Dan Pompei

If Terrell Owens helps the Bills as much as he helped the Cowboys, then the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets don’t have much to worry about.

Evidence suggest Owens will not be able to single-handedly lift the Bills past the competition in the AFC East, which looks like it may be the best division in the NFL again in 2009.

That is not an indictment against Owens as much as it is an indictment against all wide receivers. It’s true Owens had only two 100-yard receiving games in 2008. But that isn’t the point. Players at that position almost never are capable of swinging the balance of power in a division.

The year before Owens joined the Cowboys, they were 9-7. The year after, they were 9-7.

He had an impact on the Eagles when he was traded from the 49ers in 2004. After going 12-4 and losing in the NFC Championship game the year before, the Eagles won 13 games and lost in the Super Bowl.

If he can improve the Bills similarly this year, they will finish 8-8 (they were 7-9 last year), and probably wind up in last place in the East.

The Bills have a better chance of gaining big ground if their quarterback Trent Edwards can take a giant step. The issue is whether Owens will further Edwards’ development or retard it.

Edwards pleaded with team management to sign Owens, which might have been like a toddler begging to play with the matches. Owens has been hard on established veteran quarterbacks who have been to Pro Bowls like Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia. He could destroy a young quarterback if the passer’s confidence is fragile in the least.

Video   T.O. creating Bills buzz Mar. 10: Bills QB Trent Edwards reacts to T.O. becoming apart of the Bills. NBC Sports

Owens is likely to be appalled when he sees Edwards’ passes sailing high and wide — or worse, being completed to someone else. And he is likely to complain to and bully the young quarterback. And then he is likely to cross his arms and thrust his chin skyward when offensive coordinator Turk Schonert gingerly tries to explain why the game plan does not call for 40 passes to T.O.

The good news is there is room for improvement in Buffalo. Lots of room. Owens joins an offense that scored three points or less in three of its last five games, finished 22nd in the NFL in pass yards and did not have a 300-yard passing game all season. And Owens remains a premier talent. How many receivers are clearly better than T.O. right now? There are eight in my book — Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith and Greg Jennings certainly. Then there is Randy Moss, Roddy White and Anquan Boldin. And there are others we could debate.

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But T.O. still belongs in a very elite group of players, and the majority of teams in the NFL don’t have a wide receiver close to him in terms of talent. He very well may be a future Hall of Famer. He is a dominant wide receiver, a player who changes games and forces defenses to adjust to him. Leave him one on one with virtually any cornerback in football, and Owens will win.

The unknown with T.O. is how much he will be affected by eroding skills. At 35, it is likely he will not be the same player he was a decade ago. Even last season there were signs of him falling off slightly.

His critics will tell you he drops the ball too much. He had 10 dropped passes last year, fourth most in the NFL, according to Stats, Inc. But T.O. makes enough “wow” catches to compensate for his drops.

His drops only become an issue because his selfishness draws attention to them.

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