I tend to like Owens, and more times than not his many antics amuse me rather than get my undies in a bunch. And I'm not intending to belittle his battle back from injury or his faith in the unseen. But it really hits me as the height of self-absorption for a professional athlete to claim that his speedy recovery from an ankle injury -- in time to make the Super Bowl -- would be God's chosen way to manifest his miraculous powers.

Can I get a reality check from someone? Anyone? It's a football game. Owens is a football player. Sometimes football players get hurt, and sometimes, if the game is meaningful enough, they return to the field earlier than what is advisable. And that's never going to change. If Owens had played two weeks after his surgery, that would be miracle territory. But almost seven weeks? That's a fast healer who has a considerable threshold for pain and the utmost motivation.

Owens' egotism on display Tuesday extended to him professing that he now realizes that God wants him to be a controversial figure, and thus his many headline-making stunts were all according to his life's plan.

Puh-leez.

"That's how God made me,'' Owens said. "He made me to be controversial, whether it was good or bad. It was in his plan for me to be controversial and I accept that. I feel like I'm a special individual. I am who I am, and you can't dispute that and I'm not going to change that. I didn't ask to be put on this stage. I didn't ask to be controversial. I am who I am. I was T.O. before I got here.''

Huh?

Historically speaking, I think God generally has been on the side of controversial figures who change the world for the better through their principled stands against evil and oppression. Folks like Ghandi and Martin Luther King come to mind. I'm really not sure where God stands on such landmark incidents as stomping on the star at Texas Stadium, Sharpie-gate or the little number with Nicolette Sheridan. But I'm thinking those qualify as controversy of slightly less import.

When he wasn't putting himself at the center of the universe Tuesday, and assigning himself and his rehabilitation way too much significance, Owens was forthright, entertaining and informative regarding a number of matters.

• On his former 49ers teammate Steve Young: "I really don't have too much to say about Steve Young. He was my quarterback, and he's a great quarterback. But I think everybody knows Jerry Rice was his guy.''

• On his comeback from the injury: "At this point, it's no more than an ankle sprain. That's how it feels. There's nothing I can't do. If I can't do it, it can't be done, and I'm talking about coming back and playing.''

• On NBA star Grant Hill's lingering injury problems, which stemmed from him returning to the court too quickly after being hurt: "I'm not Grant Hill. You're not dealing with Grant Hill.''

• On him spurning Baltimore last offseason: "Where's Baltimore at this point, and where am I? I don't think I could have gotten the job done there.''

• On the controversy surrounding the comments of his fellow Eagles receiver, Freddie Mitchell: "What did he say wrong? I've been playing this game for nine years and I don't know the names of a lot of guys. When you go out there and play, names don't matter.''

The irony, of course, is that everything Owens really needed to say on media day, and the one thing that everyone showed up to hear coming out of his mouth, was uttered very early on in his Q&A session. The rest was just filler.

"I'm here, I'm going to play, and that's it,'' he said, taking all the guesswork out of his status. "I can't wait until Sunday.''

OK, so he's playing. Now let's all get to game day and find out how the story ends. Can we just do that, and let the T.O. saga rest until Sunday night?

Wouldn't that be nice? Hey, a guy can dream. If it happens, I know what my first thought is: Will miracles never cease?