Hello Patriots fans and welcomed rival guests. Today marks day 4 of our series with Brian Galliford, Buffalo Rumbling's head writer extraordinaire. As many of you know, I have a somewhat irrational dislike of one Terrell Owens and have for a long time. It may require therapy as the dude just gets under my skin.
At any rate, I was curious how Owens is doing in Buffalo and the impact he's had on the team and, especially, quarterback Trent Edwards.
Q: It's preseason and he was injured for a bit, but what are your thoughts on T.O.? Specifically, is he a good pairing for Trent Edwards? Do you consider T.O. an upgrade for the Bills' WR corp or simply another weapon in the arsenal?
Back when Owens was signed in March, we closely examined his extensive, highly productive career to spot patterns in how he has raised performance levels of both the quarterbacks he's caught passes from and the receivers he's lined up next to. We put together a statistical analysis based on past stat trends, and came up with projected 2009 stat lines for QB Trent Edwards and WR Lee Evans based on Owens' presence alone. Needless to say, both players saw projected spikes in several key areas.
But that's all hypothetical, obviously. His potential impact remains hypothetical, as does anything I say about how he fits in with this offense, because first and foremost, you try explaining what your offense will look like when your offensive coordinator and your starting left tackle have been jettisoned within the past week. Owens only played one nine-play series in the pre-season, and he caught two passes for 27 yards on that drive. Buffalo moved the ball with ease on that drive. That's all I've got for you, because I honestly, literally have no idea what to expect from Buffalo's offense on MNF. He is clearly the Bills' most talented offensive weapon, and it's really not even close.
What I will say for Owens is that he's been a breath of fresh air to cover as a blogger. I cover a Bills team that hasn't been to the post-season in a decade; it's a franchise that spends a lot of time trying to justify its actions with mediocre-to-poor results. With Owens, there's absolutely no spin. He'll tell you exactly what's on his mind, and he'll do it with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye - unless he's defending Tony Romo after a post-season loss, of course. Brutal honesty is a nice change of pace for the Bills, and it's starting to rub off on some other members of the organinzation. Right now, that's the biggest positive he's brought to Buffalo. Clearly, we'd like to see him add some touchdowns to his arsenal four days from now.
This is a fair answer from Brian. I know where he's coming from because I get similar queries all the time. Judging a player on a nine-play drive is nearly impossible and is also asking too much. Other than T.O.'s onfield impact, I like the info about Owens' impact to the organization and those around him. In T.O.'s case, I hate to admit it, that can be the definition of a marquise player, one who elevates the play and attitude of those around him.
Props again to Brian Galliford for the intel. Check out Buffalo Rumblings where I answer his question about our stable of running backs.