Archives for March 9, 2009

‘Let me go on record now as saying this is the single worst signing in the 50-year history of the franchise … with apologies to Derrick Dockery and Peerless Price (the second time). And the potential for collateral damage is colossal.’

‘The Buffalo Bills surprisingly stole the weekend headlines by signing enigmatic wide receiver Terrell Owens. What does Bills quarterback Trent Edwards think of the acquisition?’

‘Owens arrives as a fully developed A-list media sensation, capable of commanding the modern 24-hour news cycle, with an entourage and his own reality show. Now he’s in a blue-collar town that former Bills running back Willis McGahee once complained lacked any semblance of a nightlife beyond Applebee’s.’

‘As strange as it sounds to those who can’t stand Owens — and figured he might not find any suitors after Dallas dumped him — this deal might very well work out for the Bills. Here are five reasons why…’.

‘The Bills aren’t the Patriots. They don’t have the kind of infrastructure that comes with playing in four of the past eight Super Bowls and winning three of them. Buffalo hasn’t reached the playoffs since 1999 and hasn’t won a postseason game since 1995. So they’re willing to take a flier on Owens (a one-year deal worth $6.5), as opposed to the Patriots, who signed Moss for about $3 million in salary and inserted a conduct clause in the contract.’

‘Take an aspirin now. Swallow an ibuprofen and acetaminophen, too. Use two double shots of scotch to wash it down, and hit yourself in the head with a medium-weight hammer while you’re at it. Buffalo Bills fans should be preemptively numbing their minds: Professional headache generator Terrell Owens has chosen to inflict his remarkable personality upon their team this season, and 2009 can’t be over fast enough.’

‘I have to say that, even though I view Owens as the biggest divisive force in the NFL today, and even though he drops far more balls than a top player should (12 per years, on average, over the past three years), I understand why the Bills did what they did.’

‘They were fed up with his trademark complaints about not getting enough passes. They were concerned about the locker room dissension he allegedly created by feuding with quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten. They felt he undermined offensive coordinator Jason Garrett by criticizing his play-calling. They didn’t like the influence he had on younger players.’

‘But make no mistake, Owens is the biggest offseason acquisition the Bills have made since the 2002 draft-day trade that brought quarterback Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo. There are no plans for a pep rally outside Ralph Wilson Stadium this time around, but Owens is sure to generate just as much hype as Bledsoe did, if not more.’

‘”It’s like ever since Jim Kelly left the team hasn’t moved forward – they aren’t producing the wins they should be,” Busard said. “If they’ve got him I don’t think there’s any doubt the Bills will make the playoffs.”‘

‘But after three straight 7-9 seasons, and just one winning record in the last nine years, they needed to do something drastic, and drastic they got.’

‘In 1993, Reggie White stunned the NFL by signing with Green Bay, claiming that the Lord directed him to Wisconsin. It’s unlikely the same heavenly message is responsible for the shocking arrival of Terrell Owens in Cheektowaga.’

‘Buffalo isn’t a glamorous place, the climate isn’t great, and not a whole lot of people believe the NFL franchise is immediately bound for glory. So what the Bills required was a still potentially great wide receiver, with few other options, willing to take their money and take his chances.’

‘One is blue-collar; one is diamond-studded collar, with platinum stitching. One makes ESPN; one makes local TV. And most jarringly, one is all about drama, and the other is deep into its drab stage. Dick Jauron as a head coach will do that to you.’

‘”We took it up a notch today,” said general manager Russ Brandon. Oh, yes, the Bills took it up a notch. They gave hard-ass coach Dick Jauron the roster equivalent of a snake coiled beneath the paper nest of the Easter basket. They gave quarterback Trent Edwards, who might not have made it anyway, an unenviable grip on the slippery fire pole of his confidence. And they gave Terrell Owens $6.5 million for the pleasure of his company. Quite a bargain.’