Terrell Owens: Surefire Hall of Famer?

With the news late Sunday night that wide receiver Terrell Owens has surgery to repair a torn ACL in one of his knees sometime in the past month, it reasonable to think the 37 year-old free agent's career could be over.  It has been speculated he suffered the injury during a private workout or on set of the VH1 reality show "Single Girls", but that's really beside the point and he will be out six months regardless. 

It is worth noting Owens missed the final two games of the 2010 season, with the Cincinnati Bengals, due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. 

For clarity purposes I will put aside all of the controversy that has surrounded Owens during his career, from calling out teammates to doing sit-ups in his driveway to signing a football with a Sharpie after scoring a touchdown.  But all of those distractions do not mean anything in terms of answering this question:

Is Terrell Owens a Hall of Famer?

In 15 NFL seasons with five teams, Owens has accumulated 1,078 receptions (fifth all-time), 15,934 receiving yards (second all-time) and 153 touchdowns (second all-time).  He has led the league in touchdown catches three times (2001, 2002, 2006), and would almost certainly have topped 1,000 yards for the 10th time in his career and had double digit touchdowns for the ninth time if not for missing the final two games last season and he has 72 receptions for 983 yards along with nine touchdowns for the Bengals.

Some may call Owens a "stat collector" that has benefited from playing in a pass-happy era and as part of some pass-happy offenses with the 49ers and Eagles in particular.  Those that want to find on-field evidence of his ineptitude and lack of Hall of Fame qualifications will site his propensity to drop passes.

Owens is well known for keeping himself in top physical condition, so if anyone can rehab and make it back from this type of injury he probably can even at an advanced age.  He has proven he can be productive into his 30's, so a team that has a need at wide receiver down the stretch of the 2011 season could probably do worse than to consider signing Owens. 

Whether his career is over or not, Terrell Owens is certainly a Hall of Famer.  Voters will certainly look at his personality and ego and not vote for him, but the numbers he has put up place him among the best pass catchers of his or any era.  He will likely go down as one of the most dangerous receivers after the catch in league history.