Edwards dismisses Owens' past problems

BasX · Mar 9, 2009

If Trent Edwards is concerned about big, bad Terrell Owens sauntering into the Buffalo Bills' locker room, then the third-year quarterback is doing a good job of concealing his dread.

Edwards, meeting Monday with reporters for the first time since the Bills signed Owens to a one-year contract, faced the obvious questions about adding a new teammate with a track record for turbulence, a notoriously divisive personality who has embittered just about every quarterback with whom he has worked.

"The thing I like about him, and what I think that all stems from, is him wanting to win," Edwards said. "That's something I'm going to keep in mind.

"That's why I spoke with him on the phone briefly while he was here [Saturday] and told him that I don't want to sit at home in January. I don't want to sit at home in February. I want to play football. I want to be out there in the playoffs. I want to take this team to that level, and I know he's taken those teams that he's played for in the past to that level, and I'm hoping that I can do the same."

Some would say Edwards is taking a Pollyanna view of Owens' demanding nature.

Edwards said he hasn't spoken and doesn't plan to speak with anyone outside of the organization about what it's like to work with Owens. Edwards admitted his opinion is based almost solely on what he has watched on television.

"I don't really know him all that well," Edwards said. "I don't really know the type of person he is, and that's kind of what this offseason is going to entail is getting to know him."

Nevertheless, Edwards felt comfortable enough to label Owens' previous problems -- his demands for the ball, the sideline blowups, the nasty comments, the locker-room turmoil -- as stemming from competitiveness. Not ego, not selfishness, not a need for the spotlight. Owens has proudly proclaimed "I love me some me!"

"I think, ultimately, the stat that he wants you guys to write about in the paper the next day is winning the football game, and that outweighs everything else," Edwards said. "That's my attitude on that, and I wish I had some sort of statement here to give you a better story, but ... ultimately, everyone in this entire building right now wants to win football games. That's the message we're trying to get across here about bringing a guy in like Terrell."

Maybe Edwards will have a rare, enjoyable quarterback-receiver relationship with Owens. Or maybe ignorance is bliss.
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Edwards dismisses Owens' past problems

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