T.O. signs with Bills | Judge: Owens, Buffalo bad match
All it took was one.
As soon as the Dallas Cowboys released receiver Terrell Owens on Thursday, teams lined up to say they didn't want him. Rejection letters never came so fast -- or so public.
Some even wondered if he'd play in 2009, speculating that his career might be over.
They were wrong for one big reason: There's always a place for talent, even when it comes with more baggage than a chartered plane to Europe.
The Buffalo Bills are the wise ones who realized that. The Bills signed Owens to a one-year, $6.4 million deal Saturday, all of it guaranteed.
For that they get a player who had more receptions (69) than anybody on their roster had in 2008. Yes, including Lee Evans.
The Bills signed Owens to juice up a passing game that needed help opposite Evans. Teams simply rolled coverage to Evans in 2008 since there was no real threat on the other side -- or in the middle in the form of a quality tight end.
It's easy to take away somebody when there is always a safety over the top. In 2006, Evans caught 82 passes and looked to be the next breakout star at receiver. In 2007, he caught 55 passes and then 63 in 2008.
With Owens on the roster, Evans should see more single coverage and should be able to put up another 80-catch season, at the least.
Evans has been the Bills' No. 1 receiver, but is he now?
That will be a debate in Buffalo hotter than any damn wing sauce. Owens averaged 15.2 yards per catch last season, but Evans outdid him at 16.1. Owens had more catches and touchdowns (10 to 3).
I think the fight to be the No. 1 guy will be a good thing for the Bills. They have a young quarterback in Trent Edwards who now has the weapons he needs to develop into a quality passer.
Plus, where's the risk?
It's a one-year deal. If Owens acts up, you cut him. If it's halfway through the season, so what? The Bills will have wasted $6 million to find out if they might be able to have a legitimate playoff offense, which they obviously think Owens can bring to them.
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| Terrell Owens' 69 catches with Dallas in '08 would have led the Bills. (Getty Images) |
For coach Dick Jauron, it is certainly worth the risk. He needs to win in 2009. His staff's jobs depend on it. For him, getting Owens as a one-year trial is a good thing.
Jauron is a quiet man, not an in-your-face coach. But he has the respect of his players. He played the game, and they respond to him. Players I've known over the years swear by the guy. At every stop he has coached, they all talk highly of him, which is a good thing since Jauron doesn't talk much about himself.
I think the Jauron-Owens relationship should be fine. Jauron won't be pushed around, but he also won't play the I-am-king role that Bills Parcells played. Somewhere between the dictatorship of Parcells and the easy approach of Wade Phillips rests a coaching style that would be good in terms of handling Owens, which Jauron might be.
The relationship that needs watching is the Edwards-Owens relationship. Owens has been a quarterback basher. That leads to problems in the locker room. Edwards has to stand up to anything Owens brings -- or else he could be the next quarterback to take an Owens verbal attack.
It's unlikely Owens will cause issues anyway. He's on a one-year deal. What would be the point? Then his career really might be over.
In the past, I've defended Owens. A lot. I don't always agree with his antics, but I think he's a player who practices hard and plays hard on Sundays. He wants to win. And he doesn't get into any real trouble.
I ask Bills fans this: Who are you more content with being on your team, Owens and his mouth or Marshawn Lynch and his off-the-field legal issues?
I hope like heck you all say Owens.
For all his crap, and there is plenty, Owens doesn't get in trouble with the law, unless, of course, diarrhea of the mouth is a crime.
If that were the case, he'd be behind bars. Sometimes, I think people wish it were that way.
You almost sensed a collective ovation from the nation's football writers when Owens was released. I don't get it.
Does he have big mouth? Yes. Big ego? Yes. Big problem? Sometimes. Big news? Always.
Most important: He has big talent, even at 35.
And in the end, the Bills were seduced by it. While the rest of the league's teams lined up to say no, much to the pleasure of those reporting the news, Buffalo made the smart move, and when it pays off all of you who spent the past two days hoping T.O. was a no-go for good, you'll remember that I told you so.
Soonerton77 
