T.O. in The B-Lo: Why Terrell Owens and The Bills Have Nothing to Lose

On Saturday, the Buffalo Bills sent one of the biggest shock waves through the NFL this offseason. They signed the highly productive and highly combustible future Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens.

The deal, which is a one-year, $6.5 million contract, has many people wondering why.

Was it because Buffalo was the only team willing to sign him? His agent says there were four teams in play for Owens' services, but Buffalo was the most tempting.

This is a team that couldn't sign Laveranues Coles, Fred Taylor, or Kevin Jones this offseason because they had more tempting offers than the Bills.

So why wouldn't Owens sign anywhere else?

It could be quite possible that Buffalo was the best team available that actually wanted his services. Rumors are circulating that the 49ers were interested, along with the Raiders. If that were the case, then maybe Buffalo was the best team available.

It could have been the contract. The one-year deal is around $800,000 more than he would have made with the Cowboys this season. But the Bills were offering Coles around that same amount per year, and it looks like Owens has more of a physical and productivity upside.

So as skeptics begin to fill the NFL Blogsphere and question that T.O. cannot exist in Buffalo, one has to wonder—why not?

Buffalo is a small market team that rarely makes national headlines. The blue collar town of Buffalo isn't a place for the NFL's primadona. But Owens has only played in larger market cities.

What has happened? In every instance, he turned on his team because there were people that would listen.

That, of course, isn't saying that people won't be listening to T.O. this season, because they will be, but he is on the shortest leash of his career. If he messes up in Buffalo, there aren't many teams willing to give him another chance.

If you look at Owens' past, you will see that he is always productive his first year on a new team. Not only is he the most productive, he always keeps his mouth shut the first season, too.

Ralph Wilson knows that, and by signing him to a one-year deal there is a surprisingly very low risk involved. If things work out, Buffalo made the smartest move of the offseason, and if they don't, they are no worse off than they were before signing Owens.

So is Buffalo a bad fit? Ask me when the season is over.

But one has to be excited about the possibility of Terrell Owens lined up across from Lee Evans. The two receivers are the perfect compliments for eachother, and it will help Trent Edwards growth, assuming T.O. doesn't find a microphone first.

But Trent Edwards is a smart player, and he doesn't mind giving Owens all of the spotlight. Edwards is a Stanford product that didn't win much in college. He is unproven in the NFL—so what could Terrell Owens expect?

We won't know how the realtionship will truly go until after a few mediocre performances. But, hell, maybe Owens tries to make Edwards better, rather than just assuming he will get him the ball. Remember, Owens has just as much to prove, if not more, than anyone on the Bills roster.

Also, there are no real "stars" on the Bills who will try to take Owens' limelight. Buffalo is a team full of very humble and professional athletes. Owens will immediately come in and become the most recognizable star on the roster, with no one complaining about him basking in the spotlight.

This is exactly what Owens will need to be happy. In Buffalo, he will automatically become the king of the North East.

Not only should Owens enjoy being the center of attention, Buffalo won't mind him having it. For the first time in years Buffalo is making national headlines. They are relevant, actually worthy of being involved in the conversation.

Even though Buffalo has gone nine straight season without making the postseason, they still sell tickets. But lately, the Bills haven't had much to cheer about with the possibility of the team going to Toronto.

Now, the City of Buffalo has something to watch this season, something to be optimistic about, similar to the 2002 season, when Drew Bledsoe came to town. But this time, everyone from all NFL circles will be watching.

This could be Owens' last chance to prove to Canton that he is Hall of Fame material. He has torn apart every NFL team he has played on, and now heads to a Bills team that has an offense ranked in the lower end of the spectrum the past four seasons.

With this in mind, Buffalo doesn't need to much to consider their offense improved. Terrell Owens is still a freak of an athlete, he will strech the field and he will command double coverage in situations.

This will help the entire offense, specifically Lee Evans and Marshawn Lynch. Defenses will no longer be able to put the safety on Lee and place eight men in the box to protect against Lynch.

If that is the case, and Owens does his usual one year peace treaty, he could very well silence all skeptics for at least one season and sign one more fat contract before he retires.