Terrell Owens can shed off cornerbacks, but can he free himself from a trade to Baltimore? Jeff Hanisch/Getty Images

TAMPA, Fla. -- Let me get this straight: NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw wants Terrell Owens' trade to Baltimore rescinded? That's what he told the Washington Post over the weekend. He said he would be talking to NFL Management Council executive director Harold Henderson about Owens' status soon, and a league spokesman said Sunday that Upshaw and Henderson have discussed the situation.

I know Upshaw pretty well, and I have to wonder if he heard the question originally posed by the Post reporter about the Owens deal wrong, or if there was a crackle in the phone that caused his response to be misunderstood. Because Upshaw's answer sounds insane to me. The fact is, someone has to get on the phone with Owens and his agent, David Joseph, right now and say: Listen, you 9-year-olds, wake up! You blew your chance at free agency and thereby lost your right to dictate where you will play in 2004 and beyond. Go to Baltimore, negotiate a fair contract with the Ravens and get to work on rehabbing your image, which has to be the worst of any football player's since Ryan Leaf. And do all this, hopefully, while talking as little as possible.

OK. I'm going to settle down now.

I am absolutely amazed at the legs the Owens story has. But the conclusion has to be that Owens accepts his trade to the Ravens, which was consummated last Thursday afternoon, or not play. The 49ers received Baltimore's second-round draft pick in exchange for Owens.

Let's recap the events that led to this. Owens ended 2003 with three years left on his contract with the 49ers. But he had an out; he could declare himself a free agent by telling San Francisco he was voiding the deal. He had to do that by Feb. 21. Nine other players had the option to void their respective deals by that date as well. Eight of them apparently understood what "deadline" meant and exercised their right by the specified date. Cleveland wideout Dennis Northcutt and Owens did not -- even though, I'm told, the agent for Owens was reminded 11 days before the deadline he had to notify the 49ers of Owens' wishes by that date. Joseph didn't do it. The Niners retained Owens' rights. Owens screamed bloody murder, but he was out of luck, basically. So the 49ers had Owens' rights, and they told the agent last week he could seek a deal for the player, just as they would pursue a trade for Owens. San Francisco GM Terry Donahue called about 10 teams to gauge their interest in the receiver. Only two of those teams, Baltimore and Philadelphia, offered him anything. Philly's best offer was a fifth-round pick and a marginal player. Baltimore's second-rounder proposal blew the Eagles' one away.

While Donahue was trying to negoatiate a trade, Joseph was talking to the Eagles -- Owens' professed first love this offseason -- and the Ravens. "[Owens'] agent talked with our negotiator [Pat Moriarty] for a couple of hours on Thursday," Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome told me this weekend. "We were trying to make progress toward a deal."

If Owens was so sure-fire set on playing for the Eagles, what was Joseph doing talking turkey for so long with the Ravens?

There has been dispute about whether the 49ers, in granting teams permission to  talk to Owens' agent, would defnitely trade Owens to whichever team reached a deal with him first. Donahue told me there was never any guarantee that the team that reached a tentative contract accord would automatically get the player via trade. That would still depend on which offer the 49ers liked better. The Eagles got mad because they reached a deal with Joseph around 3 p.m. Thursday, and they expected their lukewarm talks with San Francisco to accelerate into a trade. "We were 95 percent there, and you'd expect if you were that far along, we'd have heard back from San Francisco before they got a deal done with someone else," said Eagles president Joe Banner.

Well, after talking to all the parties, I dispute that they were 95 percent there. Sounds to me they were about 60 percent there. Maybe Donahue didn't make it clear enough to Andy Reid, his trade partner with the Eagles, but it was no contest between the Baltimore offer and the Philly offer. "At the end of the day, I had to walk out to my car and feel safe," said Donahue, implying that he'd have gotten stoned if he'd dealt Owens for a fifth-rounder plus some roster flotsam instead of a second-round pick in the draft.

OK. So now it's established that the 49ers can trade Owens to any team they desire. They fax a signed trade proposal to the Ravens' Newsome. Newsome signs it, and faxes it back. The 49ers then fax the deal to the league office. The league office accepts the trade.

That's it. Time's up. The game is over.

Because Owens whiffed on his chance to be a free agent, he then lost every right to dictate where he plays. I talked to Newsome over the weekend for a story that appears in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, and believe me, he's holding firm. Good for him. He sees this as posturing by the player and agent. Owens, meanwhile, went on a TV blitz to try to convince America what a bad, bad thing the 49ers had done, and how it was just soooooo unfair that he wasn't traded the team of his choice. For God's sake, he even invited a Philly TV station to his home Sunday to tell his tale.

Two final points:

1. If the Eagles really wanted Owens, they'd have made a much better offer than a low pick and an OK player. "I asked about [defensive linemen] Corey Simon, [Darwin] Walker, a number of players," said Donahue. "Andy said no. Finally, I asked about Brandon Whiting and Sam Rayburn [two non-premier defensive players]. Andy said, 'Absolutely not.' I mean, say what you want about the guy. But this is Terrell Owens we're talking about. Their offers were just not in the ballpark."

2. If a special master who hears this gobbledygook case lets the union somehow, some way nullify this trade and allows Owens to be either a free agent or traded to Philadelphia, then Paul Tagliabue's nice little football league has gone to hell in a handbasket.

"Nobody ever had the balls to step out and grab T.O. by the throat and say, 'You're paid to be a receiver and catch the ball. You're not paid to berate the coaches on the sideline. You're not paid to sign autographs in the middle of the game. You're not paid to try and call the plays and coach the quarterbacks.' Nobody ever said, 'Damn it, play football.' ''

--Bob Garcia, the father of waived 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, talking in an interview with SI.com's Don Banks about the problems caused last season by Terrell Owens.

Sweet music to Washington fans' ears:

Clinton Portis, in his three seasons (one at the University of Miami and two with Denver) as a full-time starting running back in college or pro football, has averaged, per season, 5.5, 5.5 and 5.5 yards per carry.

Down here in condoland for some work on SI's baseball preview issue. I consider myself quite a devotee of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, but I must say that even if I were in my right mind I doubt I would have paid $300 for a box seat to their first preseason meeting of the year Sunday in Fort Myers.

A TWO-PARTER ABOUT PASSERS. From Mike Dixon of San Angelo, Texas: "I'm an old Dolphins fan and I'm worried about their quarterback situation. A.J. Feeley can't be ready to start in the NFL. How do you think Jeff Garcia would fit in Miami? I'm also interested to know if you think there has been a run of three consecutive quarterbacks as good as Montana-Young-Garcia?''

	MAILBAG Peter King will answer your questions each week in Monday Morning Quarterback: Tuesday Edition. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Re: Feeley ... The man won four straight games with the Eagles in 2002 (beating St. Louis, Seattle, Washington and Dallas) , and lost the fifth only when his kicker missed a gimme against the Giants to end the season. It was Feeley's play as a starting quarterback in big games that clinched home-field advantage for the Eagles down the stretch of that season. Truthfully, once Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey were out of the mix, and the Dolphins still weren't certain that Garcia was going to be freed up by the 49ers or that Feeley wouldn't end up going somewhere else, bringing in the latter was the best decision Miami could have made.

Now, as for Montana-Young-Garcia, there is no question they're they best trifecta of consecutive quarterbacks on one team in NFL history. Not even close. They're among the top 10 quarterbacks of all time in QB rating, all 61-percent passers or better, all with better than 2-to-1 TD-to-interception ratios for their careers.

I AM NOT A LAWYER, JIM, BUT I DID STAY AT A HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS LAST NIGHT. From Jim Haug of Williston, Vt.: "As an attorney, I am alternately amused and angered by the attempts of the sports media to predict the outcomes of legal proceedings before they start based on so-called 'past history.' Mr. Garland [Ed Garland, the attorney for Jamal Lewis in his drug case] has a well-earned reputation as a top-shelf defense attorney. However, making a connection between the Ray Lewis case (state court, almost entirely circumstantial evidence, questionable charge) and the Jamal Lewis case (Federal case, taped evidence, meaningful drug charge) is a long stretch, to say the least. Keep up the good work.''

Thanks, Jim, for pointing out my error.

GREAT QUESTION ABOUT PORTIS, ONE THAT WE CAN'T ANSWER TILL NOVEMBER. From William Yarbrough of Landover, Md.: "Do you think that Clinton Portis can take the pounding that Joe Gibbs is expecting from a feature back?''

Wish I had the answer. The best I can tell you is that Portis, in his three seasons as a college/pro starting running back, has rushed 783 times. That's an average of 261 carries per season. I am quite sure Gibbs will ask Portis to carry it 325 times, unless he comes down with an injury or shows a propensity to wear down. I can tell you that the Broncos thought Portis was a tough runner. But the fact is, he's a 205ish-pound back -- and 205-pounders who take a beating usually don't last as long as 235-pound guys. We'll have to wait and see.

BEWARE THE CALORIES IN A BREVE LATTE. From David Pascual of Fairfax, Va.: "While the venti breve latte is an astonishing 710 calories and 62 grams of fat, your venti Caramel Macchiato runs you a 390 calories (17 grams of fat), while your old standby eggnog latte checked in at a hefty 630 calories and 35 grams of fat. Water still runs you zero calories (zero fat) and costs you just under a penny a glass.''

You know, I really should pay attention to that.

THEY'RE STILL MAD ABOUT THE BLADDER GUY AT THE COMBINE. From Michael Midelton of San Diego: "I have to totally disagree with you on a response to the 'bladder scenario' involving Isaac Hilton. Why on earth do you think we, as readers, are interested in someone with a bladder problem/fear factor? I didn't like it then, and your rationale for writing it is even more pathetic.''

I said last week that if I could do it over again, I'd rethink my decision to write about the guy. Michael, you and several others have found it totally inappropriate for something like that to be in a column. To me, because Hilton's actions were the talk of several personnel people and scouts at the combine, who were so stunned by it, I found it newsworthy. But, again, because several readers found it so offensive, I'd keep it in the notebook the next time.

1. I think for all the bashing the Colts have taken for the Peyton Manning contract, I don't find it all that awful, frankly. Assuming the Colts convert the $9 million and $10 million roster bonuses into pro-rated signing bonuses in years three and four of the contract -- highly likely as a cap aid because signing bonuses are pro-rated and roster bonuses must count in the league year they are incurred -- here are the cap figures in each of the seven years of the contract: 2004, $8.30 million; 2005, $8.43 million; 2006, $10.05 million; 2007, $7.69 million; 2008, $18.19 million; 2009, $20.69 million; 2010, $19.95 million. On the average, the first four years of the deal will count about nine percent of the Colts' cap. (By comparison, Washington left tackle Chris Samuels' salary this year is 11 percent of the Redskins' cap total.) The last three years will hurt, no question. They'll be 15 percent or more of the cap. I suppose that's awful, but I'm hearing too much about Manning's contract being the beginning of the end of Western Civilization.

2. I think this is the stat you Raiderphiles had better pay attention to about your new nose man, Ted Washington, who is a very good player when healthy (probably a top-10 player for New England in terms of his value last year in the playoffs): He played 30 percent of the Patriots' defensive snaps last year. For $5.5 million in bonus and salary next year, I'd think you'd want more out of the guy than that.

3. I think I loved the Jets' trade and signing of wideout Justin McCareins, formerly of Tennessee. Six years, $24.5 million for a legitimate emerging deep threat. At 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, the sure-handed McCareins will be an excellent complement to Santana Moss. It hasn't been the best postseason for the contract-shedding Jets, who were left at the altar Thursday by first-choice corner Antoine Winfield -- even though they bought the Winfield troupe dinner at Il Postino on Manhattan's East side Wednesday night. The Jets thought it was a celebratory dinner. And the Jets weren't really thrilled by the Winfield party blaming his cold feet on his wife not liking Long Island. There's no shame in admitting you went for $4.5 million more Minnesota dollars.

4. I think there are those inside the Titans organization (and I'm sure their fans are wondering, too) who are surprised Tennessee did not make Jevon Kearse a franchise player. That way, the Titans would have had the ability to get something back in trade instead of losing him outright to the Eagles. Now, part of the reason they didn't do so is that the Titans were so tight against the cap that to clear the money necessary to declare Kearse a franchise player would have meant clearing out more players from the Tennessee roster. But the real motive, I hear, is that Kearse refused to take his end-of-season physical with the Titans. Why is this significant? Well, some folks (some folks inside the Titans, perhaps) might take that to mean that Kearse was hiding a more serious injury than the high ankle sprain that plagued him late in the season. Then Kearse had a complete physical exam done independently so he and agent Drew Rosenhaus knew he'd be totally healthy when free agency began, and they knew he'd pass whatever physical he took with flying colors. I'm not saying it's the sole explanation for why Kearse is no longer a Titan. I am saying it was just another brick in the wall.

5. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. What I liked about The Sopranos premier Sunday night was that it didn't try to do too much. David Chase doesn't try to assault our senses with too many revolutionary things happening at once. Tony's out of the house now, and trying (poorly) to seduce Dr. Melfi. We even had a whacking. A gratuitous one, but a whacking nonetheless. Looks like it's going to be a fun season.

b. Coffeenerdness: The three notes I got last week have shamed me back to the hazelnut lattes. Those grande caramel macchiatos are fat machines. Pretty good fat machines, though.

c. Montclair (N.J.) Mock Trial Note of the Week: If you get a chance, run by the New Jersey Law Center today to support the Mounties in the state North Regional final. The team's going to have to get by without me today. Go legal eagles!

d. I can't say enough good things about Curb Your Enthusiasm, particularly the show last week with Russell Means playing Wandering Bear, a medicine man for intimate areas and dogs' voiceboxes. See how bizarre that sounds? It's four times funnier than that.

e. Every time I see Mike Bibby in a highlight, I wonder why people don't talk about him as one of the top four or five players in basketball.

f. Saw a classic Perry Mason the other night. Wonder if those are on DVD anywhere. That's one of the best shows of all time.

g. Speaking of one of the best things of all time, how about Chinatown? Is Jack Nicholson at his all-time best in that one? Re-watched it Friday night at home and marveled at two things: how great and well-dressed he was, and how cinematically beautiful Los Angeles is in that movie.

6. I think everyone who covers football or works in it was saddened by the death of Val Pinchbeck Saturday night in New York. He was hit by a taxi in Midtown. Pinchbeck was retired, but for years, in addition to his duties with the NFL TV Committee, he was the schedule-maker and worked wonders in balancing the national games so that deserving teams got a chance to develop national audiences. He had a wit and welcoming nature I'll never forget.

7. I think, speaking of TV, I heard an interesting thing from Patriots owners and TV Committee member Bob Kraft the other day. It's been out there that the NFL will consider putting a Thursday night game on the schedule when the next TV deal is negotiated later this year or next. "Remember," Kraft said, "this is a business where traditionally less has been more. Scarcity of product has helped make it dear. We don't want to load it up so that we're like some of the other sports, with games on every night."

8. I think the problem I see with a regular Thursday game is a competitive one. Coaches have gotten used to a slightly shorter week with the Monday night. But say you're assigned two Thursday night games in a season. Most likely, one or both would follow a Sunday game. Tired teams don't equate to consistently good football. Just because it's done on Thanksgiving doesn't mean it should be done for 17 weeks.

9. I think the Redskins, once the Kearse money got too far out of hand for even them, decided to take a two-for-one deal. "With the holes we had on defense," VP Vinny Cerrato told me, "we figured, let's go get [DT] Cornelius Griffin and [OLB] Marcus Washington. That'll be better for our defense as a whole." Kearse's guaranteed money: $20 million. Griffin/Washington's guaranteed money: $15.3 million. See? And you thought the Redskins weren't being thrifty.

10. I think it's a measure of the insanity of the times when the 49ers can pay a decent corner -- Ahmed Plummer, a guy two of his former coaches (Steve Mariucci and Jim Mora) did not pursue -- $35 million and Terry Donahue says: "We are so relieved to get him done. That's a great signing for us."

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Monday Morning Quarterback appears in this space every week.