Chad Owens-The One That Got Away

November 25, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Chad Owens (2) returns a kick against the Calgary Stampeders at the Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated Calgary 35-22. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Lets make this clear, Chad Owens didn’t get away. The Jaguars let him get away, for at the time was a good reason. And who is Chad Owens the casual Jaguars fan may ask? Well let me tell you. There’s players that come out of the University of Hawaii that do well in the NFL, but rarely a player that’s “home grown” from Hawaii. And the ones that do are usually on the O or D Line (there’s some big boys out here). Owens was flat out electrifying to watch in college. He was known as “Mighty Mouse”, due to his 5’8″ size, speed and the way he punished defenders after the run. So when the 2005 NFL draft came around, I was more excited that the Jaguars selected Owens in the 6th round, then I’ve been for any player they’ve acquired since Mark Brunell. When preseason came around, he didn’t disappoint. He made eye popping plays lined up out wide, and on Special Teams.

But it was short lived. The NFL is constantly being referred to as a “what have you done for me lately” business. And muffing a few punts will get you waived real quick. And that’s what happened. He spent some time on the practice squad before moving on to the Arena League. After spending a year there, he landed on the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes practice squad. Then in June of 2010 he was acquired by the Toronto Argonauts.

That’s when things came together, and in a big way. In his first year in the CFL, he was named the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Then repeated those honors in 2011. In 2012 he set the Professional Football (NFL, CFL, AFL) record with 3,863 All Purpose yards (that’s not a typo) and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player to go along with a Grey Cup (Canada’s Super Bowl). As of right now, following in the CFL to NFL path like, Joe Theismann, Cameron Wake or Warren Moon is highly unlikely, as Owens just signed a lucrative 2 yr extension with the Argonauts. If he were to be miraculously placed on the Jags roster today, he’d easily be one of the best players on the team and in my opinion, the league. But that’s something we’ll probably never know.

-Jason Abarca