Prominent Bills should brace for Owens’ impact

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, March 11, 2009  |  Comments( 104 )

Buffalo Bills
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It may be time to stop hoping that the Buffalo Bills get Donovan McNabb. Elaborate fantasies about the oft-disgruntled Philadelphia Eagles quarterback possibly landing in Western New York are to be canceled permanently; after all, he famously doesn’t enjoy the company of Buffalo’s newest player. Terrell Owens has alienated players of all type when he’s not busy attacking coaches; those who hope for a different outcome this time may as well hope that Eric Moulds will enjoy a career renaissance as Buffalo’s third receiver this year. As for the wideout who’s actually joining the Bills, is there any hope Owens is going to be on grown-up behavior when interacting with both his teammates and coach?

Unfortunately, there’s already an issue between Owens and Lee Evans, namely that the latter exists. Owens is Buffalo’s second-best threat, which unfortunately may lead to him reflexively feeling contempt for whoever is above him. Through zero fault of his own, Evans is fated to end up on Owens’ mental targets list.

Of the many, many reasons for the Bills to have steered clear of Owens, one of the top 10 is the fact that they already have a definitive No. 1 wideout; that man must now fear verbal onslaughts after every game in which he catches more passes than Owens. Evans may be making positive remarks now regarding the acquisition, but give it until mid-training camp.

The outlook is even grimmer for the relationship between wideout and passer. There’s one thing worse than pairing Owens with a bold personality like McNabb’s, namely matching him with a reserved Boy Scout in Trent Edwards. Instead of butting heads like two ornery rams, Owens and Edwards seem like predator and prey, respectively.

Could there be less tension on the horizon between the new star and the staff leader? Dick Jauron, who exhibits the personality of a kindergarten teacher just awoken from cryogenic freezing, may be reserved enough to tolerate Owens’ thorough ostentation.

The wideout thrived at times during his second and third seasons in Dallas under a hands-off oaf in Wade Phillips, so he may find that he’s compatible with a different style of laid-back coach. On the other hand, this could be an opportunity for a nuisance to exploit a calm leader; Jauron’s not going to scream back, which may be bad.

Either way, this is potential excitement the Bills don’t need. Everyone’s already sick of the phrase, “Well, at least this upcoming season won’t be boring!” after only a few days. Anyone who spews the already clichéd expression from here on deserves banishment to the same prison colony where we should be sending those who un-ironically use phrases like “That’s what she said” or “Deal or no deal?”

As for a more interesting, well-established truism, it’s time to repeat the line about the sort of people who are doomed to repeat history; everyone who knows how Owens left his first three teams isn’t anticipating a different outcome the fourth time. Hoping a human being will change his wayward tendencies is fine and noble. Actually believing it’s going to occur is for suckers.

Of course, Owens can prove doubters wrong. Maybe he’ll settle down due to a combination of age-related mellowness and residing in a city that doesn’t tolerate attention-hoarding shallowness. It would be incredible if he could play up to his physical abilities without also playing up his impossibly divisive persona; Bills fans have to hope that right now is when he’ll shed his public boorishness and just act like a normal, slightly gregarious fellow.

Seeing Owens lead this team to the postseason without, say, arguing with everyone or acting like a buffoon every time he reaches the end zone would make for a fantastic tale of redemption.

Unfortunately, the reason it would make for such a good story is because it’s so unlikely to happen.
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