EAGLES' OWENS GETS A T.O. RECEIVER TOLD TO LEAVE CAMP AFTER ARGUING WITH REID.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

Fed up with the behavior of Terrell Owens, Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid gave his lightning rod of a receiver a T.O. on Wednesday - a time out.

After an argument with Reid earlier in the day, Owens was sent home from the Eagles' training camp in Bethlehem, Pa., with instructions not to come back until next Wednesday. By late afternoon, he was at his home in Moorestown, N.J., shooting free throws on the basketball court in his driveway.

While the team said in a statement only that Owens was being sent away because of ``undisclosed team issues,'' the Philadelphia Inquirer reported he and Reid exchanged heated words at a team meeting.

The meeting was about player obligations such as autograph sessions during training camp, according to ESPN.com. Owens had skipped a session, which left some players feeling that he had been given special treatment, the Web site said.

After the confrontation with Reid, Owens packed up his belongings and left.

Where this is headed - if Owens returns, is released or traded - is unsure, but he hardly seemed conciliatory.

``If the truth needs to be told, that's what I'll do,'' Owens told the Philadelphia Inquirer as he shot free throws while wearing headphones and a camouflaged Atlanta Braves cap on backward.

``I mean, if (Reid) wants me to be a man about it and really have me go on the air and tell people what happened, then I can. But it was a difference of opinion.

``I think the report is now that I was blowing my fans off. That's not the case. My fans have been great. They have been great. When I was out there on the field, I was attending to my business. They are telling me to go out there and perform and go out there and practice. I'm not going into further detail about the altercation.''

The saga of Owens, who is unhappy with his contract, has played out for much of the off-season in the Philadelphia papers and talk-radio airwaves.

Shortly after hiring agent Drew Rosenhaus earlier this year, he asked the hard-line Eagles to renegotiate the seven-year, nearly $49 million contract he signed after being traded to Philadelphia a year ago. The team said it would not change its policy.

Owens threatened to hold out until he got a new deal, but showed up for the start of camp on Aug. 1 because he didn't want to be fined. However, he has had little contact with his teammates, fans or the media since he arrived. He also irked many fans and teammates earlier this off-season when he criticized quarterback Donovan McNabb for his performance in the Super Bowl.

Owens missed practiced Friday and Saturday with a strained groin, returned to practice Sunday but hasn't practiced since. Reid said at the time that the injury was genuine.

This is the type of trouble many thought the Eagles were borrowing when they acquired Owens. But stung by three consecutive NFC Championship Game losses, they stepped away from their formula of finding unheralded, team-oriented players for a talented but troublesome star.

Reid said he was confident when the deal was made that he wouldn't have trouble with Owens, based in part on coaching him at the Pro Bowl and the recommendation of Eagles assistant Marty Morninweg, who coached Owens in San Francisco.

``He understands the way I operate and I understand that he loves to play the game,'' Reid said in a March 2004 interview with the Daily News. ``That's the one thing I really appreciate about him.''

Owens did get the Eagles to the Super Bowl, catching 77 passes for 1,200 yards and a franchise-record 14 touchdowns passes despite missing the last two regular-season games with a fractured leg and severely sprained ankle.

He also missed two playoff games, but returned in the Super Bowl to catch nine passes for 122 yards in the Eagles' 24-21 loss to New England.

The Eagles, hoping to rebound from that loss, had hoped to buck a trend. Since the Patriots lost to Green Bay following the 1996 season, no team that has lost a Super Bowl has returned to the championship game.

It has not been an auspicious start. In addition to the Owens soap opera, two other Eagles have been grumbling about their contracts. Defensive tackle Corey Simon is still not in camp and halfback Brian Westbrook only reported on Monday because he would otherwise have forfeited a year of service time, delaying the date he'd be eligible for free agency.

Then last week, receiver Todd Pinkston was lost for the year when he ruptured his Achilles tendon. While Pinkston was oft-criticized in Philadelphia, he was the third-leading receiver last season with 36 catches.

If the Eagles jettison Owens, their top receiver would be Greg Lewis, a third-year undrafted free agent who caught 17 passes a year ago. The other leading candidates would be Billy McMullen, who caught three passes a year ago, and rookie Reggie Brown, a second-round pick from Georgia.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) After arguing with coach Andy Reid, disgruntled Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens was sent home Eagles from training camp with orders not to return until next Wednesday.

Coke Whitworth/Associated Press

(2 -- color) OWENS