It isn't yet T-Overkill in Western New York, but folks are coming out of the proverbial woodwork to talk Terrell. Let's see what we can do about that. It's an Owens Mailbag! Here is a sampling of an email day that rivaled a Bills Game Day.

Nick,


To cancel a whole day of radio to talk T.O is ridiculous and will not matter until he steps on the field. T.O. that stands for Toronto. Go there and I won’t waste my tax dollars on that stadium upkeep anymore.


Sincerely,
Mick from Holland

Mick,

First off, I did go there. Saturday, for the World Baseball Classic. No joke: I can\'t believe how much construction is going on in Toronto's suburbs.

To be honest, Mick, I appreciate your opinion, and am not wild about going in to work an extra shift on Sunday (though at the same time, very excited about the unknown).

It\'s a weird world, Mick,
Nick

===

Nick,

Nobody has mentioned yet anything about T.O. getting a chance to go head to head with Randy Moss twice a year. Not a huge deal, but I'm sure T.O. has that in the back of his mind and thinks he's the No. 1 No. 81, not Moss. I think Moss being younger and having Brady is an advantage for Moss, but either way, it should be interesting.

At first I was disgusted with this move. But the more I think about it, the Bills weren't winning the Super Bowl anyway. I hope the Bills finally make the playoffs just to give us something, but even if they don't, with T.O., at least we\'d be a talked about loser than just a loser.

-Mike

Yeah, Mike, Moss is younger, but it's like saying a team can't win the Stanley Cup or O'Brien Trophy as a No. 8 seed. You hope for the best in a league that has tumult year-after-year. Let's put it this way -- for the first time in a long time, the Pats, Jets and Dolphins had to look at a move the Bills made and say, "Oh, crap." At the very least, it\'s a very exciting day to be a Bills supporter.

===

Nick,

I've heard a few callers say T.O. is a jerk ...and I like most agree with that.

The difference now is, HE IS OUR JERK.

Don't like him but I love the move. Hey, it's one year, what's the harm? T.O., unlike Lynch, has never had run-ins w the law

Great Show...
BuffalOwens
JOHN In SUNY Fredonia

See, John, when I came up with Buffal-Owens, I figured that was the worst-case scenario, that the Bills would become a circus, but it is going to be funny. Here's an amazing thing to think about -- Buffalo's schedule was already a bear before T.O., and I was thinking 5-11 or 6-10 with an average draft. Owens was so good last year, even with the drops, that I think you can add at least two wins. Heck, if you limited Owens to the 2008 Hardy role, you're talking five more touchdowns.

===

Nick,

I’m listening to you now.. i know we're old friends but.. I'm a Dallas fan first and I can tell you....T.O. didn't cause as many problems as it seemed... it was just a bunch of media junk.. you know it.. I know it.. unfortunately, Owens wears his heart on his sleeve and it makes a great story.. but as a Dallas fan... I never had a problem with him.. The only problem I had with him was he dropped 10 balls.. but hey... Marshawn dropped 8 balls!

Josh in E. Aurora

John Clayton made a good point about the dropped balls... most of the players around him on that list (Roddy White, Braylon Edwards, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Marshall) are very talented but very young. A veteran like T.O. shouldn\'t have an issue with drops. That said, you have to have a lot of balls tossed your way to drop them. I loved that Marshawn stat, and I'm glad you heard that discussion. As for heart on his sleeve, that sounds good and bad. Also, glad you moved back, friend. We need as many good folks around as possible

By the way, there were a lot of people comparing this to the Sabres signing Sean Avery. I agreed at first, but then I remembered that Avery would have to be a 35-goal scorer for this to be true. This is big, for better or for worse.

===

Nick,

Question: If all works well with Owens here in Buffalo, can he get an extenson to his contract? By signing him to one year, one would speculate that its to see how well he behaves before adding more seasons right away. I as a fan of the Bills welcome this addition and hope everything works out.

Thank you,

Rick from Amherst

Rick,

They'd have to sign him to an in-season extension, and even so, I'm leery of that. I'm also leery of saying "If it all works well." It's like my dad's ancestors saying, "If it all works out well with Mussolini..." Well, not really at all like that, but you get the idea.

===

Nick,

While I love this signing and I think Terrell immediately makes the Bills a better team. I am worried this may distract the front office from our long term goals. This is a short term fix and you can guarantee Terrell will be gone next year. The Bills draft plans need to remain the same as they were last week. Just because we don’t need a tied end this year, doesn’t mean we will not need one next year when Torrel is gone.

Brent
Ontario, Canada

I get that concern, but I also think that if Owens performs well, there will be an idea around the league that a free agent wide-out can come to Buffalo, grab 75 balls and 10 scores, and play the "T.O. role" alongside Lee Evans. Again, let's wait to see if they drown, let alone sink or swim.

===

Nick,

First thing I thought...."No Way!"
First Thing I did....Change my Madden roster... he looks pretty in a Bills uniform, boys!!!
Now The bills will have a respectable madden rating...WOO!


-Brett in Pensacola (Rochester transplant)

I was going to make a joke, but then I remembered how that Dustin Pedroia commercial makes me want to buy a baseball video game. This is 2009, Brett, and there's no going back...

...and I think that if you didn't think, "No way," you're lying!

===

Nick,

I support the move to bring TO in, but I am apprehensive about the drama it might(will) bring. We just lost our starting center (Folwer) Backup center(Preston) and our starting left guard (Dockery). I am concerned about the protection for a young quarterback in Buffalo considering we face Jenkins and Wilfork twice a year. Not to mention our defensive needs.

My point, I'm excited about the move, BUT we have more to do. We need to bring in or trade for a center/gaurd and a strong side backer (Cato June). If we don't get protection and sure up the defense, TO might be a headache.

Cheers,
Bobbo in Rochester

Yes, it's just one move, but it's a big one. I would love getting Cato June, but I'm curious as to whether Owens being in town would be a plus or a minus to the remaining free agents. I can't help but think it's a plus in that you'd be on TV all the time.

As for losing Fowler and Preston, new signee Geoff Hangartner better be better than both. If Hangartner isn't, then everyone ever should be fired, right? I love a post I saw on Two Bills Drive that said, "Trade Roscoe and a sixth for Waters from KC." I'm not saying No. 11 is the guy, but you can think about dealing a wide-out for a disillusioned guard out there. You can think about trading Edwards, Lynch or Peters for an upgrade somewhere. You can think about anything, terrible or wonderful, because the Bills have proven they are willing to do something out-of-the-box for Buffalo now.

===

Nick,


Here is my take:


After the initial shock wore off, I think the the signing is great for all the reasons you stated. What I would like to know is what the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins are thinking. They can't be thrilled! How about posting some comments from their media or better yet get some quotes from their coaches and players. I can't wait to hear Randy Moss and T.O. chirping at each other and trying to out play each other! How about T.O. vs Parcells? This is going to be a blast!


Dave in NT

Sounds like some tickets sold, doesn't it, Dave? I don't think the AFC East is thrilled, but it'll take a signing or two more and a good draft before we think legitimacy, right?

===

Nick,

This is wishful thinking but I would be ecstatic if the BIlls could find a way to package Parrish and maybe a 3rd or 4th-round draft pick for a guy like Tony Gonzalez. He signed a 5-year extension in 2007 and just turned 33. He's not young, but still has plenty of ability and probably 2-3 years of productivity left in him. Who knows if Gonzalez would agree to a Buffalo trade, but GM Scott Pioli is most likely thinking future so trading an aging TE for younger assets while another team still wants Gonzalez seems reasonable. Plus, Pioli was in New England when they brought in Wes Welker who is a very similar player to Roscoe Parrish. Throw in a draft pick for the Chiefs to build with and maybe Pioli would consider it.

I love the excitement Parrish brings on punts, but other than that, the Bills don't get much out of him and now they have too many WRs. I say trade him and his $2+ million salary for something they can use more often. McKelvin or Fred Jackson can handle punts.

-Mike

That's a lot to swallow, man, but it sure is worth talking about, isn't it? Gonzalez did already turn down a Buffalo trade, but it gets back to the free agent conversation from the previous email. Here's what I think, what if Buffalo used Roscoe Parrish and Josh Reed like a Wes Welker? Do you think Turk Schonert didn't stay up with a pizza and a bottle of Maker's, drawing up formations with Evans, Owens, Reed, Parrish and Stevie Johnson? Heck, put Justin Jenkins or James Hardy at quarterback.

That said, which of those wide receivers is leaving town. Jenkins is a special teams mainstay, but I'm sure he'd be the fans first pick. Can I Hardy or Parrish trade be that far out-of-the-question? I doubt it.

===

Nick,

Just want to say very impressed with you on GR, they should give you more to do. Plus more money that would be good. I just want to say that Saturday 3/7/09 was one of the weirdest sports days of my life. I got out of work at 4:30 and turned GR on and heard Clayton talking to the tight end draft prospect from Missouri and mention something about him possibly playing w/ TO in the fall and my heart started racing and I was like, WHAT?!!!. So I thought there has to be an update or something, nothing; waited through all the commercials and he came back on and had Mark Gaughan on from the NEWS and I still couldn\'t believe it, and I have heard the news a hundred times now and I still don't know what to think, just like Joe D told you, as a fan you are almost torn, cause what are you getting?, and is this just another big heavy rock waiting to shatter the hearts of all Buffalo sports fans again? Thanks again for listening.

LB

LB,

I always like to end an email with compliments and recommendations for more money. That would be nice, since my wife and I would like to add a regular breakfast back to our lives. The Recession Diet... take that "The Biggest Loser!"

I had a very similar scenario go down. You can read about it here in full, but Lacey and I were leaving the US/Canada game of the World Baseball Classic in Toronto, trying not to hit pedestrians on King Street, when John Clayton tried to make me drive into the Eaton Centre. It was a text message orgy.


Welcome to Buffalo, pal. The media might not be as crazy, but the fans are about to step it up a notch for you. Yes, I know you played in Philadelphia and Dallas. Just wait. You can endorse BBQ pig toes around here and people will buy them.

===

Thanks for the emails, guys. Keep 'em coming, anytime. In the words of Tim and Eric, this should be

REALLY

REALLY

REALLY

REALLY

REALLY

REALLY

REALLY



FUN.


Email: nick@wgr550.com