National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Buffalo Bills receiver Terrell Owens will continue to wear the only number he has ever worn in his NFL career — number 81 — even though prior to his arrival in Buffalo, that number belonged to receiver James Hardy. Apparently, the Bills went to James and asked him if he cared. And even though I don’t think it really mattered if he cared or not, there didn’t seem to be any resistance about giving the number to T.O. Some media are trying to make a big deal out of this because T.O. didn’t actually ask or pay James for the number (as is customary in the National Football League), but someone higher than T.O. did (Bills GM Russ Brandon) so it’s no big deal. James will now wear number 84 and I think everyone’s happy. T.O. explained himself on WEDG:

“When I walked into the building for the first time and they showed me around and I walked into the locker room, first thing I saw was a locker and it had the number 81 with Owens, with the name on the back, and I had some other Buffalo swag hung up in the locker room. As far as working deals out, I don’t know. That’s not my department. I think Russ, the General Manager, he’ll have to deal with that.”

I think Russ Brandon will have a lot to deal with while Terrell is in town.

Sources: BuffaloBills.com, SportsRadioInterviews.com, Photo: NFLShop.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Terrell Owens Will Wear Number 81

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters informed the Buffalo Bills today that he plans to end his summer-long holdout and report to One Bills Drive tomorrow, one day before the Bills open their 2008 season against the Seattle Seahawks. The team has already made the decision that Jason will not play Sunday against Seattle. And that’s obviously a good move. Bills Chief Operating Officer Russ Brandon issued this brief statement today:

“It is our understanding that Jason has filed a re-instatement letter with the National Football League and that he is reporting to One Bills Drive tomorrow morning.”

Jason is finally making some sense after racking up close to a million dollars in fines by missing training camp and the preseason. All around the league, players are getting their coveted contract extensions (sorry Anquan Boldin) because they are actively involved with their teams. And that’s really all the Bills have been asking of Jason. Russ Brandon stated that the organization would be willing to discuss Jason’s contract situation provided he reported to the team. This tells me good things could happen for Jason if he would just show up. It’s not a guarantee that he’ll get what he wants. The only guarantee is that he won’t get what he wants if he stays away. So reporting has been and continues to be a no-brainer.

It’s unclear what kind of shape Jason will be in. And how soon he’ll be able to get up to speed is to-be-seen. But the team has to feel good about his return.

Source: BuffaloBills.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Jason Peters to End Holdout