Players welcome Owens addition
Members of Bills not concerned about T.O.'s reputation
Published: March 08, 2009, 3:22 am
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More talent? The Buffalo Bills players were all for it Saturday night.
The signing of five-time All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens was met with optimism among a bunch of his new teammates on the Buffalo roster.
"I'm very excited; I like the move," said Bills receiver Lee Evans. "We have been trying to make some moves in the free agent market, and this is a great move. To play with a receiver, a player of his caliber is something I'm looking forward to."
"I'm as happy as our fans are," said safety Donte Whitner. "I get a lot of feedback from them, and they are excited. I know what type of player he is and the type of attention he commands from when we played against him. I also know the type of player Lee Evans is. I'm excited for the whole offense."
The man who'll be throwing to him, quarterback Trent Edwards, feels the same way.
"I am really excited about the addition of Terrell Owens to our team," Edwards said. "We spoke earlier and both look forward to working hard this offseason. We share the common goal of winning football games. His ability and experience will add to our offense and the weapons we already have."
The Bills have been looking for a significant threat to take attention away from Evans, who has been the primary focus of opposing defensive coordinators the past three years.
"I think it's a great move," said punter Brian Moorman. "He'll be a good complement to Lee and the rest of the wide receivers. I think it puts us in a better situation to score touchdowns on offense, and it should put our defense in better situations."
"When you have an elite receiver like Owens on the outside, it opens up a lot of things offensively," Evans said. "If teams play back in coverage, we'll be able to run the ball more. If they crowd the line of scrimmage, we'll be able to go over the top. I think bringing T.O. aboard creates a lot of exciting possibilities."
"I was a little surprised at first," said defensive end Chris Kelsay. "When you looked around at our team and the needs we have, wide receiver wasn't the first one that jumped out. But it's great to add talent.
"Obviously his talent and athleticism and what he brings physically will be a big asset to our team, and that's very exciting."
The Bills players were not inclined to be worried about Owens' reputation as a player who could cause chemistry problems on the team.
"I don't think he'll be a divisive element in the locker room," Evans said. "I think he'll fit in well as a player and as one of the guys."
"I'm not a concerned about that at all," Whitner said. "Coach Jauron is mild-mannered, but he is tough and holds people accountable for their actions on and off the field. A lot of public perception is through the media. A lot of stuff is about ratings and how many newspapers you can sell. I've learned a long time ago not to judge people by public perceptions, but by your personal relationship with them."
"A lot of people out there perceive Marshawn [Lynch] to be this crazy young kid," Whitner said. "But he is one of the nicest people you can ever meet, even though he has put himself in some bad situations. I believe the same thing about Terrell Owens. I talked to some of the guys down in Dallas that I'm friends with, and they all loved the guy. There's always something else that seems to get him in trouble. We'll all get to know him and make our judgments from there."
"I don't know him, but I'm looking forward to meeting him," Kelsay said. "Obviously [Chief Operating Officer] Russ Brandon and the Bills front office did their homework. I think we have to go into it with optimism."
Optimism reigned in the wake of the announcement.
"The time to win is now," Whitner said. "There are no more excuses. We have the talent. We have coaches who know the system and the personnel. There's a lot of pressure on all of us, but I believe we can get the job done."
"I'm excited," Moorman said. "It's nice to get Buffalo on the map."
mgaughan@buffnews.com and awilson@buffnews.com
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