TEN THINGS I THINK I THINK

1. I think I must give much due to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli for his e-mail to me last week asking if I was sure I had the Tom Brady cap numbers right. Stupid me. I didn't. I forgot to include the $9 million in cap dollars that had to be accounted for from Brady's last contract. And, as I checked that out, I also erred in how his signing bonus and 2006 option bonus should be distributed over the life of the contract. So for all of you cap fans keeping score, here are the absolute, final and unswervingly correct Brady cap numbers, respectively, from 2005 to 2010: $8.4 million, $14.4 million, $11.9 million, $13.9 million, $13.9 million and $6.5 million. If you estimate the cap to rise $6 million a year after the recent bonanza of a television deal with the networks (and I'd say that's conservative), the only year Brady's cap hit would be a prohibitive chunk would be 2006, when his $14.4 million would take up about 15.7 percent of a projected $92 million cap. I know we're not supposed to say, "Thanks, competition,'' but Lenny did, after all, help me get this right.

Terrell Owens has had a rocky offseason, after he let it be known he wants the Eagles to renegotiate his contract. Simon Bruty/SI

2. I think the most interesting thing I read this weekend was Stephen A. Smith's column in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer. In his piece about Donovan McNabb's leadership and assorted Eagles thoughts, Smith wrote this about the relationship between Terrell Owens and his quarterback: "Here's the worst-kept secret in the Eagles' locker room: Owens isn't too fond of McNabb. He believes McNabb is a company man, a player who marches purely to [Andy] Reid's tune. Someone who tows [sic] the company line, gets paid handsomely to do so, even when he's unwittingly exploited by Reid and Co. to keep the rest of the troops in line.'' Now, Smith talks to Owens. He's written a couple of insightful columns about T.O. during the past few months. My guess is that Owens has tanked McNabb privately to Smith. That's just a guess. No inside knowledge there at all. At the very least, there's no doubt in my mind that Owens thinks McNabb is a company man, Smith column or no Smith column. And what that tells me is that something stinks in Philly. I still think McNabb and the stunningly selfish Owens can co-exist and play in an another Super Bowl together (I didn't say "win,'' I said "play''), but this thing is getting ugly.

3. I think what is not surprising to me about Owens trying to get more money out of the Eagles a year after begging to be in Philly is Owens' cluelessness . Is he a great player? Absolutely. Was he a huge difference in the Eagles' season last year? No question. But someday, when Owens is 55 and at some celebrity event, he'll be walking down the hall of some ritzy hotel, and walking the other way will be Reid. Owens will have to look his former coach in the eye and say hello, and Reid will say, "T.O., why? Why'd you look me in the face when you were trying to get out of San Francisco, tell me everything I heard about you is untrue and tell me what a good guy you were. We went out on a limb to deal for you when everyone told us you were a cancer, and we defended you, gave you the right to save yourself from a bad situation in San Francisco, and gave you the contract you wanted and  willingly signed. Then you screwed us a year later. Why?'' I would like to be there at that moment, just to see what Terrell Owens would say. My gut feeling? He will have absolutely no idea what Reid is talking about. Because he is never wrong.

4. I think it's hard for me to believe the Giants would be happy with Tim Hasselbeck as their backup quarterback.

5. I think it's been a long time since I had very many thoughts about Nate Newton, but they came flooding back the other day when I read what Newton, who served 2 1/2 years in prison after a drug conviction, said to a Dallas radio station about how he got all competitive when he entered the drug-trafficking business. "I couldn't see myself not being the biggest dope man," he said. If that wasn't tragic, it would be hilarious. And very Newtonish. He was by far my favorite Cowboys quote during their glory years -- better than Mike Irvin, who was pretty darned quotable himself.

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

a. I know we're nearing the end of the season, and I missed two episodes while vacationing, but House is getting better.

b. I told you not to put dirt on the Yankees yet.

c. Wade Miller looks like the old Wade Miller, even if he doesn't have the wins yet. Just wait.

d. Had to put Pumpkin the veteran cat to sleep on Friday. She was an unfriendly orange marmalade cat who really disliked people and had no redeeming value, except she was our cat for 14 years. Remember the "Woody died'' column? Bet you're glad we weren't as attached to Pumpkin, or you'd be reading another gloppy paean to a pet this morning.

e. Coffeenerdness: In violation of my new no-overcoffeeing ordinance, I have slipped into a triple venti vanilla latte mode, up from the grande vanilla latte. Let's not spread that around. I'm supposed to be eating and drinking right.

7. I think, fans of Manchester United, that if you'd ask me about Malcolm Glazer, your prospective new (and unwanted) owner, I'd tell you I have absolutely no idea what he's like. The leprechaunish Glazer is as reclusive and unknown as a sports owner can be. He doesn't seem to muck up the inner workings of the Bucs, though, and he approved the seemingly outlandish trade for Jon Gruden. The deal -- two first-round picks and two seconds in exchange for the coach did lead to a Super Bowl title, so it obviously worked. I understand the disgust of fans who don't want to see a carpetbagger come in and buy a national treasure like Man U, but to be honest, I don't think you'll notice very much.

8. I think someone out there in need of an undersized, leader-type linebacker who still can play should sign Ron McKinnon, formerly of the Cardinals. This guy wants it and he wants it bad.

9. I think Ty Law has the New York Jets written all over him. He probably won't be able to run and cut until July, but the Jets would wait for him ... and he would love to be back in the Patriots' division to show them what they're missing.

10. I think, speaking of the Jets, I can't see that West Side stadium ever getting built in New York for them -- not with businesses abandoning the World Trade Center site and the city and state needing to address the 9/11 issues there so desperately.