The Fate of Buffalo's Storied Franchise Rests in the Hands of Terrell Owens?

The 90 year old Ralph Wilson will go down as one of the most storied owners in sports history. His story began at the turn of the 1960s when he brought an AFL franchise to the city of Buffalo.

It continued when he single-handedly funded opposing AFL franchises to keep the league afloat. It flourished when the leagues merged and the Bills transformed into one of the league’s most revered franchises. Hell, he must have done something right to have the stadium named after him and not be dead.

Bills fans are right up there with Packers fans in terms of loyalty. Bills fans are absolutely incredible; especially when you consider that the team has never won a Super Bowl. But the last few years have been quite interesting for both the city and the franchise.

As the industrial climate changed, Buffalo took an economic downturn; and keep in mind that this was a handful of years before the rest of America made economic downturns fashionable. It was literally the first time in half a century that the Bills were not selling out games.

Wilson’s response was unique to say the least. In an effort broaden the Bills fan base (in conjunction with possibly trying to “globalize”), Ralph Wilson had the Bills play a regular season game last year in Toronto’s Sky Dome, and scheduled another game there for the 2010 season.

The game was not a sellout and didn’t garner even a hundredth of the media attention of the London game.

Thus, in addition to not seeing major fanfare in Toronto, Ralph Wilson really pissed off a fan base that already had plenty of reasons to be frustrated.

There are plenty of small markets in every sport that see regular sellouts. And that is due in large part to the success of the team. The Buffalo Bills have not been successful in a long time.

I’m actually beginning to think that the Bills are going to try to patent the 7-9 record…A team just bad enough to infuriate you, but a team just good enough to give you a semblance of hope for next year.

Bills fans were really beginning to lose their patience, and Ralph Wilson was beginning to lose in faith in the city Buffalo. There was obviously only one solution.

Terrell Owens??

So, Terrell Owens is now a member of the Buffalo Bills. And I know this sounds ridiculous, but in a desperate time, this may have been one of the most clutch moves Ralph Wilson has ever made. I base this on two reasons: 1. The Bills’ Players Want Him (and) 2. The Media Needs Him.

1. The Bills’ Players Want Him

Say what you will about Terrell Owens the person (like the fact that he and his sidekick Drew Rosenhaus are the Batman and Robin of Scum-baggery). But the bottom line is this: Terrell Owens is Terrell Owens.

Terrell Owens may not be well received by the fans, and he certainly knows how to tear apart a locker-room; but he also knows how to catch footballs, better than nearly everyone else, ever. For every year of QB blaming and coach bashing, Owens had a 1,000+ yard 10+ touchdown campaign.

And I know people are going to want to say “Owens is overrated, he has bad hands now.” He’s actually always had bad hands. The only thing is that he is freakishly athletic, and incredibly fast.

Even at age 35, Owens had moments of brilliance last season. And for less than seven million, it is okay for the Bills to take that risk. And the locker room seems to be absolutely thrilled. Team captain Lee Evans (who isn’t too shabby of a receiver himself) could barely contain his jubilation in a radio interview.

Trent Edwards has already expressed how happy he is to now have dual homerun threats. Several defensive players have also expressed their happiness to the press. Bringing in a guy like T.O. takes all of the pressure off of everyone.

Especially coming after a year where the Bills didn’t beat a single team that was better than .500, Owens brings you the Brett Favre hope, with significantly less nostalgia.

2. The Media Needs Him

I don’t care what anyone says…The sports media absolutely cannot survive without Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens is the Anna Nicole Smith of the sports world, except he is alive. People simply can’t stop talking about him and he has brought ratings to every team he has played for.

So if you are a team like Buffalo (who had prior to this been criticized heavily for making no free agent splashes this side of Drew Bledsoe), Terrell Owens is giving you something you haven’t had in a decade: national attention. The addition of Terrell Owens will certainly give this team some primetime games.

After all, Terrell Owens is Mr. Monday Night.

So if you are a smaller market team like Buffalo, and you are struggling to get revenue as it is; Terrell Owens is the best thing to happen to you, ever.

There is a great chance that the Buffalo Bills may not be a game better this season. Thus far, Owens is their only serious acquisition. And even though he is a big one, he goes completely against Buffalo’s style of play.

Dick Jauron hates “Randy Ratio” style schemes and has always been a run heavy head coach. When you combine that mentality with inexperienced QB Trent Edwards (who gets insanely rattled after mistakes and checks off on his routes a lot more than he should…chalk it up to youth); you have all the makings of another T.O. “get me the ball more” soap opera.

But it is that potential, for better or worse, that makes this pickup so important for not only the Bills, but the city of Buffalo. A serious element of surprise has just sent a gust into a city literally clinging onto its last ounce of football hope. And win or lose, it will be this adventure that rescues Buffalo football.

Coincidentally, four days prior to this trade, I began planning on moving to Buffalo for two years. I’m sure excited to tune into this adventure.