The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Terrell Owens

Is anybody interested in T.O.?

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:37:17 +0000

Beat writer Allen Wilson of the Buffalo News says the chances of Terrell Owens returning to the Bills are very slim.

“It was awesome,” Owens said. “I don’t know if I could have dreamed of a better reception than any city that I’ve played in. The initial signing there, getting a key to the city, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better moment.”

Owens was not asked about his future in football, a topic a lot of Bills fans are interested in. If you took a poll around town, the vote probably would be strongly in favor of his return. T.O. said after the past season that he wouldn’t rule it out, but the chances of him wearing a Bills uniform in 2010 is very slim.

Outside of Chad Ocho Cinco suggesting that he’ll wind up in Cincinnati, T.O.’s name has not surfaced much this offseason. Granted, the free agency period hasn’t even begun yet, but usually there are at least rumblings about a team or two being interested. It’s been naddy for T.O. so far.

Whether it was the offensive system or the lack of quarterback play, Owens wasn’t productive in Buffalo last year. He’ll probably have to accept another one-year contract based on his age and declining skills but where that will be is anyone’s guess.

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T.O. to wind up in Cincinnati with Ochocinco?

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:45:57 +0000

Chad Ochocinco shared an interesting nugget with FOX’s Jay Glazer down in Miami this week.

From Glazer’s Twitter page:

chad ochocinco just told me on The Jay Glazer Pre-Party on FSN that he thinks T.O. will be a Bengal next year. he said he’s sure of it

Owens is an unrestricted free agent and after spending one aggravating year in Buffalo, the chances of him re-signing with the Bills are slim to none. (Not that the Bills would want him back anyway.)

At least on paper, a T.O.-Bengals marriage works. Cincy needs to boost their passing game in the offseason and could stand to add a receiver opposite Ochocinco. That said, at 36, Owens isn’t exactly the playmaker he used to be. He’s slow getting off the line of scrimmage and doesn’t always work back to the ball, although he still uses his size and speed to his advantage in one-on-one match ups and he’s still an excellent all-around athlete. And it’s not like the Bengals have to worry about him destroying a locker room that has already been destroyed countless times before.

Granted, I think Marvin Lewis’ head just exploded thinking about the possibility of having to deal with the Ocho and T.O. in the same locker room.

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T.O. indicates that he’s as good as Jerry Rice

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:08:57 +0000

If Terrell Owens had the same quarterbacks as Jerry Rice did, then he would be closing in on Rice’s receiving records. At least that’s what T.O. says.

From USA Today:

“I know hands-down I’d be close to Jerry Rice’s records if I had been with quality quarterbacks like he had. He had Joe Montana and he finished with Steve Young. That wasn’t a dropoff.

“Say I had been with a guy like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees all of my career. Are you kidding me?”

Owens was with a good quarterback in Philadelphia but he got himself ran out of town. Jeff Garcia and Tony Romo aren’t half bad either, although T.O. would have you belief that he’s been playing with Henry Burris and Joey Harrington his entire career.

Nobody has ever questioned T.O.’s talent, but what chaps people’s hides is that he’s always the one making these types of comments. He always has to remind everyone that he’s at a disadvantage for whatever reason, whether it’s the quarterback, the playcalling or the lack of touches that hold him back. He’ll never be the type of player that looks in the mirror and finds fault in himself, even though he drops more passes than anyone.

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Charlie Weis in the running for Bills’ head coaching job?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:45:00 +0000

According to WIVB-TV in Buffalo, the Bills have contacted former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis about their head coaching vacancy.

Sources tell us the Bills made a back-channel approach to Weis in recent weeks to see if he’s interested in the job. And the sources say Weis is interested. So far, it’s not believed that the two sides have had a formal discussion about the Bills coaching job.

The Bills were interested in Weis back in 2004 before they hired Mike Mularkey, so maybe this report has teeth. That said, one would have to believe that there are more qualified candidates than Weis. I realize they might not be able to land Mike Shanahan, Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden, but given his failures at Notre Dame as a head coach, it would make more sense if Weis assumed a coordinator position in the NFL before being hired as a team’s head man.

Along with Weis, the Bills were also linked to Michael Vick before he signed with Philadelphia. After signing Terrell Owens in the offseason, I fear that the Bills are heading down a path in which they’re focused more on flashy signings and hires than they are about making sound football decisions. But then again, Weis and Vick have only been linked to the Bills and as of right now, neither is close to joining the franchise. Plus, the T.O. experiment appears to be over (he only signed a one year deal and I’d be shocked if the team wanted to re-sign him), so let’s give the Bills the benefit of the doubt.

Buffalo needs a good front office man to come in, evaluate the roster, put together a plan to acquire talent and then get the right head coach to fit the players. The Bills are a long ways off and I highly doubt Weis is the savior they need.

Bills fire head coach Dick Jauron

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:14:27 +0000

According to NFL.com, the Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Dick Jauron after starting the season 3-6.

Defensive coordinator Fewell Perry is expected to become the Bills’ interim head coach, a Bills source told NFL.com’s Vic Carucci.

In just short of four seasons with the Bills, Jauron compiled a record of 24-33 (.421 winning percentage). The Bills failed to make the playoffs in each season under Jauron. Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 1999, the longest active streak for a non-expansion team.
On Monday, defensive end Aaron Schobel questioned the Bills’ lack of direction with seven games remaining in their season.

“It’s embarrassing,” said Schobel, the longest-tenured player on the Bills roster, a day after a 41-17 loss at Tennessee dropped Buffalo’s record to 3-6. “I mean, we’re technically, mathematically still in it, I guess, but it’s like what … are we doing here?”

Speaking within earshot of several Bills officials near the entrance of the locker room, Schobel expressed his frustration, but stopped short in explaining what he thinks the franchise’s problems are by saying: “That’s about all I can say without saying what I want to say.”

Terrell Owens posted this on his Twitter page roughly about the same time the news broke:

Wassup everytweeter? It’s a beautiful day n the neighborhood here n good ‘ol Buffalo!

Now, that could be a genuine statement by T.O. but then again I don’t know how many beautiful days there are in Buffalo in the middle of November. So my guess is that Owens is a fan of this news.

Jauron did nothing to help the Bills succeed over the past couple years and it was painfully obviously that he wasn’t moving the team in the right direction. They got off to a hot start last year but fell apart shortly thereafter because opponents started to figure out ways to stop Trent Edwards (which isn’t hard) and Jauron and his coaching staff never made adjustments.

I’m sure he’ll catch on as a coordinator or assistant somewhere next year, but he’s likely done as a head coach at the NFL level.

The Bills are similar to the Browns in that they need a complete makeover, starting with the front office down to the players. I highly doubt Perry Fewell is the answer, which means Ralph Wilson needs to get to work on finding a permanent replacement in the offseason.

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Chris Johnson is sick; T.O. is a turd

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:44:16 +0000

Chris Johnson rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries on Sunday, while also adding nine receptions for 100 yards to help the Titans crush the Bills, 41-17.

Johnson turned simple screen and dump off passes into highlight reel plays and also gained 32 yards on an option pitch. Since Vince Young re-entered Tennessee’s starting lineup, Jeff Fisher’s coaching staff has done a nice job of finding creative ways to get Johnson the ball. He’s racked up 1,091 rushing yards on the season, which is tops in the NFL.

While Johnson was doing everything to help his team win, Terrell Owens was being a distraction to his. He did catch an eye-popping three passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, but he also got into a screaming match with one of his coaches and apparently was slapping people high-fives to the crowd behind the Bills’ bench near the end of the game. What he was celebrating about and whom he was celebrating with are both unknown, although he did go to college in Tennessee so maybe he saw one of his old roommates.

Trent Edwards misfired on several passes to T.O. throughout the game and therefore Owens must have felt that because of that, he didn’t have to pursue Tennessee defenders on two separate interceptions in the second half. One of the interceptions was T.O.’s fault too, as he let the ball slip through his stone-hands.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported after the game that Owens might be trying to get cut. Hopefully the Bills keep him and make him rot in Buffalo for the rest of the season.

Eagles land Will Witherspoon

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:43:55 +0000

The Eagles acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the Rams at the trade deadline on Tuesday. In exchange for Witherspoon, St. Louis acquired wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth round pick.

Witherspoon had been playing the weak side linebacker position for the Rams, but he has experience in the middle, which has been a weakness for the Eagles since Stewart Bradley was lost for the season in training camp. Stewart’s replacements, Jeremiah Trotter and Omar Gaither, are fine against the run but have been a liability in coverage.

Gibson was a sixth round pick of the Eagles’ in April. He impressed Philadelphia’s coaching staff in training camp, but was never going to see the field with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and others in front of him. St. Louis has had a major need at receiver, especially since Laurent Robinson was lost for the year with a knee injury.

As expected, the trade deadline came and went without any big names being dealt. Rumors circulated last week that Brady Quinn, Joshua Cribbs and/or Terrell Owens might be traded, but nothing came to fruition.