by By the Inquirer Staff , The Philadelphia Inquirer

Owens is now in Buffalo, where the acrimony is over why the Bills stink and when they will stop stinking.

But we care about things here, the center of the universe. When asked by a reporter for the Buffalo News which team he would ROOT for in Sunday night's Eagles -Cowboys game, Owens said, "Obviously, the game could go either way. But I have to go with my guys down in Big D."

Owens' view will not alter the Earth's spin or even the Eagles -Cowboys game. But he was such a beacon of energy and angst during his days in Philly and Dallas that one can't resist the urge to ask, to hope for something incendiary.

Buffalo is a fine, upstanding community, and it's in New York, but it's a long way from the lights of Broadway. And Owens has, by his standards, mostly avoided starting fires.

Owens is not a recluse, though. After his first practice with the Bills in May, he served as the sportscaster on one of the evening news shows.

"The top story in sports tonight is 'I'm here,' " Owens said on the air, according to the News. He showed some videotape and then added, "Now let's hear what I had to say after practice."

Cast adrift by the Cowboys in the off-season, Owens did not get a lot of offers, as teams worried about chemistry, quarterback relations, his age (35), and how they might be portrayed in Owens' quasi-reality show. Bills owner Ralph Wilson was ready for some pizzazz after three straight 7-9 seasons and a 5-11 campaign before that. Alas, the Bills are just 3-5.

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards missed the last two games after suffering a concussion but might be back Nov. 15, when the Bills return from their bye week.

Meanwhile, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick - who managed to tie the Eagles , 13-13, while with Cincinnati last season - has struggled. He did complete five passes to Owens for 39 yards on Sunday, but they came in a 31-10 loss to Houston. The lone Buffalo TD came on a 29-yard end around by Owens.

One of the problems for Edwards and Fitzpatrick is that left tackle Jason Peters was traded to the Eagles and Demetrius Bell now has the job. Also, right tackle Jamon Meredith got hurt.

"It's hard to get into a rhythm or develop any kind of chemistry when those guys aren't the guys that started through training camp," Owens said after the game, according to the News. "Every week we've played with an injury or two on both sides of the ball. . . . We're playing musical chairs with a lot of guys in the line."

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