Terrell Owens “ran the plays that were called.”  It resulted in the end of his 185 game consecutive catch streak, the third-longest in NFL history behind Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison.  While Owens downplayed the streak, he did mention it later on his Twitter account.  I believe it meant a lot to him, and contributed to his surly attitude during the postgame news conference.

That’s why I believe it was the job of the Bills coaching staff to throw a pass to Owens, for no other reason than continuing his streak.  They tried on the second-to-last possession, but it was incomplete.  On the last possession, they did not, running once and completing a pass to Josh Reed.

The coaching staff has to understand Owens and what makes him tick.  They have to know that Owens would be in a much better mood, and have a much better attitude, had his personal accomplishment been achieved.  I don’t think its a stretch to say that at that point in the game, Owens cared much more about his streak than he did about the final score.  The game was over anyway. 

Throw him a quick hitch, or a swing pass, just to keep the streak alive.  A happy player is a better player.  Sure, its meaningless to the team and the game.  But you have to know that a happier Owens makes for a happier week in Orchard Park.  I’ve seen teams do this with other players, so someone is aware.  Dick Jauron and Trent Edwards both said they did not know about the streak, and no consideration was given to getting T.O. the ball.

Your players mental health is as important as their physical health.  Its a coaching staff’s job to know that.  Plus, you knew what you were getting when you signed Owens.  They should have made a better effort to keep him happy.