Without Owens, Eagles could be in trouble

“If he’s here, we can do special things together,” McNabb said Friday. “If he’s not, I think we still can win without him. And I didn’t mean that in a bad way, but I’m saying that in a confident way for the guys around me.”

The receivers left around McNabb need all the confidence they can get. Perhaps it will make up for what they sorely lack in experience and Pro Bowl-type talent.

Whether Owens ever plays for Philadelphia again is anyone’s guess. About the only thing less certain in the Eagles’ tumultuous training camp is what exactly they have among their thin and inexperienced receiving corps.

McNabb figures it’s time to welcome potential replacements. Philly fans, this is what you could be left with if Owens never returns to the Eagles:

“I’d like for all of you to introduce yourselves to Greg Lewis, Billy McMullen, Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown,” McNabb said.

That’s not exactly Owens and Todd Pinkston. Heck, that’s not even Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell.

With Owens banished for a week and Pinkston out for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon, the Eagles go into Monday night’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh with Lewis (23 career catches in two seasons) and rookie Brown as their starting wide receivers.

They’ll need all the playing time they can get.

If Owens and the Eagles fail to resolve their differences — which is easier to picture with each combative day — the team will be left with two wide receivers who combined for 20 catches and 207 yards last year.

The young players just want a chance.

The affable Lewis made the team in 2003 as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois and has seen his stock soar from the No. 4 option last year to No. 1 with Owens and Pinkston out. Lewis believes he can thrive this year, no matter who else is on the field.

“You want to be the first read. You want to get the chance to get the ball in your hands,” Lewis said. “You want to make a couple of catches, make a couple of guys miss and help the team contribute. It’s not a big deal at all.”

There’s not much experience, true, but not much drama either. The receivers joined McNabb for his annual offseason drill session in Arizona — T.O. did not attend — where they studied the playbook, worked out and shared meals and movies together to build camaraderie.

No one should expect McNabb and Owens to be sharing any Happy Meals any time soon.

Owens again blasted McNabb in two separate interviews with ESPN on Thursday, calling the quarterback a “hypocrite” and saying the two of them could not be successful together. Owens also said he had no desire to speak with McNabb.

McNabb insisted he wasn’t stung by the criticism, laughing off the outrageous receiver’s remarks before turning serious and telling Owens to “keep my name out of your mouth.”

“It’s so funny to me how my name keeps getting thrown out there,” McNabb said. “You’ve just got to have fun with it and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Owens was told to go home Wednesday after a heated dispute with coach Andy Reid — and to stay there for a week.

On Friday morning, Owens left his Moorestown, N.J., home with two suitcases and went to Philadelphia International Airport, where he told KYW-TV as he headed to a security gate: “I’m going to the Bahamas. I’m going to get a tan.”

It appears Owens was joking: He was interviewed by local reporters in Atlanta.

Owens was not expected to practice again until he meets with Reid. Owens and McNabb aren’t in a hurry to hash out their differences.

McNabb agreed with Owens the two didn’t necessarily have to be best buds to win.

“I still to this day see no reason for us to talk,” McNabb said. “When we step on this field, it’s all about business. We’re professionals that line up and do the right thing.”

While Owens has been an off-field headache, the Eagles sorely need his production.

The flashy Owens set team records with 14 touchdown receptions and finished with 77 catches for 1,200 yards last season. He defied his doctor’s advice, returned from a broken leg and severely sprained right ankle to catch nine passes for 122 yards in the Super Bowl.

Pinkston and the since-departed Mitchell combined for 58 catches for 1,053 yards, so the Eagles could use some experienced wideout help, preferably veterans who come cheap and are familiar with the West Coast offense. In the past, they’ve turned to players like Dorsey Levens and Antonio Freeman when they’ve needed someone in a pinch.

The Eagles have the salary cap space to sign someone they like once cuts are made. No one, though, would be of Owens’ caliber.

Chances are, no one would cause as much of a circus, either.

“Our goal is to make it to the Super Bowl and win it,” McNabb said. “We can’t let distractions come to our home.”

Too late.