Owens discusses recovery schedule, vows to silence critics

Terrell Owens is working hard to get back on the football field. After that, he'd like to find an NFL team that will allow him to continue his career.

Owens recently provided a positive update on his recovery from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, saying he's way ahead of schedule and hopes to contribute to a team this season.

"The doctors said the timetable was six to eight months, and up to a year, of rehab process," the veteran receiver told ESPN.com following a Monday workout. "Obviously, they gave someone of my caliber a four- to six-month window. Four months is very ambitious, and that's where I'm at now: four months and four or five days out from surgery."

Owens is known to be a quick healer. While with the Philadelphia Eagles, he famously made an early return from a broken leg to post big numbers in a Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the New England Patriots.

But this is a different injury and a different Owens, who at 37 is six years older than he was during his shining moment with the Eagles. Undaunted, Owens believes he can produce for an NFL team by the end of September.

"Talking with the doctors, going through my personal training in L.A. and in Pensacola (Fla.), they stressed that I'm way ahead of schedule," he said. "I'm giving myself the timetable of maybe two or three weeks into the season that I'll be ready. That's giving myself a grace period, for setbacks. I'm rehabbing my butt off to get back on the field."

What remains a mystery is how Owens injured the knee. It's known the injury occurred in April, but Owens refused to elaborate any further.

"It's nobody's business," he said.

Owens has been one of the most productive receivers in NFL history during his career, accumulating 15,934 receiving yards and 153 touchdowns. He had another strong season with a poor Cincinnati Bengals team in 2010, finishing with 72 catches for 983 yards and nine touchdowns.

Owens admitted he had doubts about continuing his career after learning of the severity of his knee injury, but he said religion carried him through the uncertainty. As for how he can fit in with a prospective team, he cited past experience as an example.

"I still feel like I can do the same thing that I did when I went into Buffalo," Owens said. "They said, 'You're not going to be penciled in as our No. 1 guy. We have our No. 1 guy and our No. 2 guy.' I'm like, all right, fine, I'll let my play do the speaking for me. They had Lee Evans there, but if you look at the end-of-the-year statistics, that'll tell you the tale."

Owens played one season for the Bills in 2009, leading the team with 55 receptions for 829 yards and six touchdowns.

"Then, I go to Cincinnati last year," Owens said. "Obviously, they had a great receiver there, Chad (Ochocinco). I went into training camp a day after it started. I had only a month to grasp the offense. Again, look at the statistics -- and I missed two or three games."

Owens clearly is motivated by the speculation that his career is in jeopardy.

"This is another challenge for me," he said. "Another opportunity to show people that age is nothing but a number. You can do anything you put your mind and body to. I don't allow naysayers to deter me from my goal."

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Dolphins' Marshall ends silence, speaks to cops about stabbing

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall finally talked to law enforcement officials about an April incident in which his wife allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen.

Broward County sheriff's office spokesman Ron Ishoy confirmed Thursday in an email to FoxSports.com that Marshall recently was served a subpoena to speak with investigators about the incident.

"He indeed appeared at the Broward state attorney's office and gave a statement to investigators," Ishoy wrote. "The investigation continues."

Marshall previously refused to speak with authorities. His attorney, Harvey A. Steinberg, said in May that the reason was the receiver disagreed with the no-contact order placed on his wife.

"(Marshall) has never felt threatened by his wife and misses her," Steinberg said. "When (they) drop the no-contact order, he'll be more than willing to sit down and discuss this matter, bringing some clarity to this unfortunate misunderstanding."

Michi Nogami-Marshall was arrested again in June after violating the order during a "verbal dispute" at the couple's home in Southwest Ranches, Fla.

Despite the order requiring her to stay at least 500 feet from the home, Nogami-Marshall told deputies she had been living there while Marshall was out of town. When Marshall returned, an argument occurred, followed by a 911 call, but deputies said there was no sign of physical violence.

Nogami-Marshall was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after she allegedly stabbed her husband in the stomach with a kitchen knife April 22. According to the arrest report, she admitted stabbing Marshall but said it was in self-defense.

Marshall initially claimed he suffered his stomach wound when he slipped and fell onto a broken glass vase, but the police report noted there was "no blood within the immediate area to substantiate his claim." Marshall required surgery and a stay in intensive care.

Marshall, who signed a five-year, $50 million contract last year after four seasons with the Denver Broncos, caught 86 passes for 1,014 yards in 14 games with the Dolphins last season. He has been in trouble off the field numerous times for domestic run-ins, although he hasn't been charged with any crime in this latest incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bears' Cutler can silence doubters with standout season

I give Jay Cutler credit for using some of his considerable offseason downtime to tell his part of the troubling story from January's NFC Championship Game that won't die.

What the Bears' much-maligned quarterback seemed to want to convey the most to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times was something his face and body language didn't after he exited with a knee injury: that he cared.

"To get to the point we were and the opportunity we had -- I'm frustrated just like everyone else," Cutler said. "I think I've been through a lot here in Chicago, and I would have loved to play."

You want to take the guy's word for it. You want to believe that, with his team on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and his terrible showing up to the point of his injury, Cutler would have liked nothing more than to get back on the field and do everything humanly possible to help the Bears win.

But the TV images of Cutler's look of disinterest and general sense of being disconnected will linger. So, too, will the flood of criticism from fans, media and many current and former players questioning his toughness for not fighting through the pain and returning to action.

Perhaps it is unfair, given that Cutler was dealing with a Grade II medial collateral ligament tear in his left knee (which, interestingly, he says he hasn't yet tested since the title game). Nevertheless, it is likely to continue to be something he won't be able to live down any time soon and nothing he can say will change that.

What Cutler does could be a different matter. Roaring back from this with a standout season while leading the Bears to a Super Bowl victory would be a good place to start.

Follow Vic Carucci on Twitter @viccarucci.

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