franchise," Lurie said. "We've won so much, but we want to take it to the next level."

Nevertheless, the victory was costly for the Eagles. Rookie offensive guard Shawn Andrews, the 16th overall pick in the draft, will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right leg. Philadelphia already lost defensive end N.D. Kalu and running back Correll Buckhalter to season-ending injuries in the preseason.

Notes: Giants Pro Bowl TE Jeremy Shockey, who sat out all four preseason games with an injured foot and hamstring problem, had two catches for 39 yards. ... Weak side LB Nate Wayne sat out with a hamstring injury for Philadelphia. Keith Adams started in his place. ... Westbrook went over 100 yards rushing for the first time in his three seasons.

Division showdowns Teams Division Winner Giants at Eagles NFC East Eagles, 31-17 Ravens at Browns AFC North Browns, 20-3 Cardinals at Rams NFC West Rams, 17-10 Lions at Bears NFC North Lions, 20-16 Chiefs vs. Broncos AFC West

Contributing: The Associated Press