T.O. A.W.O.L.

Well, sort of. Would the front office of the Buffalo Bills have preferred that Terrell Owens showed up Monday for the start of the team's voluntary conditioning workouts? Probably.

Terrell sold a lot of wolf tickets about his commitment to the franchise and his excitement with beginning a new chapter of his remarkable story in Buffalo. That excitement apparently doesn't extend to being there when the first bell rang in mid-March, which happened to be on Monday.

What did the Bills think they were getting for a paltry $6.5 million? Whatever they thought, the didn't get Terrell on Monday, although, as the front office pointed out, the voluntary conditioning session lasts 12 weeks! And only the players who live in the Buffalo area (both of them) are usually around for the whole thing. Players stop by for a while, lift a few weights, continue their off-season.

Still, as the new kid in town, trying to make a good first impression, it would be a wise player who was there on the first day with his new notebooks and sharpened pencils for the film study and position-coach meetings that go along with the conditioning program.

Mark it down as Buffalo's first disappointment with Owens -- albeit a small one this time. There will be others to come.