It might be the off-season, but the Buffalo Bills are already trying to make their signing of Terrell Owens pay dividends for them. As PRO FOOTBALL TALK notes, you can now be the first person on your block to have an authentic replica Terrell Owens Buffalo Bills jersey. Or the first person on your block with any kind of Bills jersey, probably. (Note: the previous statement does not apply in upstate New York.)
You might look at the picture above and wonder about the number. Don’t expect Owens to actually be wearing the No. 1 when he takes the field - in fact, per NFL rules, a wide receiver can’t wear that number. But he might not be wearing the No. 81 either, as it already belongs to James Hardy, the team’s second-round draft pick last season.
And since Owens hasn’t been assigned a number yet, we can assume that Hardy hasn’t agreed to give Owens his number yet. Which I’m sure will be the first thing that Owens causes a huge stink about on the Bills. (Either that, or he’ll refuse to practice because his new locker is right underneath the air conditioning vent.)
There are other numbers available (specifically 12, 15, 19, 84, 85, 88, and 89), but usually things like this get settled with some sort of financial agreement between the star player and the scrub who has his uniform number. So T.O. had better get his checkbook along with his popcorn if he wants to continue to be the “original 81.“







11:52 pm on March 8th, 2009
Lessee…Bills 12 was retired for Jim Kelly, 15 for Jack Kemp, 89 reserved for Steve Tasker. I think the odds of Hardy even making the Bills in '09 dropped from slim to none when TO signed. Hardy's a bum. So glad they didn't draft him in the first round, makes their decision to dump him a little easier to make. TO will have his 81 very soon.
1:09 am on March 9th, 2009
How about number zero? That would be a perfect fit.
1:01 pm on March 9th, 2009
Can he wear 99? I still don't understand how he's willing to play football on purpose with Trent Edwards, though.