Just like a bad boyfriend, Terrell Owens showed up for the Buffalo Bills voluntary workout sessions Thursday, just a few weeks late and he wondered what all the fuss was about.
No surprise to Eagles fans. Been there, heard that. It's the classic T.O. model for building love-hate relationships.
Maybe there needs to be a 12-step program for ex-T.O. fans.
Typical T.O., you ask a simple question like where's he been all this time and he slips right into his old comfort zone: the victim role. Buffalo fans, we heard about it. He looked you right in the eye and basically let you know he wasn't the first or the only NFL player to miss a session where attendance isn't mandatory.
"What I find so unfair about it is that I'm not the only guy out of 32 teams that didn't show up." That's what he told you. "That's what's so frustrating about the whole thing is that everybody nitpicks at anything and everything I do."
Boo hoo and lots of baggage.
Nevermind the fact that practice sessions started March 23. We get it. It's a new love affair and you're in that infatuation stage, so you'll give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did just get dumped by Dallas and he probably needed a little time for self-reflection. And he said he'd go to the voluntary minicamps next month, so yes, we see how you could think things are looking up.
We don't mean to be a buzzkill, it's just that we hate to see you get hurt too.
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But it's not like you didn't know what you you're getting yourself into. You're his fourth franchise. You know what he's like. And he certainly doesn't make any apologies for that reputation. Just today he said, "In a sense it motivates me, and I'm really looking forward to the season."
Okay, okay, maybe people really do change.
We know you really want to make this work and Buffalo, maybe you're the one. Just because things ended badly for the rest of us doesn't mean it'll end that way for you. Now that you mention it, he did seem a little more attentive today. Remember what he said when someone asked whether he was going to be disruptive this time around? He gave you that nice smile and just reassured you. "No worries," he said.
Want a little advice?
Don't let up on the attention. He really thrives on it, especially when you do it in front of other people, like that sign you spray-painted on the expressway that says, "Welcome t.o. Buffalo." He loves that sort of stuff.
Try not to challenge him because it really puts him on the defense and once he goes there, he doesn't always boomerang back. Stroke him, don't provoke him. Good luck. Call if you need to talk. We promise we'll never say "We told you so." Really.
