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The Buffalo Bills held an introductory press conference for newly acquired receiver Terrell Owens yesterday. Terrell was all smiles (six and a half million will do that to you) — he was polite, funny, and very convincing that he has put his questionable past behind him and is ready to move on to a new chapter in his life. He seemed genuinely excited to be with the Bills and to help them get back to the playoffs — from which they have been absent for a decade. On the surface — on paper, if you will — it all sounds very nice.

So, I want to believe T.O. I want to give him the benefit of so many doubts. Yet watching him today I had to wonder if this guy does, in fact, have a split personality? Because I’ve seen this side of him before, when things are going well and there are six and a half million reasons to smile. But as we all know, you can’t really figure out the character of a man until you see how he reacts under adversity. And Terrell’s boorish behavior during times of difficulty throughout his career speaks volumes.

T.O. is not a monster. He’s not out pillaging the community and breaking the law. He seems like a genuinely good guy when things are going well (i.e. signing big money contracts, catching a lot of passes, scoring touchdowns). But I will be watching closely if the Bills are losing games and quarterback Trent Edwards is struggling to get T.O. the ball. How will T.O. react then? Will he behave like the mature veteran he should be or will he fuss and complain and create turmoil like he always has in the past? Anyway, I will be shocked if this whole Buffalo Bills/Terrell Owens experiment works, but you know what? I hope it does. I will be very happy to see Terrell Owens prove me wrong.

Opening statement:

“Thanks for having me and I’m very excited to be here, but first I want to thank God for the opportunity. God is good. I know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. I want to thank the Buffalo Bills organization, Mr. Ralph Wilson, I just got off of the phone with him, talked with him briefly, and this is an opportunity for me to kind of, the story will kind of write itself. I don’t really have a whole lot to say. It’s been a pretty interesting couple of days for myself. I know a lot of my teammates back in Dallas, I’ve had a lot of support from those guys. It’s very unfortunate, but now, I must move on. This is another new beginning for me, so I’m just looking forward to this opportunity. I know I’ll help this organization out, and I’m looking forward to getting with Trent (Edwards), Lee (Evans), and the guys, putting some points on the board, that’s what I’ve done everywhere I’ve been and it’s going to continue. I’m looking forward to the opportunities.”

On when the deal came together:

“You’ll have to talk to Drew (Rosenhaus). I’ve just kind of been at home, relaxing and once he and I met with Jerry Jones and Steven Jones, and we parted ways, the next day, he got busy, so once he told me that these guys were interested, I was looking for a home.”

On what made him decide to sign with the Bills:

“You never know. God has a place for me. He has a plan for me. This may not be the most ideal place for a lot of people, but I’m the guy. I beat to my own beat sometimes, my own thinking, my own intuition. Well, for me, this is an opportunity. It’s an interesting situation, no matter what uniform, I put on, I perform, so it’s not a matter of what tipped the scale. It could be money, it could be this, you never know. I will say that it’s an opportunity. I saw how the Bills started last year and they made some eyes open last year, so if I can be that extra added piece to the puzzle to get them to the playoffs and make something happen, then that’s what I’m here for. At this point in time in the league you can’t really just sit and say, ‘ok, this team is going to get to the Super Bowl.’ When I was in Dallas, we were picked to be in the Super Bowl and we didn’t make the playoffs. Nobody would have thought that the Arizona Cardinals would have been in the playoffs. At this point of time in my career, it doesn’t really matter about the team that you think is going to make it to the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl. It’s all about X’s and O’s, going out and making plays and I looked at the defensive side of the ball, and I looked at the offensive side of the ball. These guys have all of those pieces, you know? If I can add to that we’ll get where we need to be.”

On his previous divisiveness and selfishness with his former teams:

“That’s all hearsay. If you look at all of the comments that have come from all of my teammates with the Cowboys, it’s all been positive. Prior to that, I can’t really… I don’t really want to get into it. I’ll let my teammates speak highly and I think they have done that. They’ve spoken and they speak loudly as to what transpired.”

On what role he hopes to play in the locker room:

“I’m going to be the same person that I was the last three years with the Cowboys. When I’m on the football field, I’m a passionate guy. I demand a lot from myself and from the guys around me. I’m sure those guys and some of the guys around the league and in the locker room that I was with for three years all know that whatever is being said out there, it’s not accurate.”

On Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards:

“Trent has tremendous upside. As I said earlier, as a player, you kind of watch games, you watch highlights, and I think Buffalo gave themselves a buzz. They were hot at the beginning of the season, they didn’t finish well, but with someone like myself, I can come in, I can add that extra piece, and we can get over the hump. With Trent, I saw tremendous upside. I saw he was an accurate passer, one of the things I asked my receiving coach was how many times has he been sacked last year? And with that being said, that means he’s getting protection, and if he’s getting protection, we’re going to get open.”

On how much longer he would like to play:

“Right now, I’m focusing on the 2009 season, that’s about it. I feel like I can still play. I can still run and as long as I’m healthy, I’ll continue to play. People have asked me that the past couple of years and I’ve always told them, as long as God keeps me healthy and I’m able to be productive, I’ll play.”

On if there were other teams interested in signing him:

“There was interest. To get into it doesn’t make any sense right now. I’m here with the Buffalo Bills. I’m a Buffalo Bill right now and right now I’m just going to start with that.”

On meshing with WR Lee Evans:

“I haven’t talked to Lee personally, but he was on the phone with Coach (Tyke) Tolbert. He was very excited about it, excited about the opportunity to have a threat on the other side. I’m sure he’ll be excited as well. That’s what we tried to do in Dallas with bringing Roy (Williams) there. For whatever reason, midway during the season, that didn’t work out. That doesn’t bother me. I feel like my play kind of speaks for itself. The opportunity kind of presents itself. I make those plays, we make things happen, and as I know, and as everyone knows, Lee’s been doing that since he’s been here. I think we’ll compliment each other.”

Larger market to smaller market adjustment:

“No, not at all. I just have to create my own following up here in North America. I’m leaving America’s team to come to North America’s team. I’m looking forward to the opportunity, and I’m excited about it.”

On switching to a more wide-open conference:

“Being a wide receiver, that’s music to my ears. The thing is we’re going to get to work real soon, as soon as we can get on the field. I’m going to get myself from Coach Tolbert the plays down, get the system down, the routes, the system, all of that stuff. The sooner we can get that done, the better we’ll be. It’s all about communication when you’re out there on the football field, anyway. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. Get ready.”

Source: BuffaloBills.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Terrell Owens Presser Quotes

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

In one of the more surprising moves this offseason, the Buffalo Bills signed enigmatic receiver Terrell Owens to a one-year, $6.5 million contract today. On one hand, this acquisition makes sense for Buffalo. They need the offensive weaponry. The Bills’ offense the past two seasons has been anemic. They were 30th in total offense two years ago and only improved to 25th in total offense last season. And quarterback Trent Edwards’ first two seasons — while showing flashes of brilliance — were nothing that would make me think he’s on the same path as, let’s say, youngsters like Baltimore’s Joe Flacco or Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. So, they need all the help they can get, even with ample offensive talent in players like receivers Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish, running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson and Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters. And I really like some of Buffalo’s younger receivers — James Hardy, Steve Johnson and tight end Derek Fine. In one possible scenario, Terrell will demand double-team attention and allow his teammates to potentially thrive. But that’s not his style. He’ll demand the ball and the glory.

All that being said, I think this signing is a form of desperation (is it really about ticket sales?) and I don’t think it’s a good fit. Terrell has earned — really earned — a poor reputation as the malcontent diva nobody wanted. And I think this deal got done so quickly because the Buffalo Bills were the only team that wanted T.O. Sure, agent Drew Rosenhaus will tell you other teams were interested in Terrell’s services, but I have to believe Orchard Park, NY would’ve been at the bottom of Terrell’s list of places he’d like to play football. (I guess this is one of the few places T.O. hasn’t burned a bridge with a former coach or owner.) So, I don’t think he had many — if any — other options.

In Buffalo, I think T.O. is in a perfect position to “bully” his quarterback and head coach — something he has become known for. Trent will be entering only his second full season as the Bills’ starting quarterback and he will, most likely, be at the receiving end of many a T.O. rant. And head coach Dick Jauron is one of the more mild-mannered head coaches in the NFL. T.O. will have a license to run his mouth and could destroy any hopes this team had of developing a solid chemistry and making a long overdue postseason run.

Source: BuffaloBills.com, Photo: Newscom

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Buffalo Bills Sign Terrell Owens

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Check out this great catch by Buffalo Bills receiver Lee Evans against the San Diego Chargers this afternoon. I consider Lee to be one of the NFL’s best receivers and the ease with which he caught this one proves it. I watch him make catches like this all the time in pregame warmups. Amazing.

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Lee Evans One-Handed Catch

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Buffalo Bills receiver Lee Evans signed a long-awaited four-year, $37.25 million contract extension with the team today. The deal includes $18.25 million worth of guarantees. He will make $27 million over the first three years of the deal, including this year. Lee is now is under contract through 2012:

“I’m thrilled. It all just kind of happens at one time. I’m thrilled about it. It’s a great day. Working with these guys over a long period of time has been tough, but the communication has been there and we finally got it done. So I couldn’t be happier.”

Signing Lee was a key move for this young offense because he’s arguably their best player. Last year, there was some uncertainty in losing an offensive coordinator and a quarterback he had developed a chemistry with (J.P. Losman). This season, he’s attempting to develop a bond with an unproven rookie (Trent Edwards) and a new game plan. But with a lot of hard work and commitment, he’s done just that and the team is off to a 4-0 start. Lee is certainly one of the veteran leaders of this team and he deserves the piece of mind this contract extension brings. I’ve spoken with him a number of times after Bills home games and he’s always been very respectful and willing to talk at length. He’s one of the league’s best at his position and the Bills are lucky to have him signed-up for the next four years.

Sources: BuffaloBills.com, NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

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Lee Evans Gets Contract Extension

After last Sunday’s lopsided 34-10 Kickoff Weekend win over the Seattle Seahawks, I cautioned those who were excited about the 2008 Buffalo Bills starting their season 1-0. Clearly, as a healthy and retooled team, the Bills are better than last season. But the Seahawks were banged up and I couldn’t really tell if the Hawks were that bad or if the Bills were that good. I felt I would learn a lot more about these Bills after a tough road test in stifling heat against the Jacksonville Jags this afternoon.

Well, the Bills passed that road test in a hard-fought 20-16 win. The defense held the potent Jags running game to 98 yards and second-year quarterback Trent Edwards came of age today. In fact, this game could be a defining moment in his season — maybe even his career. He had impressive numbers (20-of-25 passing for 239 yards and a TD). But with the game on the line, his 37-yard completion to receiver Lee Evans and subsequent seven-yard touchdown pass to rookie James Hardy were perhaps the most important completions he’s made in his young career. I know there’s a long way to go in this 2008 season, but you can go ahead and get excited now. I think the 2-0 Bills are for real.

Source: NFL.com

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Are the Buffalo Bills for Real?

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

In the first of eight games the Buffalo Bills will play in Toronto through 2012 (five regular season and three preseason), the first team offense looked very sharp in a 24-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Trent Edwards was 9-of-11 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a critical 22-yard run from his own endzone. Tight end Robert Royal caught both of those TD passes from Trent. Wide receiver Lee Evans had three catches for 55 yards. And despite missing Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters (still a training camp holdout), the offensive line was outstanding in both protection and run-blocking. With or without Jason, this group will ultimately be the key to Buffalo’s offensive success or failure this season. Trent Edwards concurred:

“We did a good job up front stopping their front four. There was plenty of time to throw the ball and that allowed our receivers to get open down the field, and allowed me plenty of time to be accurate with the ball.”

The play of the game was Bills rookie first round Draft pick Leodis McKelvin’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Buffalo already has one of the NFL’s best return team duos in Terrence McGee and Roscoe Parrish, but Leodis is getting a lot of work in the preseason so he figures to get into the mix down the road. With a near-sellout crowd of 48,400 fans in attendance at Rogers Centre (pretty good for a preseason game), it was a great start to the series with the game coming down to the final play.

Source: BuffaloBills.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Bills Beat Steelers in Toronto Series Debut

Buffalo Bills WR/KR Roscoe Parrish signed a multi-year contract extension yesterday. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed. He already had a deal that ran through 2008, but the Bills stepped up and took care of business for the NFL’s leading punt returner (17.5 yard average) who was happy with the news, but more excited about his team’s playoff chances:

“It’s a good feeling to be wanted and I’m glad I’m going to be part of this organization moving forward, but the main thing this week is Cleveland and getting us into the playoffs ….. It’s always good to be in a situation where you can help contribute on offense and special teams. I’m kind of encouraged with where everything is going with this offense. Trent (Edwards) is doing a good job of learning the offense more and more and me as a young receiver and Trent as a young quarterback we’re trying to all stay on the same page with him like me, Josh Reed and Lee Evans.”

Roscoe has become a bigger part of the Bills’ offense as the season has progressed. He’s been involved not only in three-wide packages but also base packages with Lee Evans at times. And he’s recorded a touchdown in three different categories this season — rushing, receiving and punt return. The Bills just need to be careful how they use Roscoe. He’s 5′9″ and 170 pounds. That means he’s not going to be able to take the same beating Lee Evans and Josh Reed receive without being negatively affected by it. Undoubtedly, returning punts should be his specialty. Offensively, he has a place, but the team needs to be clever with him and find spots where they can utilize his speed and quickness most effectively.

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Roscoe Parrish Gets Contract Extension, Buffalo Bills WR/KR Signs Multi-Year Deal

The quarterback position in Buffalo seems to be a question mark each week, but it’s never because of one QB’s poor performance. After a knee injury sidelined J.P. Losman in the third game of the season against New England, rookie QB Trent Edwards took over, starting four consecutive games since against the Jets (twice), Cowboys and Ravens. With Trent suffering an arm injury last week in New York that will prevent him from starting this weekend against Cincinnati, it’s J.P.’s turn once again. Who the starter is if both QBs are healthy is anyone’s guess, but head coach Dick Jauron released this statement today in advance of his usual Wednesday presser:

“J.P. Losman will start Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Trent Edwards’ wrist will prevent him from participating until late in the week, if at all.”

Luckily, the Bills are in the enviable position of having both QBs performing well when they are healthy. But, I think J.P. gave the team an offensive spark last week against the Jets. Obviously his 85-yard TD toss to Lee Evans was a huge turning point in the game, but the whole offense seemed to go at a different speed when J.P. was in there. J.P. has more of a gunslinger mentality. He’ll take more chances with the ball. He’ll scramble and run more. He’s high-risk, high-reward. Trent is the calmer quarterback. He manages the game and probably makes better decisions with the football. Typically, he’ll have the higher completion percentage. Both are fine young quarterbacks, though.

I’ll be in the press box at Ralph Wilson Stadium this Sunday and I expect to see a more explosive Bills team against the Bengals. If J.P. can get hot and the defense can continue their solid play, the Bills are going to not only be a spoiler down the stretch, but they will fight for a Wild Card playoff spot.

AFP/Getty Images/File/Rick Stewart

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Buffalo Bills Forced to Switch QBs Again, J.P. Losman Will Start Sunday vs. Bengals

When Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett went down with a potentially life-threatening, temporarily paralyzing spinal cord injury on a special teams play in the team’s first game of this 2007 season against Denver, it left not only the Western New York community but the entire country at attention on his road to recovery. Not long after that opening game, Buffalo-based New Era Cap Company, the largest sports-licensed headwear company in the world, created the “KE85″ cap in Kevin’s honor. New Era Corporate Communications Manager Dana Marciniak gave me all the details.

How did the idea for this cap come about? Well, it was actually Brian Moorman’s idea. He came to us and wanted to know if we could make a cap honoring Kevin. And that’s really all we needed.

Is it true Brian and some of the other Bills players were involved in the design? Definitely. Brian, J.P. Losman, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish all came to our headquarters one night after practice and sat with one of our designers. They decided everything from the style of caps to the colors to the actual design. And, of course, the phrase on back (keep reading below). They were here for about an hour and had fun looking at — and trying on — all the caps!

How many versions are there to choose from? There are five! We have the signature 59FIFTY, which is the fitted cap; our 39THIRTY, which is a stretch fit cap; two adjustable styles and one just for women — it’s made to fit women’s heads perfectly!

You mentioned the phrase on the back: Adversity Introduces us to Ourselves — a powerful statement. I know. The guys took about a week to come up with it and it really does hit home. It’s something we can all relate to.

And the proceeds go to Kevin’s charity? Yes, his charity, which will support spinal cord research, is still being established, but every penny will go right to that.

Have you heard from Kevin or his family on what he thinks of it? We’ve heard he loves it and can’t believe we made it for him. WGRZ (Channel 2 in Buffalo) actually has a reporter down there this week talking to Kevin and she brought a cap with her to get his family’s reaction! So watch for it.

His story really seems like a miracle, especially in how far he has come after the initial prognosis. Absolutely. And the caps are not only to raise money, but to let him know he’s not forgotten by the team or the fans!

Where can fans get the caps? They’re only available in our flagship store in Buffalo, NY. But if there are Buffalo fans out there who really, really want one, they can send me a check (made out to Kevin Everett) and a note with what style they want (the 59FIFTY is $20, all the others are $15), I’ll get one out to them. The address is: New Era Cap, Attn: Dana Marciniak, 160 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202.

Photo by David Kindervater

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Adversity Introduces Us To Ourselves: New Era Cap Honors Buffalo Bills Kevin Everett

With rookie QB Trent Edwards under center, the Buffalo Bills had understandably taken a more conservative approach in their offensive game plan the past few weeks. But the team wasn’t scoring enough points and big play WR Lee Evans was one of those players whose numbers were suffering as a result. Today, however, the Bills had their deep chances and Lee caught five balls for 98 yards including a juggling 54-yarder as the Bills hung on to beat the Baltimore Ravens 19-14. I caught up with Lee at his locker post game:

DAVID: Congrats on getting to 3,000 yards in your career, Lee. It was the second fastest in team history behind Frank Lewis. What a milestone for you in only your 4th year.

LEE: No question. Thank you. It puts me up there with some elite guys. To be honest with you, I really didn’t even know about it (laughs), but hopefully I can keep moving forward with it.

DAVID: What strides did this offense make today?

LEE: Well, I think we were were able to do some different things. We kept the defense off-balance. We were running the ball pretty effectively. And our passing game — we were efficient. And I think we came in with a game plan, stuck to it, and good things happened for us. I mean, it sounds easy, but it’s hard to do. But we were able to make big plays in critical situations to win this game.

DAVID: And you got the deep ball going. What a great, juggling catch on what turned out to be a very important drive and score.

LEE: Yes! You need big plays. You need big plays like that throughout a game to help change field position, things like that, so … We’ve been attempting it all season but we’ve been pretty unsuccessful. It was good to get one today.

DAVID: And you held on at the end when it looked like things were kind of falling apart again.

LEE: Exactly. And I think the most important thing in the close games we’ve had is making plays in certain situations to win those games, when the game is on the line. So I think we did a good enough job today in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams. We played together as a team today. And that was the big thing that got us the win.

Check out my interview with Bills LB John DiGiorgio on the BIGPLAY Radio NFL Podcast Home Team Edition.

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Interview: Buffalo Bills WR Lee Evans