Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens addresses the New England media during his conference call on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.
Q: How excited are you for Monday night?
TO: I'm looking forward to it, first Monday night of the year, only one for us and obviously, it's [the] kick-off Monday night game of the year, so definitely looking forward to it.
Q: How is the toe?
TO: The toe is good. [I've] been practicing, practicing hard, running, cutting so not a problem.
Q: Can you talk about your history with Shawn Springs and the relationship you have with him?
TO: Well, it's always been competitive. Shawn is one of those big, physical corners; one of the best in the league. If I have to think of good to great corners across the league, he's definitely one of those guys. Obviously, he's following me across the league. I think Belichick knew with me coming to the Bills that he had to find somebody to check me and he went out and acquired him.
Q: What's the toughest thing for you in dealing with a Bill Belichick coached defense?
TO: Well, I mean, there's no telling what scheme he might present us. Obviously, he has some new wrinkles. I'm pretty sure he had a lot of time to think about how he's going to contain myself, Lee [Evans], look at Josh [Reed] in the slot and obviously - you know - this team certainly relies on its front six, so we're going to present some challenges for their defense, just as they're going to present some challenges for us scheme wise.
Q: What was your reaction to finding out the change at offensive coordinator a little more than a week before the regular season starts?
TO: Well, I'm no stranger to surprise. I got the biggest surprise that anybody could imagine in March, so that was nothing. It was just one of those things. It's part of the business and you kind of deal with the shock initially and you let it wear off and you keep moving.
Q: What was that surprise back in March for you?
TO: [Laughs] Me being released. Where have you been? You just wanted to verify that.
Q: What has been the most surprising part of your Buffalo experience so far?
TO: The most surprising? Um, nothing so far. Like I said, I've already talked to a lot of guys that played here before and some current guys before I got here, so I kind of called those guys and got a heads up on what to expect and I'm here to play football so that's pretty much been my focus and my priority and so I'll take it.
Q: What are your impressions of [quarterback] Trent Edwards so far?
TO: The guy has tremendous upside [and] definitely a strong arm. We're definitely learning about each other every day, every week. So the chemistry we have is only going to get better, so I think the thing for us in this offense is communication just as well as it is across the league and I think for us to be successful, you know, we both have those open lines of communication so I think we've had a great start at it. We both look forward to continuing on throughout the season.
Q: Do you like the no-huddle approach?
TO: No, not really. But I got to deal with it. [Laughs] No, it's all right. It just gets you a little winded. For myself, I haven't really practiced much the last few pre-season games so I'm still trying to get myself into shape and that's coming around. We're doing some things in the offense that will help me get in shape a little bit faster than I need to, especially with the upcoming Monday night game. You know, that's part of our offense and we're looking forward to it. I've gotten a taste of it since the OTA's and I know what to expect. That's sometimes a plus for the offense especially if we can kind of wear guys down and keep them on the field and don't allow them to make substitutions, but you know, it's something we're looking forward to and we're going to try it out.
Q: I'm sure you've watched plenty of film and broken down the Patriots secondary, what do you see from some of those guys and what have you seen this pre-season?
TO: Well, new faces number one. Obviously for myself, new faces all across the board because this is my first year in the AFC East so I don't really know too much about the guys but just looking at them on film that's how I'll assess how I'll play. So other than that it's all about a game feel and once we get out there we'll take the first snap and see where it goes from there.
Q: Missing some of the pre-season, do you think you have brought a swagger to that Buffalo locker room?
TO: Well, if I haven't, I'll bring it Monday.
Q: Do you feel like you have something to prove especially after what you said, getting the surprise of getting cut and now coming out against the Patriots on Monday night?
TO: No, no, not at all. I don't have anything to prove at all. I think I know I have a lot of abilities to play this game before I left Dallas. I know first hand that my receiver coach had a talk with Jerry Jones and they asked about my productivity and what he saw as far as what I have left in the tank and my coach gave him the thumbs up, so I have no worries about the ability that I have to play. Anybody that has anything to question, as far as my abilities go, their opinions, you know, they don't count.
Q: Even though you don't have something to prove Monday night are you going to prove something anyway?
TO: I mean, I'll let my play do the talking for me. Again, Monday night is pretty much a motivator for everybody, for every player. Playing on Monday night everybody's looking to play their best. Everybody has their uncles, grandmas, aunts, and uncles watching and for the ones that are in the stadium, they try to make it extra special so I'm no different from those guys. Obviously, my family will be watching so I'm pretty sure the people in Dallas will be watching. Never would I be at the thinking that I had anything to prove once that ball's kicked off, like I said, I'm already in football mode, I'm already preparing, been preparing, weeks ago for this game. I'm looking forward to that.
Q: What are the biggest expectations you have going into this year for both yourself and your team?
TO: Well, I mean I have my own personal goals, but just coming in and just trying to be a team player; obviously coming in to help this team where it's lacking and obviously they started out great last year and kind of fizzled off towards the end. So, we're going to try to start off the same way and sustain in throughout the remainder of the season. So, other than that, I think I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my ability to play this game, my ability to make plays. My job and my personal best is on the line.
Q: Do you enjoy going up against a team with a top-ranked wide receiver like Randy [Moss] where he goes out and makes a play and you want to go out and make a play and just try to out-duel each other?
TO: Well, I think it's a situation where I think both parties, you try to take advantage of the opportunity, to take advantage of what the defense is giving you. You know, if Randy makes a big play based on what's on our defense, we're not going to go out and try to match it, we just got to take it one play at a time. So if there's a play within a series to where we can take advantage of the opportunity, whether is myself or Lee [Evans], then we're going to make that happen as well.
Q: Are you afraid that Trent [Edwards] might try to force the ball to you in certain situations as a young quarterback trying to keep you happy?
TO: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I probably got one ball today.
Q: You mentioned what the Cowboys coaches said about you in March, how much football do you think you have left in the tank?
TO: Man, I feel good, really. I know this is early in the season, but I don't know what it is, I just feel like I'm drinking from the fountain of youth every day. But, I feel very, very blessed playing this game at a high level. I mean, if you were to see me practice then you would never think that I'm 35. I mean, I'm saying that because other guys tell that it's will. I'm just one of those -one of many that are able to play this game at my age and still be able to play at a high level. If I'm 35 and I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing then, you know, I wouldn't be here. I didn't get released from Dallas because I was 35.
