Owens leads the cheers in Niners' loss

Sunday December 15, 2002

By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Terrell Owens' groin injury nearly prevented him from playing Sunday. But it didn't stop him from adding another unique touchdown celebration to the NFL's biggest collection.

By dancing with a pair of pompoms after a 45-yard TD catch, Owens followed another spectacular play with another one-of-a-kind expression of joy in the San Francisco 49ers' 20-14 loss to Green Bay.

Late in the third quarter, Owens streaked behind the Packers' defense to catch a long pass from Jeff Garcia. Green Bay cornerback Mike McKenzie jumped on him, but Owens dramatically shrugged him off and bulled into the end zone.

The NFC's leading receiver then picked up two gold pompoms belonging to the 49ers' Gold Rush cheerleaders. He danced along with the dancers for a moment behind the end zone, drawing wild applause and laughter from the rain-soaked fans.

``I think in my next life, I'm going to be cheerleader,'' Owens said with a grin. ``After I cross the goal line, I'm in my own little zone, my own little world.''

This is far from the first instance of outlandish end zone behavior for Owens, but it was one of the most harmless. None of the Packers seemed to be offended by the gesture, and coach Mike Sherman claimed he didn't even notice it.

``You can't get mad at him,'' Packers running back Ahman Green said. ``If he's making plays like he made and scoring touchdowns like that, he can do pretty much whatever he wants. ... I don't think he means any disrespect.''

Owens said he faced the Packers at ``80 percent effectiveness'' because of a strained muscle. He didn't expect to play on Saturday, when the 49ers downgraded him from probable to questionable, but felt better on game day.

He'll probably to sit out at least one of the 49ers' final two games, which will have no bearing on their playoff position. NFC West champion San Francisco (9-5) will finish with the fourth seed in the conference, hosting a wild-card team on the first weekend in January.

With eight catches for 75 yards against the Packers, Owens has a career-high 100 catches for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He's nearing his career bests of 1,451 yards in 2000 and 16 TDs last season.

Owens also passed Roger Craig for second place on the 49ers' career receptions list behind Jerry Rice but as ever with the 49ers' most talented player, showmanship was just as important as athleticism.

Owens sparked a national debate on sportsmanship on Oct. 14 when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass in a victory over Seattle. After reaching the end zone, Owens pulled a pen from his sock, autographed the ball and presented it to his financial adviser in the front row.

Two seasons earlier, Owens incurred the wrath of the Dallas Cowboys and his own coach for running to midfield at Texas Stadium and celebrating on the Cowboys' star logo.

Steve Mariucci suspended Owens for one game after that, leading to two years of bad blood between them. They've patched up their differences, and Mariucci has been uniformly supportive of Owens this fall.

``I love seeing Terrell celebrating in the end zone,'' Mariucci said. ``It's nice when he scores touchdowns, and nobody does it better.''

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)