JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Feb 4 (AFP) - Injured Philadelphia receiver Terrell Owens and his potential Super Bowl impact remained a major mystery as coaching rivals Bill Belichick and Andy Reid made final pre-game comments here Friday.
The defending champion Patriots seek their third American football crown in four years here Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, who expect Owens to play and perform well even if does not start here on Sunday.
"Whether he starts or not, that's irrelevent," Eagles coach Reid said. "We have got some plays we would like to see him in on. If one of them happens to be the first play, he will be in there."
Owens caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games before suffering a broken right fibula and ankle on December 19. Doctors told him not to play but Owens has practiced and vows to be on the field at full strength.
"I have the best doctor of all. That's God. You can't argue with a guy like that," Owens said.
"I'm a little sore but that's to be expected. I'm only 6 1/2 weeks out of surgery. I'm not really concerned about it. Once I get out there I'm just going to let go."
New England's Belichick, who could overtake National Football League legend Vince Lombardi for the all-time best playoff record, expects nothing less than Owens' best.
"He has had a great year. We understand what he is capable of doing. We expect to see him at his best," Belichick said.
"He's not going out there on crutches. Whether or not we're able to stop him remains to be seen. They're not going to put the guy out there in a wheelchair."
Using National Basketball Association All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal as an example, Owens made it clear he will not be simply serve as a distraction.
"Any time I'm on the field I expect to have an impact," Owens said. "Being a decoy, I just don't forsee myself being that. It's like putting Shaq on the court and not giving him the ball."
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb joked that he would follow the lead of a Philadelphia NBA star famous for not passing to teammates, saying, "We're not going to throw him the ball. That makes me Allen Iverson."
McNabb truly expects "T.O." will play a vital role as both inspiration and scoring threat, but admits fatigue could play a factor by the final minutes.
"I don't think the concern is whether he's going to be as fast as he was when he left or whether our timing will be together," McNabb said. "The concern is whether he will last the whole game.
"I think when he's in there good things are going to happen."
Owens has impressed at practices and together with run-pass threats McNabb and Brian Westbrook will spark the Eagles' offense.
"He has felt great," Reid said. "He has done very well, increased his work load every day. We have to just put him out there for exercise and see how he does. I think I'll be saying that right up to kick-off."
New England safety Rodney Harrison looks forward to facing a full-strength Owens.
"We want to see their best. We don't want any excuses," he said. "We're not going to give any excuses and we don't want anyone else to make any excuses."
The Patriots, known for masterful defensive schemes, have already had enough trouble working out a plan to shut down the Eagles.
"They have a tough offense to defend," Belichick said. "We've had two weeks to get ready and we've needed all of it.
"Any play is a big play with the ball in Donovan McNabb's hands. He's a tough guy to defend. You have to stay disciplined and have good team defense to have a chance of success against him."
02/04/2005 22:50 GMT - AFP