Planning on a Title With Xs and T.O.’s

Fans of the New England Patriots are tired of hearing about Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens and his playing status for next week’s Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.

Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald: “[Owens] is going to play anyway. Great. Bring him on. The Patriots wouldn’t want to win a third Super Bowl in four years and lay claim to a dynasty without having to shut down T.O., even if it turns out to be a one-legged version.”

Trivia time: Who was the first Philadelphia Eagle to gain more than 1,200 yards receiving in a season? Hint: Owens finished with 77 catches for 1,200 yards this season.

Stellar reporting: During Indiana’s NBA loss to Detroit on Thursday, TNT’s Craig Sager reported that Reggie Miller had told his teammates this would be his last season. That came as news to Miller and the Pacers.

“That’s absolutely false,” said Miller, who will turn 40 in August. “Once again, Craig Sager, inaccurate reporting.... If and when I was to say something like that, there’s two people I would talk to first from TNT. Sir Charles [Barkley] and Cheryl Miller.”

Oh, really? Recently, Dick Vitale claimed that this season’s point guards in the Atlantic Coast Conference, led by Chris Paul of Wake Forest, Raymond Felton of North Carolina and Jarrett Jack of Georgia Tech, were the best in the league’s 52-year history.

Former Clemson point guard Grayson Marshall disagreed. He told the Florida Times-Union, “I’ll take my sophomore year in ‘85-86. You had Mark Price, Kenny Smith, Nate McMillan, Tommy Amaker, Keith Gatlin and Muggsy Bogues. I ended up being the all-time ACC career assists leader and I probably ended up being seventh on that depth chart.”

Desperate changes: The Cardinals have had only one winning NFL season since moving to Phoenix from St. Louis in 1988, so owner Bill Bidwill decided to change uniforms instead of coaches. The team unveiled a fiercer looking Cardinal for the team’s helmets.

With the Cardinals moving into a new stadium in 2006, the Cardinals are hoping a new look will boost their merchandise sales, which are among the worst in the NFL.

Ouch! Carolina’s Steve Smith ripped Philadelphia’s Freddie Mitchell on “The James Brown Show,” heard on Sporting News Radio: “He’s not a premier receiver. My son in flag football had 22 catches. That’s the level he’s on. He should keep his mouth shut and catch more balls than fourth-and-26. Score with the ball. Don’t catch somebody else’s fumble.”

Trivia answer: Ben Hawkins led the NFL with 1,265 yards receiving, a team record at the time, and 10 touchdowns in 1967. Hawkins played for the Eagles from 1966 to 1973.

And finally: After Pittsburgh lost in the playoffs, Calvin Broadus, a.k.a. Snoop Dogg, offered to replace Coach Bill Cowher.

Randy Hill of FoxSports.com suggested that Cowher could then look into a career in rap: “This could be interesting, although attempting to say ‘Shizzle’ might cause the spittle-filled Cowher to unleash a tidal wave of slobber.”