Terrel Owens' New Bull Ride

Last week, Terrell Owens was traded by the Dallas Cowboys to the Buffalo Bills. Despite the concerns many people have voiced regarding the controversial reciever's arrival, I think this is one of the best moves the Bills could have made. The Bills passing attack has ranked poorly (and that's being generous) over the past few seasons, and aside from Lee Evans the don't have a big play threat. Despite Roscoe Parrish's amazing return skills, he has not proven himself as a reciever, and second-year man James Hardy has yet to prove his worth to the Bills. So who better to sign as a target for a quarterback on the rise than such an established star as Terrell Owens?

One of my friends, an life-long Bills fan, dismissed the trade as a mistake, citing TO's reputation for controversy, especially when things go bad. People on the Web have also pointed out that having a reciever as controversial and demanding as TO could have a negative impact on both the short-term play and the long-term development of Trent Edwards. I must respectfully disagree. To succeed in the NFL, particularly in the competitive AFC East (where the Bills hold the inauspiscious title of being the only team to go under .500 last year), a team has to take risks. And signing TO certainly is a risk.

But it's a risk that could pay off for them in the long run. Now they have a recognizable threat at wide reciever opposite Lee Evans, which should give significantly more running room to former first-round pick Marchawn Lynch and allow the Bills to utilize their powerful offensive line. The addition of Owens will also give an immediate and much-needed shot in the arm to the Bills' passing game. It should be noted that TO produces wherever he goes; even in Dallas, he played alongside a young quarterback in Tony Romo and still averaged a double-digit touchdown count in his four years with the Boy's, so playing with a young quarterback is not unfamiliar to him. Even if Trent Edwards isn't the best deep thrower in the league, TO has proved time and time again that he is effective at gaining yards after the catch, and even at 35 he has shown few signs of slowing down.

Last but most certainly not least: TO's reputation as a locker room cancer. Despite his past feuds with Donovan McNabb and others, nobody can deny that Owens let it get to him on the field (as it did with a certain #18 with the Oakland Raiders. No matter what happens, Owens gives it his all on the field, and anyone who says he's selfish should see his tearful post-game press conference after the divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants two years back. After that, tell me truly that he doesn't care about the team and about winning.

So until time convinces me otherwise, I must say that the Bills made the right move in signing TO.