Bills signed Owens to make team relevant

From The Associated Press

CANTON, OHIO–When Terrell Owens makes his debut in a Buffalo Bills uniform today, little does he realize how much influence a certain newly inducted member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame had in getting him to Buffalo.

That person would be team owner Ralph Wilson Jr.

APTerrell Owens

Frustrated with missing the playoffs for nine straight years and unhappy with how his franchise had been relegated to secondary status, Wilson decided to stir things up in early March, a day after Owens was released by Dallas.

"I said, 'Sign him,' " Wilson told Associated Press, recalling his conversation with Bills general manager Russ Brandon. "In Buffalo, we haven't had a national figure publicity-wise since (Jim) Kelly.

"So I thought, 'If this guy's a bad guy, so what? If he's a bad guy we'll have to get rid of him. But if he's a good guy, hey, we're ahead of the game.' "

Wilson will begin finding out when the Bills help usher in the pre-season by facing the Tennessee Titans in the Hall of Fame game, which kicks off the NFL schedule. And it's a contest that offers numerous compelling story lines beyond T.O., who signed a one-year $6.5 million (U.S.) contract with Buffalo.

The game will be part of a distinctly Buffalo-flavoured weekend, played a day after Wilson and former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith were inducted into the Hall. It's a game between two original American Football League franchises, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the league's founding. The Titans, who relocated from Houston, will wear throwback Oilers uniforms.

For Owens, what better setting to make his much anticipated debut than national television?

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