New deal keeps T.O. from introspective momentby Alex Marvez
Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com.
He's covered the NFL for 14 seasons as a beat writer and is president emeritus of the Pro Football Writers of America.
Admit it, __________ fan (insert Cowboys, Eagles or 49ers).
You wanted Terrell Owens to twist in the wind.
You wanted Owens to feel the same embarrassment that the wide receiver brought to Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco when a good thing turned sour. You wanted Owens humbled following his Thursday release by the Cowboys. You wanted tears — "That's my quarterback"-sized tears — as Owens swallowed his pride and begged for forgiveness because no NFL team wanted him.
What you didn't want transpired Saturday.
Buffalo signed Owens so quickly that there was no time for remorse, reflection or self-introspection. Not that in his mind he needed any. Asked during his introductory news conference about "divisiveness and selfishness" with former teams, Owens dismissed such categorizations as "all hearsay."
The response is preposterous. But with enablers like the Bills, Owens has no reason to apologize.
Think of all the damage Owens wrought upon the Cowboys in 2008. He kvetched about not getting enough passes (an Owens trademark). He caused locker-room dissension by feuding with tight end Jason Witten. He undermined offensive coordinator Jason Garrett by ripping his play-calling.
Most damning, Owens didn't produce. It was his least fruitful receiving campaign since 2005 in Philadelphia when Owens was benched for the final nine games for divisiveness and selfishness, err, hearsay.
Excluding that mess, Owens finished 2008 with fewer catches (69) and yards (1,052) than any other season this decade. Owens had the NFL's second-highest number of dropped passes with 33, according to New Orleans coach Sean Payton. Even when Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was healthy, Owens began showing his age. Owens, who turned 35 last December, rarely flashed the ability to single-handedly take over a game like in the past.
So what does Owens get for all this? A raise.
Buffalo will pay $730,000 more than what Owens was slated to earn from Dallas in 2009. His entire $6.5 million salary is even guaranteed.
So is trouble.
Sure, Owens said all the right things during his Saturday news conference. Maybe playing for a small-market team will be a pleasant change. Owens' history in Dallas and Philadelphia shows that he initially fits in well with a new squad before imploding. Being cut by the Cowboys — combined with the overwhelming negative public reaction from teams and fans about his next possible landing spot — could trigger a transformation.
But as long as desperate clubs like Buffalo are gaga over Owens as is, there's little reason to believe he will do anything differently.
A reminder of how far the Bills have fallen came Saturday afternoon on NFL Network. News of the Owens signing scrolled underneath a January 1993 playoff game between Buffalo and the Houston Oilers.
That was the last era the Bills were truly relevant.
Buffalo hasn't reached the postseason this decade. The odds of getting there in 2009 dropped in the first week of free agency when the Bills failed to land any impact skill-position players.
Wanting one last shot at glory, 90-year-old team owner Ralph Wilson Jr. welcomed a boom-or-bust signing like Owens. The same goes for Dick Jauron, who enters this season on the hot seat in what may be his final NFL head coaching opportunity.
Owens undoubtedly adds firepower that Buffalo's anemic passing game needs. He also brings volatility that could cause internal strife, polarize a young roster and torpedo any chance third-year quarterback Trent Edwards has at becoming a quality starter.
As of Sunday morning, 38 percent of the almost 100,000 participants in a FOXSports.com poll liked the Bills' acquisition. Our question today asks where Owens will be at this time next year: Still in Buffalo, with another team as a free agent or unemployed after burning another NFL bridge.
I know how those who want Owens to get his comeuppance will be voting.
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