(Sports Network) - Terrell Owens was on the free agent market for less than four days when the Buffalo Bills came to the rescue and awarded him a one- year, $6.5 million contract on March 8th.

That fact would seem to have much more to do with the Bills than it does with Owens.

That Buffalo was willing to take on a player who had worn out his welcome in a major, headline-grabbing way in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Dallas, and had by association become radioactive to all but a scant handful of franchises, did not deter Bills CEO Russ Brandon and head coach Dick Jauron from pursuing him.

This (almost literal) deal with the devil was prompted by the Bills' clear desperation to win right now, and to give themselves a chance to avoid a 10th straight season away from the playoffs. Another postseason-free year would very likely lead to Jauron's firing, a fate which he only narrowly avoided last season, after Buffalo went 2-8 in its final 10 games.

Those wishing to accentuate the positive in regard to Owens have noted that the elite-level receiver was mostly a good soldier in his first year in both Philadelphia and Dallas, and that he undoubtedly made both teams better immediately upon his arrival.

Owens' detractors, of which there are many, will remind you that Owens' happiness was fleeting, that all three of his previous tenures have ended badly, and that he was a divisive force that almost definitely contributed to on-field losses with the 49ers, Eagles, and Cowboys.

Brandon and Jauron understood the history, but were either delusional enough to believe that Western New York was the place Owens would finally find permanent happiness, or they were willing to live with the inevitable fallout in order to win in the short-term.

If the mindset was the latter, the Buffalo brain trust must think an awful lot of Owens' abilities, because there still appear to be too many gaping holes on this roster to suggest the Bills have gotten any closer to the Patriots, or even the defending division champion Dolphins, in the AFC East.

Even if Owens comes into Week 1 putting up a happy front, any extended period of losing or mediocrity is going to turn that smile into a frown, and once the microphones are in his face, history shows that he is going to take his shots at the quarterback, head coach, offensive coordinator, or anyone else he deems to be part of his problem.

No matter when T.O.'s time in Buffalo ends, there is almost no chance of it ending well. Which means that when Owens is next on the open market, possibly as early as this winter, he may be viewed as radioactive to one more NFL organization.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2009 edition of the Buffalo Bills, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 RECORD: 7-9 (4th, AFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 1999, lost to Tennessee, 22-16, in AFC Wild Card Game

COACH (RECORD): Dick Jauron (21-27 in three seasons with Bills, 57-76 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Turk Schonert

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Perry Fewell

OFFENSIVE STAR: Terrell Owens, WR (69 receptions, 10 TD with Dallas)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Aaron Schobel, DE (19 tackles, 1 sack)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 14th rushing, 22nd passing, 23rd scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 22nd rushing, 13th passing, 14th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (from Bengals), RB Dominic Rhodes (from Colts), WR Terrell Owens (from Cowboys), G Seth McKinney (from Browns), C Eric Wood (1st Round, Louisville), OL Geoff Hangartner (from Panthers), OL Andy Levitre (2nd Round, Oregon State), DE Aaron Maybin (1st Round, Penn State), LB Pat Thomas (from Chiefs), CB Drayton Florence (from Jaguars), CB Jairus Byrd (2nd Round, Oregon)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB J.P. Losman (not tendered), TE Robert Royal (released), T Jason Peters (to Eagles), G Derrick Dockery (released), G Jason Whittle (not tendered), C Melvin Fowler (not tendered), C Duke Preston (not tendered), LB Teddy Lehman (not tendered), LB Angelo Crowell (to Buccaneers), CB Jabari Greer (to Saints), LS Ryan Neill (released)

QB: Trent Edwards (2699 passing yards, 11 TD, 10 INT) was highly efficient during the Bills' 5-1 start, throwing just two interceptions and never going below an 81.0 passer rating or 60 percent completion rate during that run. But he rarely looked like same quarterback during the club's 2-8 finish, battling injuries and throwing just six touchdowns versus eight interceptions the rest of the way. Through it all, the Stanford product never made a ton of big plays, and there is hope that Owens' presence will help to change that. Edwards will have the full support of the coaching staff in 2009, but if he doesn't play well, his future beyond this year is far from guaranteed. Edwards' top backup will likely be Ryan Fitzpatrick (1905 passing yards, 8 TD, 9 INT with Cincinnati), who didn't play especially well for an awful Bengals team last year but is athletic and has experience. Gibran Hamdan continues to kick around the league six years after he threw his only two NFL passes (as a member of the Redskins (web | news) ), but doesn't look like he'll ever rise above third- string.

RB: The Bills and their offense will begin a critical year at less than full strength, as running back Marshawn Lynch (1036 rushing yards, 47 receptions, 9 TD) will miss the first three games after being suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Lynch went over 1,000 yards last season for a second straight year, though the team's struggles in the passing game put extra pressure on him and it was Week 11 before he went over 100 yards in a game. Lynch's primary replacement in Weeks 1-3 was to be backup Fred Jackson (571 rushing yards, 3 TD, 37 receptions), who provided a nice change of pace last year, but Jackson suffered a wrist injury midway through the preseason that could alter that scenario. If he's not ready, ex-Colt Dominic Rhodes (538 rushing yards, 45 receptions, 9 TD) could end up being the main man in the Buffalo backfield during September. Xavier Omon (5 rushing yards), who appeared in two games last season, figures to stick at least until Lynch is available. Corey McIntyre (2 receptions) returns as the team's fullback.

WR/TE: The news that Buffalo had signed Owens had to be a bit of a mixed blessing for Lee Evans (63 receptions, 3 TD). Evans figures to see fewer balls thrown his way with Owens demanding the ball from Edwards, but will also face fewer double-teams with the future Hall of Famer on the other side of the field. Evans posted the second 1,000-yard season of his career last season, but his three touchdowns were the fewest of his five years in Buffalo. The acquisition of Owens was made necessary in part by the failure of Josh Reed (56 receptions, 1 TD) and Roscoe Parrish (24 receptions, 1 TD) to become reliable every-down receivers, and that duo will get fewer opportunities this year. Justin Jenkins and Steve Johnson (10 receptions, 2 TD) also return, and if they both stick, it could mean lights out for 2008 second-round pick James Hardy (9 receptions, 2 TD), who was a disappointment last season before injuring his knee. Last year's starting tight end, Robert Royal, was released, meaning less-than-stellar holdovers Derek Schouman (15 receptions, 1 TD), Derek Fine (10 receptions, 1 TD), and fourth-round draft choice Shawn Nelson (Southern Miss) will have a chance to prove their mettle.

OL: Though Owens, Edwards, and Lynch will draw a lot of the offensive headlines for Bills, there is not an area of the team that is more critical to the unit's success than the offensive line. The Bills traded the group's best player, left tackle Jason Peters, and are attempting to plug the marginal Langston Walker into that position. Three 2008 starters/contributors on the interior line, guards Jason Whittle and Derrick Dockery along with center Melvin Fowler, have also been separated from the team. A pair of rookies - Eric Wood (1st Round, Louisville) and Andy Levitre (2nd Round, Oregon State) - look like the starting guards, and former part-time Carolina starter Geoff Hangartner appears to be the best option at center. Brad Butler is making the switch from right guard to Walker's former position, right tackle, and will have to prove he can handle it. The top two backups will probably be Kirk Chambers, who started four games last year and will likely serve as the swing tackle, and journeyman guard Seth McKinney. Demetrius Bell, a seventh-round draft pick a year ago who is also the son of former NBA star Karl Malone, has a chance to win a reserve job as well.

DL: The Bills were worthless as a pass rushing group once Aaron Schobel went down with a foot injury last year, and it is that situation that prompted them to use the No. 11 overall pick on Penn State's Aaron Maybin. Maybin was one of the final first-rounders to sign his rookie contract, but has a chance to be an opening day contributor if he progresses quickly. For the moment, he'll back up Schobel, who is expected to be over the foot injury that cost him 11 games last season. On the left side, Chris Kelsay (47 tackles, 2 sacks) and Ryan Denney (58 tackles, 4 sacks) continue to work in a platoon but need to make more of an impact in the pass-rushing game than they did a year ago. On the interior, Marcus Stroud (45 tackles, 2.5 sacks) provided a nice presence after coming over in a trade from Jacksonville, and will re-claim his starting job next to Kyle Williams (55 tackles, 2 sacks). Spencer Johnson (31 tackles, 2 sacks) and former first-round disappointment John McCargo look like the interior backups.

LB: The Bills were just 22nd in the league against the run last season, and must see some continued maturation from their linebacking group in order for that number to improve. The starting group will remain essentially the same, with hard-nosed Paul Pozluszny (110 tackles, 1 INT) in the middle, Kawika Mitchell (82 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT) on the weak side, and Keith Ellison (73 tackles) the strong. There isn't much to recommend among the backups, so this group needs to stay healthy. New face Pat Thomas (48 tackles, 0.5 sacks with Kansas City) played in 12 games for a terrible Chiefs defense a year ago, and holdover Jon Corto (10 tackles) and undersized fifth-round pick Nic Harris (Oklahoma) will make most of their contributions on special teams.

DB: The seven interceptions the Buffalo secondary managed last year might not be great evidence that this is one of the most talented areas of the team, but the weakness of the Bills' pass rush was the biggest culprit in that lack of playmaking on the back end. The cornerback tandem of Terrence McGee (66 tackles, 3 INT) and second-year-pro Leodis McKelvin (32 tackles, 2 INT) has a chance to be one of the best in the league in 2009, and safeties Donte Whitner (61 tackles, 1 sack), Bryan Scott (69 tackles, 1 sack), and Ko Simpson (66 tackles) should be a credit to the group as well. George Wilson (25 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and John Wendling (13 tackles) are penciled in as the backup safeties, though the Bills might have to choose between one or the other due to roster numbers. At reserve corner, holdovers Ashton Youboty (20 tackles, 1 sack) and Reggie Corner (22 tackles) could be in trouble after the team signed ex-Charger and Jaguar Drayton Florence (36 tackles with Jacksonville) in free agency, and used a second-round pick on Jairus Byrd (Oregon).

SPECIAL TEAMS: The area of the team probably giving Jauron the fewest sleepless nights is the kicking game, where Rian Lindell (30-38 FG) and punter Brian Moorman (44.1 avg.) are as effective and professional as they come. The return game also looks to be in great shape with Roscoe Parrish (15.3 punt return avg., 1 TD) handling punts and Leodis McKelvin (28.2 kickoff return avg., 1 TD) kickoffs. The one new face for revered special teams coach Bobby April's unit is rookie Garrison Sanborn (Florida State), whose emergence made 2007 and 2008 snapper Ryan Neill expendable.

PROGNOSIS: Will the Bills passing game be better thanks to the addition of Owens? Probably. Does his presence make Buffalo a playoff team? Probably not. There is just too much working against this team to suggest that they can compete with the Patriots and Dolphins in the AFC East, including but not limited to the presence of the underwhelming Walker at left tackle, the other changes and new faces along the offensive line, the Lynch suspension, and the effect the extended holdout figures to have on Maybin's rookie year. It's not that the Bills won't be competitive, because they will be, and should flirt with .500 once again. But a couple of tweaks here and there weren't enough to help them run with the big dogs in the AFC, and the net effect will be another non-playoff finish and the likely end of the Jauron era in Buffalo.



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