With respect to Jay Mariotti (and the other 87% of the media) who believe that the Bills signing of Terrell Owens is destine to fail (on a side note Jay I know you are new to this blogging thing, but if you use another blogger's YouTube video it is common courtesy to mention where you got it from) after thinking it over I think Buffalo is the perfect fit for Owens. So without further ado here are:
1- Undisputed Star
Lets be honest T.O. has a problem sharing the spotlight be it behind a legend (see: Jerry Rice), another Alpha Diva (see: Donovan McNabb) or on a marquee team (see: the entire Dallas Cowboys franchise). He won't have to worry about that in Buffalo. As soon as he signed on the dotted line he became the face of the franchise that hasn't had a true star since Jim Kelly and the Run & Shoot Bills left the building. The Bills have some nice players (Marshawn Lynch and Lee Evans to name a couple), but none have ever come close to the Super Stardom status of a Terrell Owens. T.O. won't have to fight with anyone for the spotlight because he will be the only one shining in it and we all know that T.O. prefers it that way. Without having to fight for that attention to be "The Man" he should benefit and that in turn will lower the amount of high profile confrontations.
2- One year wonder
A great comparison someone emailed me was that T.O. is the NFL version of Manny Ramirez. 2009 will determine how T.O.'s career will end good or bad. Owens is 35 years old and at best he may have 2-3 good years left. If he has a great year in Buffalo and repairs his damage reputation he is staring at unrestricted free agency with an "uncapped" year on the horizon.
Drew Rosenhaus is the "Jerry Maguire" of agents and the fact that he got T.O. more money this year than he would have made with the Cowboys was a brilliant move. It was also a slap in the face of all the media types who said there wasn't any way he could get him a deal so quickly. So if T.O. can play nice it is probable that Rosenhaus will be able to get him a "sweetheart" retirement deal either with the Bills or another franchise that will carry T.O. into the sunset. That is a lot of motivation for Owens to succeed in Buffalo.
3- Low Expectations
First I would say 87% of the media expect him to fail. Not for any logical reason, but just because they don't like him. With that being said no one thinks this signing is going to vault the Bills to the Super Bowl. If T.O. would have gone to almost any other team (Colts, Pats, Titans and etc) the expectations would have been Super Bowl or bust. Anything less Owens would have been blamed similar to how he was blamed in Dallas for their playoff failures.
If the Bills make the playoffs he will get all the credit. If the Bills don't make the playoffs, but he is on his best behavior people will say it was worth a shot and he will move on to his next destination. It is a win-win for T.O. as long as he plays nice.
Of course that is the one wildcard that no one can predict:
I have been called a T.O. apologist, but unlike most of the media I see things with an unbiased eye and know for a fact that a lot of the things that come out in the media about him are BS. With that being said T.O. causes a lot of the problems when he opens his mouth. Even if what he is saying is true some things are best left unsaid. I think it is too late to try to change Owens, but if I would his advisers I would severely limit his access to ESPN specifically. There is a lot of ill will and nothing he says to them will turn out positive. If he just smiles and says all the right things to selected media he will be fine.
I think the Buffalo media will give him a fair shake and not being in such a big market will be better for him. Some of those smaller things that turned into big things in Dallas will be kept in house. No matter what you have heard he is still top flight player. I will take the drops if you can get 38 touchdowns over three years (the best of any Wide Receiver in the league).
The other wildcard in this equation is the Bills Quarterback Trent Edwards. I don't have an answer for that one. I don't think anyone knows enough about Edwards to know if he is ready to handle the type of attention that is about to be thrust upon him. No one knows if he is the type of quarterback that can lead a team to the playoffs. In the end it might be more about Edwards than Owens on how this new chapter in the Life of T.O. ends.
exactly
Robert - do you think if T.O. keeps a somewhat low profile in Buffalo (or I'm guessing he'll reside OUTSIDE of Buffalo - that city is a dump) he'll have better success when it comes to his off-field image?
He doesn't get himself into trouble but he seems too Hollywood at times. Talks too much. Controversial.
The man is a great talent and had quite the upbringing (if you've read his biography). I hope for his sake he quits the theatrics and does what he does best - CATCHES THE DAMN BALL.
That is all.
Kidcudi as long as T.O. stay as far away from ESPN I think he will be fine. I think the Buffalo press is much easier to deal with than Dallas or Philly where it is way over the top looking for trouble.
What T.O. has to be careful of is if the Bills are 4-4 and someone comes calling from a major network asking for an interview about how he feels about the season and QB. It is just better to say nothing.
I got my popcorn ready
i don't see this working.
TO needs a good QB. Romo was the worst out the bunch and he still got witten into the pro bowl
TO has had steve young, garcia, mcnabb and romo. now he gets losman or trent edwards? plus he has to play in the cold cold weather too. i know philly gets cold but lower canada aka buffalo gets extra cold.
ql4ImR
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