"The T.O. Show" 2009, From Buffalo

Buffalo Bills fans are not used to all this attention. Some like it, some hate it, and others want the publicity to focus on something other than Terrell Owens when it comes to the Buffalo Bills in 2009.

However, when the owner gives him a key to the city before he plays a down, and VH-1 follows him around like SportsCenter follows Michael Vick, it can prove difficult to not talk about the walking, breathing soap opera.

The fact is the 35 year-old gives Trent Edwards a wide receiver threat that accumulated over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last year; a Trent Edwards that showed a ton of promise in 2007 only to disappoint in 2008. After starting the season 5-1, Edwards traveled to Miami and threw an interception with no touchdowns in a loss to the Dolphins.

The following week Edwards felt the heat at home against the Jets, taken down behind the line of scrimmage five times, a high for sacks allowed on the season. Edwards was also injured and suffered an apparent concussion on one of those sacks. He threw two picks during that game—a season high up to that point.

Including those two losses, Edwards and the Bills finished off the season 2-8 since the hot start. Edwards threw eight interceptions during that stretch, to just six touchdowns. Before that, he had racked up five passing TD's with only two picks.

However, in the two wins during that collapse, Edwards threw three touchdowns to zero interceptions, for 466 yards, and a 72% completion rate.

Now, those games were against two non-playoff teams in the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Bills did also lose to the Browns and the 49ers. In those two losses, Edwards threw just one touchdown and three interceptions, for only 260 yards, and a 55% completion percentage.

It's safe to say that as Trent Edwards goes, so go the Buffalo Bills. Which must've been what the Bills' front office was thinking in signing Terrell Owens. Adding a 10-touchdown guy opposite of Lee Evans (who only caught three touchdowns last season) makes the Bills' receiving corps instantly formidable. A receiving core that only caught 14 touchdown passes total last year.  

Now of course Owens is notorious for ruining locker rooms through off-field issues, which could complicate things especially with RB Marshawn Lynch facing a possible suspension and DB Donte Whitner looking at an Ohio court case. Whitner had to be subdued by way of a stun gun after an altercation with police.

On April 11th, Whitner was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest outside a Cleveland nightclub. Lynch was arrested on February 11th after police found a 9mm handgun in his car along with four marijuana cigarettes. No drug charges were filed but Lynch pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was later suspended by the league.

If Lynch's appeal is not successful his suspension will begin after the Bills' last pre-season game and will not be allowed to re-join the team until the week of September 28th. Whitner awaits his court date on June 19th.

Lynch's suspension will indeed hinder the Bills in the first three weeks as Dominic Rhodes and Fred Jackson will run behind an inexperienced offensive line, possibly including two rookies in C Eric Wood and G Andy Levitre, whom they picked up in the draft. Last season's tackle Jason Peters was traded to the Eagles.

The rushing yards per game average was the only offensive category that ranked in the top half of the NFL last season, and they will still need to improve on that mark.

And even with Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo will have to find some cohesion on the front line if Buffalo wants to be successful--a task that might prove to be the largest obstacle for the Bills offense in 2009. 

Defense

LB Paul Posluszny led the team in tackles and accumulated 28 more than the next highest tackler. Kawika Mitchell plays next to Posluszny and was second on that list. The two make up a linebacking corps that is the defense's strength.

At corner, Terrence McGee led the team in interceptions last year with a whopping three, and the now-second-year player Leodis McKelvin caught two. Ashton Youboty is in the mix at corner, a position that will have to be strong if the Bills are to defend successfully against, Brady, Pennington, and Sanchez.

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