Greg Lewis Knows Chess

You know it's slow times when the only source of new Eagles info today comes courtesy of the New York Times' Jere Longman. A former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Longman mostly handled soccer coverage for the Times, but I noticed his byline a lot more last football season as the paper's unofficial Eagles beat reporter. Though his piece today (here; registration required) is graced by the headline, "Eagles Are Preparing For Life Without Owens," the article is basically an interview with Greg Lewis. In fact, the shocking revelations Lewis offers are that Terrell Owens won't sit out the season because "Letting money go away that you can't receive again is pretty tough" and the party line that the team can win either with or without Owens in the starting lineup. Stop the presses!

More revealing are some details surrounding the third-year receiver Lewis, who walked on to the University of Illinois football team, walked off after his freshman year when he felt neglected, then walked on again. He was also a member of his high school's chess team, which makes the following more astonishing: The play on which Lewis scored the Eagles' final touchdown in this year's Super Bowl saw him line up in the wrong spot! Hopefully, Lewis won't need to line up out of place to help him make more of an impact as the team's third receiver this season (or as the second WR if Owens does indeed decide to sit out).