Back by popular demand, and due to boatloads of more email, it's the T.O. mailbag. Here are some more emails to Howard, Jeremy and myself:

As excited as I am for TO coming to Buffalo, the one thing no one is talking about is that this is the year that will determine if Trent Edwards is an NFL quarterback.


This year will show if Trent can truly handle the pressure. With the weapons that Trent now has, there is no reason for the offense to succeed.


Tim in Tonawanda

Tim, you're absolutely right. Edwards' offseason has to be 90 percent excitement and 10 person nerves... and if he can't shake those presumed 10 percent nerves, would you really want him to be your quarterback?

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The one stat not mentioned is yards after the catch. T.O.'s yards after the catch have gone down each season and last year he was the among the worst in the league. He is a quarterback killer, has had problems with all 3 quarterbacks he's played with. Problems with offensive coordinators. These things will not go away, his negatives outweigh his positives, other wise he'd still be playing for the 49ers! You'll be sorry Bills fans.

Marc

Maybe, Marc, but the first problem with your argument is the whole “throwing out stats that don’t matter/lying” thing.

Would you take Andre Johnson, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Reggie Wayne, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards or Lee Evans? Of those six, only Johnson had a better YAC than Owens, and it was by .1 yard-per-catch.

Then again, Jonnie Lee Higgins, Devery Henderson and Chansi Stuckey out-YAC’ed Owens by a mile. Go get ‘em.

When you catch the ball in the end zone, you can’t get any more yards after the catch, by the way. He had that happen several times. That’s why I’m not going to reply to the rest of your email. Great Job!

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Does the T.O. move make other big names wanna come here?

Jim in Rochester

I don't know about big names, but I think if you're Cato June, or Derrick Brooks -- I suppose former big names -- it certainly becomes a more appealing locale. I mean, now there are two Pro Bowlers from other teams on the Bills! Attaboy, Marcus Stroud 2003-05! Get into it.

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Can't believe that I'm really awake and the Bills have T.O. ! I don't think there is anything but upside to this deal as T.O. surely must realize by now that his image is such that he is known throughout the league as "selfish" and to put it bluntly, a real jerk! I don't fault him for wanting to win, it's the manner in which he displays his frustration that is the problem, and has been since his days in San Fransisco.


That being said, he does put up numbers and has for quite some time. Owens can show these younger Bills what type of work you need to put in daily to be able to perform and be succesful in the NFL. I think his agent Drew Rosenhaus is smart enough to relay to Owens that he needs to smarten up and start being a "team" guys as his "act" is getting old.
Not only is this a chance for Owens to show that he can still be the elite player he has been for most of his career , but it also gives the Bills the chance to show other prospective free agents that Buffalo is a place, where you can go and be successful, and lose this perception other players have towards Buffalo as being a place where your career ends !

As Owens said in his press conference , he is intense, passionate and demanding of himself as well as his teammates, which can only bring out the best (hopefully) from the younger players . His intensity will rub off on some of these guys making this Bills team better already! Wow, I still can't believe we have this type of "gamebreaker" in a Bills uniform !

Anthony in Tonawanda


First, and foremost, don’t presume that anyone has learned something because he is in his mid-30s. You’d think after getting off a double-murder charge would help O.J. change his ways, but those memorabilia dealers would beg to differ.
That said, I’m about 95 percent in for throwing a spice bomb into that locker room.
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Your caller Russ just stated that Lee Evans is an elite receiver it just wasnt shown because no one could get him the ball deep!! Who the hell does he think is going to get TO the ball deep????? Edwards can’t throw deep to evans but miraculously can get the ball deep to T.O.?? Right!
Edwards will not be able to get the ball deep to Owens, his line cant protect him long enough and then like Vesuvious (sic) Owens will erupt and the avalanche will begin and this malignant mass will slowly destroy the team.
The original Jeremy hater
Dear TOJH,
How long have you known Jeremy?
I don’t disagree – and who could – that Owens is a threat to the “locker room,” but I’d also like to stick to the idea that this “locker room chemistry being amazing” thing means much. How much would you love Owens and Aaron Schobel hating each other and showing up on game day just to show each other up?
That said, I’m not sweating the avalanche, because the snow would probably melt quickly. I’m sweating the lava. That stuff is hot. The debris may end up getting you, but the lava is really scary.
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Just a thought I had regarding TO I think it is a good move and here’s why: Last year when the Bills lost to San Fran on the Sunday after Thanksgiving at home I believe 13-3 that was my low point of the year, you guys had Joe D. on the show I believe the next morning and he said something to me that really stuck with me. He said what bothered him the most was after the game he saw some of the players up at the casino laughing it up having a great time.
That’s all fine and good but when you just lost a game like that to a team you should of beat you should be ticked off and upset and he said he didn’t get that feeling at all, I honestly feel in a situation like that TO would be all over some of the players and giving them a earful because he takes it so personnel nothing wrong with that, another example
Back in the glory years everyone remembers Jim Kelly on national TV giving Howard the House Ballard a earful after he missed a block and got clobbered he went off on him on the sidelines nothing wrong with that, Howard Ballard had a better year ended up getting a big contract and moving on my point is WE NEED SOMEBODY to do that again and if he’s the man so be it.
I like the last point the most. Again, it’s okay to dislike the move, but who would debate that this team could use a disciplinarian or two. Say what you will about London Fletcher, but I always felt like he had a certain command of that defense… not that they were world beaters…
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Not sure if you’ve seen it, but Hitler sure is mad about the T.O. signing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okhiJjuefPw
Check out this video on you tube.
We’ve seen it. It’s clever. I promise, promise, promise, promise to you that we’ve seen it. Plus, Hitler was one of history’s biggest atrocities, so if he’s mad… that’s probably a good thing. The only Reich worth a hill of beans was Frank.
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Howard, The addition of T.O. to our team will certainly make the upcoming season an exciting one. We are certain to get some more prime-time games. Did anyone bring up the question of which game we will lose to Toronto this year? I'm hoping that it is not the New England game. I would love to see Moss Vs Owens here on a Monday Night. Your thoughts?
Steve in Bflo
I’ve heard whispers of New England and Buffalo on MNF or SNF to open the season. I think you’ll see New Orleans in Toronto in December. That’s just a guess, but it seems to make sense. Maybe Indianapolis to get Peyton Manning up there, but I would hope the Bills would try to weigh in on that one… Manning in a dome would be a field trip for the Colts. That said, the Bills didn’t have much say in the Miami game being moved…
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I had to laugh listening to the interview with Randy Galloway. It was refreshing to hear somebody being honest & actually pointing out what a jerk Owens is, & what a negative impact he will almost certainly have on a team. I have this mental picture of you guys sputtering over your microphones, panic-stricken over the fact that somebody actually believes this is a horrible idea. Personally, I find it disturbing that the vast majority of the local media, print & broadcast are fawning over this ridiculous choice. Don't you find it strange that ( according to many sources, including Vic Carucci ) apparently no other team seemed interested in signing this clown? It comes across to me as nothing but a marketing move, granted a brilliant one. I don't disagree that as a pure football move, it is an improvement at the position. However, the negatives far outweigh the positives. It seems like Edwards is already a little fragile mentally, can you imagine when Owens gets inside his head?
I have visions of Edwards on the bench, in the fetal position, telling Jauron, "Make him go away!! History has shown that he is a bad teammate & a bad influence in the locker room.”
This can't be ignored, yet the majority view seems to want to. Lastly, if I hear that this idiot "makes us relevant" one more time, I'm going to scream. We need Terrell Owens to make us relevant as a city? Really?!!! Remember this e-mail when the poop hits the fan, (I give it 3 weeks into the regular season ) As far as T.O.'s "get the popcorn ready " quote, while You are all reaching for the popcorn bags, I'll be reraching for a vomit bag.
Larry Murphy
Larry, first off… loved your work with the Red Wings and Penguins.
I – and we – just don’t see what’s ridiculous about it. If Edwards isn’t tough enough to handle Owens, then he isn’t tough enough. Elway, Kelly, Favre… showed moxie at a young age. Edwards seems to be at least keen on being a leader, if not a leader already. That’s a good sign. Worst case scenario, you spent $6.5 million on a mistake during a season that sets up as 5-11 or 6-10 without the risk. There’s an inherent risk in the signing, yes, but you have to break eggs to make an omelet (that phrase is completely irrelevant, but I wanted to use it).
I probably won’t remember the email when the “poop hits the fan.” Instead, I’ll duck.
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T.O. is known for stirring things up on the sidelines and challenging players and coaches. The media makes the way that he goes about it controversial, and calls it divisive and deems him a cancer in the locker room. I think the reason that people point the finger at him is because he is such a high profile player and speaks his mind, and he brings such a great expectation to the team, that when the team loses all fingers point to T.O. but when the team wins, it’s a team effort.

Here in Buffalo, this is exactly what we need. Right now there is no voice of the Buffalo Bills. The coach is emotionless and shows no passion whether they win or lose. The players give politically correct answers when asked questions and sit on the sidelines content to be a 50% team and collect their paycheck. T.O. can help bring emotion and passion back to Buffalo, whether it is good or bad, at least we will show some sign of life… something that we haven’t had since Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas.
I tend to agree. The story that Owens was with two wide receivers when he went to Jason Garrett to talk about Tony Romo targeting Jason Witten… I wonder how many of those will continue to come out. The star is the target. It just so happens with Owens, that it’s usually reported to be on the mark.
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I'm leaning towards liking this move more than not but let me say that I am concerned about this point: If players in Dallas and Philly, markets loaded with controversy, were distracted by Owens's shenanigans, how are the Bills players going to handle all the extra attention around their team? Buffalo hasn't exactly been a hotbed of relevancy in the football world for awhile. Owens will change all that now. It's likely to be much tougher to concentrate on football related matters such as game preparation just because the team hasn't really experienced before what is yet to come.
Dale
Well, here’s one thing that could work in Buffalo’s favor – Do you remember how the players freaked out about finally getting a Monday Night game and almost beating the Cowboys if not for some remarkable coaching failures in the last two minutes? Yeah, that happened, and it seems pro athletes love getting in ESPN the Magazine and SI, even if the questions aren’t about them.
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The signing of TO definitely gets filed in the “nothing to lose” category. I love the signing! If we didn’t make the playoffs Jauron was going to be gone and the team imploded anyway. Worst case scenario that still happens. Notice that the only times he has caused trouble is when he is losing. When any of the teams he was on were winning he caused no problems. He just wants to win and we desperately need some of that in Buffalo. For years it seemed as if the fans cared more about winning than the team. You can’t say that anymore! I think we are going to turn a lot of heads this year.
Forget the naysayers. Go Bills.
I like this email, mostly because it says “Go Bills.”
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1. Obviously, his presence on the field will immediately produce double coverage. Isn't that what we all wished Lee Evans had, a second threat to allow him to get lose?

2. He will draw NATIONAL ATTENTION. If T.O. isn't happy about the players (lack of motivation) the coaching (can't use time outs properly) he will voice his opinion. The national news will cover it and now the BILLS can't ignore the national media. They can blow off or jerk the local media around but they will have to respond to the National Media. Everyone will be accountable "FOR ONCE". He may be head case but everyone listens when he talks and this will allow the National Media to listen and dissect the situation.

3. T.O. is a big receiver. James Hardy is a big receiver. TO has a "Work Ethic" that most of the media choose to ignore. If he can work with Hardy and show Hardy how to use his large frame to his advantage, this would help Hardy achieve more confidence which will increase his production on the field. Place T.O. , Evans, and Hardy on the field together and Edwards can't miss hitting one of these guys.


1. Right… or Evans will be double covered and Owens will see the most single coverage in years.
2. Sure.
3. The work ethic one is an interesting one. I remember reading about Owens training with Jerry Rice on his crazy offseason hill-running deals a while back. I really don’t think the question is Owens’ ability.

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I listen to you guys every day that I am able. I have to tell you, when I first heard the news about T.O. on Saturday, I thought it was a joke. Much like the one going around where someone had their car broken into and the criminal left their Bills' tickets on the dash.

Then, when I realized it was true, I was angry. "How could the Bills be so stupid?, what a waste of money!! Has Ralph gone completely over the edge?" That was just the beginning. After that shock though has somewhat worn off, I couldn't be happier. The Bills are relevant again. The fact that I have heard a number of times on national broadcasts "North America's Team". The idea that ESPN will be following the Bills this summer. Other players may want to actually think about playing for Buffalo. The game in Toronto may actually be a home game. I can't wait.

Thanks for the great show guys.

Dan Barone

In the words of Cameo, “Word Up.” I think we all went through the shock cycle, and many agree with you. Having Buffalo in the spotlight for potentially positive reasons just works for a lot of us.

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Yeah, it's March... nick@wgr550.com