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Another Sunday, another Fantasy Notebook. ... And another weekend spent catching up on a couple of ongoing NFL soap operas.
A quick note before we get to the meat and potatoes. ... There will be no Notebook next Sunday as I take my annual day off. And by day off, I mean limiting my workload to posting pertinent News & Views items. The Notebook will, of course, return the following Sunday (March 29).
With that out of the way. ...
We'll get the ball rolling this week in (where else?) Buffalo. ... As Associated Press sports writer John Wawrow first reported early this week, when Trent Edwards heard the Cowboys released receiver Terrell Owens, he sent a one-sentence text message to Bills general manager Russ Brandon.
It read simply, "What about T.O.?"
Really? Apparently Edwards never heard the expression "be careful what you wish for."
So, on Monday Edwards found himself discussing why his team had taken a chance on the talented but controversial wide receiver.
"I was excited. I was very surprised that it happened," Edwards told reporters. "I respect football players that have such a passion and desire to win football games."
In case you missed it, the Bills signed the 35-year-old Owens to a one-year, $6.5 million contract last Saturday, hoping to fill a void on the outside and complement their other starting wideout, Lee Evans.
"On the field, he's going to create, or need, a lot of attention by the defense," Edwards said. "That's going to take a lot of pressure off of Lee, a lot of pressure off of our other backs and tight ends. I think he's going to help a lot in terms of raising our competitive level off the field, too."
Owens is among the NFL's career leaders in catches, yards and touchdowns. And while it certainly wasn't among his best campaigns as a pro, T.O. is coming off his ninth career 1,000-yard season after pulling in 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Cowboys.
The Bills had 26 touchdown passes the last two years, 15 of which went to wide receivers. Owens averaged 13 touchdown catches along with 78 receptions and 1,196 yards in three seasons with Dallas.
The Bills believe that for Edwards to fully reach his potential they had to surround him with more weapons. But as Wawrow understated, "having Owens on the roster comes with a price."
Throughout his career, Owens has alienated coaches, teammates and fans with his antics on the field and in the locker room. He's been especially hard on quarterbacks -- something guys like Jeff Garcia (in San Francisco), Donovan McNabb (in Philadelphia) and Tony Romo (in Dallas) learned the hard way in seasons past.
I'll go ahead and remind you at this point that all three are considerably more accomplished than Edwards, who's entering his third year in the league and second full season as the Bills' starting QB.
"I think what that all stems from is wanting to win," Edwards said when asked about T.O.'s track record with QBs. "Ultimately, I think the stat that he wants is winning football games. That outweighs everything else. That's the message we want to get across by bringing in a guy like Terrell."
Edwards said the two spoke briefly by phone, but that he hadn't done any scouting on his own by calling up Owens' former teammates.
"I don't really know him all that well," he said. "I don't know what type of person he is. That's kind of what this offseason is going to entail: Getting to know him and all the other receivers."
The next question: Is Edwards QB enough to get the job done (meaning QB enough to keep Owens happy)?
I'll remind you the former Stanford standout played well at times last season. His 65.5 completion percentage ranked sixth in the NFL. His passer rating of 85.4 ranked 17th.
However, the Bills' offense overall made the seventh most turnovers in the NFL and ranked tied for 22nd in sacks allowed.
"He has tremendous upside," Owens said of Edwards. "He's an accurate passer. One of the things I asked my receiver coach (Tyke Tolbert) is how many times was he sacked this year? (Edwards was sacked 23 times.) With that being said, if he's getting protection we're going to get open."
And when T.O. is "open" we all know what needs to happen.
As SI.com insider Peter King suggested on Monday, Owens and Evans (last three seasons: 200 catches, 16.0 yards-per-catch) could be a formidable duo, but Edwards is going to find out early that he'll need to throw the ball to Owens more than Evans.
Everyone will say Edwards just needs to hit the open guy, but King doesn't buy it; it hasn't been that way for Owens since 2000, when Jerry Rice was on the other side of the field. And King doesn't believe it's going to happen in Buffalo even though Evans is a borderline star receiver.
Remember: Owens was the target of 140 throws last season, tied for ninth in the NFL. As Dallas Morning News staffer Todd Archer framed it: "[Owens] needs, wants, craves the football and even when he was the intended target 20 times against Washington -- whether the passes were catchable or not -- he wasn't happy."
Can Edwards cope with the demands?
Garcia, McNabb and Romo could -- for a while -- but eventually it overwhelmed the quarterback, the play-callers and the locker rooms. Still, time might be on Edwards' side.
As King summed up: "One year is smart. More than that, history tells us, is stupid. ..."
In a few related notes. ...
Brandon still seemed surprised about how the whole thing came together on Sunday.
"I went back to sleep," he said, "but I was stunned by it. The next morning, [head coach] Dick Jauron and I talked, and he said, 'I think it's something we certainly should take a look at.' I put a call into [owner] Ralph Wilson, and he said, 'Absolutely look into it.' "
And that was it.
According to King, there were three main reasons behind the move:
That said, T.O. couldn't have instilled a great deal of confidence during his introductory press conference.
Asked about the popularity of Buffalo (or lack thereof) as a landing spot for NFL players, Owens replied: "This might not be the most ideal place for a lot of people. But I'm my own guy. I beat to my own drum; go with my own thinking, my own intuitions."
As King suggested: "Those last two sentences just made Jauron shudder."
Owens went on to tell reporters: ""I am going to be the same person that I was for the last three years with the Cowboys. I demand a lot from myself and from the guys around me. I'm sure those guys. ... That I was with for the last three years all know that whatever is being said out there, it's not accurate."
Per King: "That first sentence just made Jauron shudder. Why is everyone always wrong about Terrell Owens except Terrell Owens?"
Though well aware of Owens' disruptive reputation, Jauron said Wednesday that he is keeping an open mind in welcoming the newcomer to Buffalo.
"Our relationship will grow from when we met in my office this weekend. That's where our relationship started and it'll develop from there," Jauron said in his first comments since the move was announced. "I approach every guy that comes here as a unique guy."
Jauron isn't putting on blinders, but insisted he'd rather decide on his own whether Owens deserves a bad rap.
"I'm not trying to cover anything up," Jauron said. "But if you think that emotional outbursts don't occur on every sideline every Sunday, you're sadly mistaken. …
"To the degree he's had them? Maybe. Do they get the publicity that he gets? No."
Owens' combustible nature aside, Jauron was more excited to discuss the potential the receiver has to spark a popgun offense that has ranked among the NFL's worst over each of the past six seasons.
"Clearly, he brings to our squad some of the things we've needed and felt we lacked," Jauron said. "When you compete in a division that's as good as our division is, you better get good. And you better have it everywhere to compete.
"And he brings that."
Indeed, as Buffalo News staffer Allen Wilson noted, as long as Edwards gets T. O. the ball regularly and offensive coordinator Turk Schonert keeps him involved in the offense, the Bills could have a happy and productive camper. ...
Worth noting: Schonert acknowledged at last month's NFL Scouting Combine that it was too easy for opponents to take Evans away last season.
"In our division they know who our big threat is," the coach said. "It's Lee Evans. So what are they going to do? They're going to take him away. They're going to make you beat them in other ways. We have to improve in the pass game, no doubt about it."
"When you double Lee, he's your big home run threat. You've got to find someone else who's going to get deep. We don't really have that guy. We had James [Hardy] but he was limited in what he did, being a rookie. We have to find other ways to get the ball down the field."
With T.O. on board, they've certainly met that objective. ...
Now, moving on to the "Yang" of this "Yin," we'll shift the focus to Dallas, where Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained on Tuesday how the top of his list regarding Owens' release was that it was good for Romo.
Jones calls it being "Romo-friendly."
According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Rick Herrin, what Jones means is that he wants to allow his Pro Bowl quarterback the opportunity to use all his weapons, rather than maintain a heavy commitment to Owens. Removing Owens allows Romo to utilize his strengths of moving in the pocket and spreading the ball around.
"I do believe where we are at Tony's options, where to get the ball and where to go, I do think this is going in the direction of Romo-friendly," Jones said during an appearance on a Dallas-area radio station. "Rest assured, that was one of the first things I had at the top of my list was this decision is good for Tony."
Before Owens' release, Jones not only consulted members of the organization but other teams who defended against him. Last season Owens struggled getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage.
Jones also said cutting Owens was more about allowing Roy Williams to become the No. 1 receiving threat and the development of Miles Austin as a potential No. 2 wideout.
"I had to look at Roy Williams and the future that we have with Roy," Jones said. "I'm excited about Roy, so I'd rather have him than the [three] picks we gave up for him in this draft."
Like many of his teammates, Austin said he was surprised by Owens' release -- but he's clearly eager to compete with Patrick Crayton for the starting spot opposite Williams.
"Obviously, it's an opportunity, and I'm excited for the challenge," Austin said. "It gives me a shot now to get more time and also show the coaches what I can do. But when it's all said and done, you still have to perform when they call on you."
As Archer reminded readers, the Cowboys think so highly of Austin that they placed the $1.545 million tender on him as a restricted free agent. As a result, another team would have to send a second-round pick to the Cowboys if it wanted to acquire Austin.
The Cowboys like Austin's combination of size (6-3, 216) and speed, which he flashed at times last season, finishing with 13 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
But two knee injuries -- one suffered in the preseason and another in Week 11 at Washington -- kept Austin out of four games last season, just as he appeared on the verge of becoming a bigger part of the offense.
Austin had two catches for 115 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown grab, in a 27-16 win over Green Bay in Week 3. He also had a crucial, third-down catch a play before Martellus Bennett's 25-yard, game-winning touchdown reception in a 14-10 win at Washington in Week 11.
In three seasons, Austin has 18 catches for 354 yards, so the Cowboys will not ask him to replace Owens, who has the second-most touchdown receptions, fifth-most receiving yards and sixth-most catches in NFL history.
"I wouldn't say there's any added pressure, not at all," Austin said. "I take every day, every game, every practice and have the same type of intensity.
"I'm not going to change or do anything different. I'm going to continue to be who I am and continue to work on perfecting my craft. ..."
In addition to Williams, Austin and Crayton, the Cowboys will obviously rely on tight ends Jason Witten and Bennett -- along with running backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones -- to replace Owens' on-field production.
The obvious hope is none of them -- especially Crayton, Barber or Bennett -- decide to carry on Owens' role in the locker room. ...
Which brings us to this. ... T.O., still stunned by his departure, believes the Cowboys blame him for a 2008 season that ended without a playoff berth.
"I was the fall guy for some of the things that happened during that season," Owens said in an interview with NFL Network. "But those guys in that locker room, they know that whatever is being reported out there right now is very, very inaccurate.
"I have no problem with how people perceive me. I know myself. I know my heart, and I know what I am."
Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, took several shots at the Cowboys' decision during a Tuesday morning radio interview with WQAM in Miami.
Rosenhaus said that before he met with Cowboys officials last week, Barber, also a Rosenhaus client, asked to speak on the receiver's behalf. Rosenhaus told Barber it wasn't necessary because he didn't think Owens would be cut.
"I believe that the organization is going to regret this decision," Rosenhaus said. "I believe Terrell is going to have a Pro Bowl season with the Bills and cause a lot of sleepless nights for AFC defensive coordinators. ..."
He'll undoubtedly cause somebody some sleepless night. ... In an effort to help those in Buffalo rest a little easier, Star-Telegram beat writer Jennifer Floyd Engel offered an operator's manual on how the Bills can best survive a season in T.O.'s World. Among the most pertinent entries:
This includes, but is not limited to, when he drops passes, floats on routes, has to be separated from teammates, divides your locker room and/or embarrasses your franchise.
And perhaps most importantly, Engel-Floyd summed up: "Under no circumstances, is it ever, ever, ever T.O.'s fault. It is technically yours for signing him. ..."
Moving on to a few follow-ups to previous Notebook items. ...
In Denver. ... According to multiple reports, Jay Cutler came away from a conference call with team officials Monday believing that for the right deal, he would be traded between now and the NFL draft, which begins April 25.
Indeed, ESPN.com insider Bill Williamson reported the conference call was anything but genial and the two sides are now further apart than prior to it. Apparently, the Broncos' tone was as if Cutler created the situation by asking for the trade and not the other way around.
After the phone call, Cutler, according to Williamson's source, would rather be traded now if Denver isn't going to commit to him long-term.
But a source close to the team told Denver Post staffer Mike Klis that Broncos officials had a different interpretation of how the conference call went.
Head coach Josh McDaniels was joined on one end of the conference call by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, general manager Brian Xanders and chief operating officer Joe Ellis. Cutler was in Nashville during the call and was accompanied by his agent, James "Bus" Cook.
The Broncos, a source close to the team told Klis, say the call was conducted in a non-confrontational manner with team officials willing to answer every question, and that the call ended positively. The possibility of a future trade never came up.
Cutler, however, came away disappointed.
For those still behind the curve on this story, Cutler has been irked since learning McDaniels supposedly considered trading him to Tampa Bay in a deal that would have brought New England quarterback Matt Cassel to Denver. McDaniels coached Cassel at New England last season.
McDaniels said he merely received calls on Cutler from other teams and announced through a team spokesman last week that "the Denver Broncos are not trading Jay Cutler. Period."
Still, leak of the proposed trade stung Cutler, who believed he was misled by McDaniels.
By all accounts, Cutler and Broncos officials entered the conference call believing any friction between the two parties would be resolved and the two sides would put the controversy behind them.
Apparently, only the team officials came away satisfied.
This after McDaniels took what some have characterized as a hard-nosed approach by reiterating no one is untradeable for the sake of improving the team. The National Football Post's Mike Lombardi further reported on Friday that McDaniels also took the opportunity to offer some constructive criticism, suggesting that Cutler needed to do a better job protecting the football and playing within the new coach's scheme.
According to Lombardi, Cutler didn't appreciate the telephonic attempt to coach him up.
McDaniels also used the phone call to stress the quarterback was expected to report for the team's offseason conditioning program that begins tomorrow.
Showing up for the off-season program would keep Cutler in line for a $100,000 workout bonus and provide the first steps toward a reconciliation that would serve both men's best interests.
Otherwise?
Does Cutler really want to force his way out of town if it means a ticket to, say, Detroit? (According to MLive.com beat writer Tom Kowalski, if Cutler tries to force a trade the Lions would likely be interested.)
And does McDaniels really want to chase off his locker room leader and start from scratch with a rookie or a retread under center?
The answers to both questions seem obvious from where I'm sitting. But I must stress again, hurt feelings often lead to surprising and often unexpected outcomes -- and the mixed signal being sent in this situation add to the intrigue.
On one hand, a source close to Cutler told Klis the QB most likely will attend McDaniels' first team meeting Monday.
On the other hand, Cutler was a no-show for a fundraiser at Invesco Field on Saturday night and he put one of his three Denver-area residences up for sale on Thursday. His parents put their home, two miles from the one their son is selling, on the market Friday.
While it's not clear if home in question is Cutler's primary residence (there are conflicting reports on that angle of the story), I still tend to agree with Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio, who maintains the decision to put a home on the market just days after a conference call that so irritated him is hard to view as anything other than a return volley.
Still, Klis contends: "If Cutler attends McDaniels' meeting, the quarterback most likely will be living in the Denver area, somewhere, for the indefinite future. ..."
We'll see. Those interested will want to keep an eye on the News & Views section of the site tomorrow. ...
In Arizona. ... Kurt Warner might get to keep his $2 million, after all. Florio, citing an unnamed league source, reported on Thursday that the Cardinals are shopping receiver Anquan Boldin to potential trade partners.
Warner recently has suggested that he'd devote a portion of his salary to signing Boldin to a new contract.
"I'm only around for two more years, and I want to win. And I'm happy to do everything I possibly can to help us accomplish that," Warner told the USA Today Monday.
Warner's willingness to help is nice. But given the Cardinals abundant cap room, it's really not necessary. It's even less necessary if the team moves Boldin, who previously has requested a trade.
A six-year veteran, Boldin is signed through 2010. He has wanted for roughly a year a significant increase from his current range of $2.5 million to $3 million. With teammate Larry Fitzgerald at $10 million per year, Boldin is believed to want at least $9 million annually. Although Boldin characterized his relationship with the team as irreparable when interviewed at February's Pro Bowl, he subsequently backed off that comment.
Making matters more interesting, King had predicted on Wednesday: "The Eagles and Giants, two receiver-needy teams, are in position to deal for Boldin, who I continue to say will not be a Cardinal by July."
King, who pointed out both teams have ample ammunition to do a deal. The Eagles have picks 21, 28 and 53, the Giants 29, 45 and 60. ...
"I find it hard to believe the Eagles won't trade for Boldin," King opined. "Very hard. He's a perfect fit, and they've got the cap room to sign him."
As for King's belief the Cards will be willing to move Boldin, King wrote: "It doesn't make much sense for the Cards to pay two receivers (Boldin and Fitzgerald) a combined one-sixth of their entire salary cap. Imagine your quarterback and two receivers averaging $33 million a year. It's too much."
It's a sound enough theory -- despite the fact that Cardinals G.M. Rod Graves denied Florio's report when asked about it by the Arizona Republic. Seems to me there's increasing smoke here. ...
In San Francisco. ... Alex Smith is staying with the 49ers after agreeing to restructure his contract. The former No. 1 overall draft pick agreed to sharply reduce his base salary. It was to be $9 million in the upcoming season and management made no secret of the fact Smith's return depended on an adjustment.
Financial terms weren't immediately available, but the 49ers now have Smith under contract at a lower salary for the next two years.
"I don't measure myself in my contract in terms of what I'm making," said Smith. "Having gone through what I've gone through the last couple of years, and being on the sideline, I guess I've got a different perspective on this game. When it came time to restructure the contract, it wasn't anything to do with ego.
"I just wanted the chance to compete."
Smith missed most of the past two seasons with injuries while feuding with former coach Mike Nolan, who chose Smith with the top pick in 2005. After Mike Singletary replaced Nolan midway through last season, Smith became more outspoken about his desire to stay remain with the club.
"There's definitely a different feeling around the facility with coach Singletary here, and some of the people he's brought in," said Smith, who has passed for 4,679 yards in 32 games, throwing 19 touchdown passes and 31 interceptions. "It's pretty easy to see when you're out here, especially when I think back to my first few years and what was going on out here.
"Top to bottom, I think we're headed in a better direction."
Of some concern, however, is the fact Smith hasn't been fully healthy since shortly after a promising 2006 season during which he took every snap for the 49ers.
His shoulder problems began with a sack early in the 2007 season.
Smith attempted to return too quickly from his injury in 2007. His struggles opened a rift with Nolan as each accusing the other of misunderstanding the injury.
Smith underwent surgery after the 2007 season, and then broke a bone elsewhere in his shoulder last year. He didn't play last season, undergoing more surgery in October.
The restructured contract allows Smith to join the 49ers tomorrow for their first off-season meetings and a mini-camp next weekend, when the competition between Smith and Shaun Hill will begin. ...
In New York. ... Pro Football Weekly's Matt Sohn reports the Jets aren't playing coy in claiming they are comfortable with one on the league's more nondescript QB stables.
Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge have made a combined eight career starts.
Adding credence to the notion that they're content at quarterback is the fact that a year ago, many were incredulous at general manager Mike Tannenbaum's assertion that he was not looking to unload Chad Pennington after his disappointing 2007 campaign.
Yes, Pennington did ultimately wind up getting released but only because of the 11th-hour, unusual circumstance of the Brett Favre situation.
But according to Sohn, the team genuinely believes Ratliff has real potential and that Clemens' marginal results in limited career opportunities were at least partially the result of a porous offensive line that should be far stronger in '09 than it was in '07. ...
And finally this week, from the "I Just Can't Leave The Whole T.O. Thing Alone For Even One Minute" file. ... The Bills announced on Thursday that Owens will be getting his desired number and that second-year man Hardy will be switching to No. 84.
Hardy, the team's second-round draft pick out of Indiana last year, wore No. 81 during his rookie season.
It's unclear whether Hardy will be compensated by Owens to switch numbers. In the past, veteran players joining new teams have been known to pay for or provide compensation for the right to switch numbers.
As NFL.com's Adam Rank reminded readers, Cowboys rookie Alundis Brice was given a BMW 325i from Deion Sanders in exchange for jersey No. 21 in 1995 -- even though Brice admitted he had no attachment to the number.
But if Hardy is getting paid for the switch, it's safe to say T.O. won't be footing the bill.
Owens told "Shredd and Ragan" of 103.3 WEDG in Buffalo that when he walked into the Bills' locker room, his name already was on No. 81.
"As far as working deals out, I don't know," Owens said. "That's not my department. I think [management] has to deal with that."
That's probably a good thing. The sooner management gets used to dealing with Owens-related issues the better off they'll be. ...
That's it for this week's Notebook. Please remember, I'll be taking next weekend off -- but I'll return the following Sunday. ... In the meantime, keep an eye on the News & Views section of this site for late-breaking news and other tidbits of interest. Watch the Headline News section for more in-depth reviews of current events -- including the Fantasy Notebook.