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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - On Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the New Orleans Saints delivered a strong dose of reality to cable TV star Terrell Owens.
Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith intercepts a pass intended for Buffalo Bills receiver Terrell Owens on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Owens finished without a catch.
The enigmatic Buffalo Bills wide receiver known as T.O. failed to catch a pass to end a streak of 185 consecutive games with at least one catch. For the first time since the sixth game of his rookie year in 1996 with the San Francisco 49ers, Owens came away empty-handed.
No catches, no yards and more important he proved to be no problem for the Saints, who moved to 3-0 with a methodical 27-7 victory before a sellout crowd of 70,261.
"It's over, " Owens said of his streak. "We're just going with the plays that are called. Whether I like them or don't, I'm just going with the plays that are called."
Five passes were thrown in Owens' direction by Bills quarterback Trent Edwards. Four fell incomplete; a fifth was intercepted by Saints defensive end Will Smith after the ball bounced high into the air off the chest of Saints cornerback Jabari Greer in the third quarter.
"It was a total team effort, " Greer said. "The way the defensive line pressured the quarterback and the way the linebackers took away the underneath throws. It all works hand in hand.
"To say that us as a secondary totally shut him down, that would be a little selfish. If us as a secondary say that we shut him down, I think that would overshadow the real work of the way the defensive line and the linebackers played today."
The Saints were credited with 14 quarterback hits and four sacks, 3 1/2 by defensive linemen Sedrick Ellis (1), Smith (1) and Charles Grant (1 1/2), who shared one with cornerback Randall Gay (1/2).
Times-Picayune's complete coverage
Jeff Duncan: Saints win in way they haven't in long time
Duncan's postgame video log
Peter Finney: Stage set for Superdome showdown
Photo gallery
Recapping the game
Grading the Saints
Scoring summary
In-game updates
Game chat
No doubt, the game tape will disclose more hurries on Edwards from the Saints' pass rush.
"It's a cumulative effort, " Saints free safety Darren Sharper said. "To think about the number of sacks we had, and not allowing the quarterback to sit back there and find T.O., that's tough to shut down a receiver of his caliber. To hold him to zero catches, and to slow down an offense that's been pretty productive the last couple of weeks, is a big statement by this defense."
INJURY REPORT: Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod injured his right ankle in the second quarter. He returned briefly in the third quarter but was eventually replaced by reserve tackle/tight end Zach Strief, who finished the game.
HARGROVE STATEMENT: Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove returned to Buffalo for the first time since being forced to sit out the entire 2008 season for multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy while a member of the Bills' organization in 2006 and '07.
On Friday, he told The Times-Picayune that playing the Bills in Buffalo was "just another game" to him. Obviously, it meant much more, based on his prepared statement that ran in Sunday's editions of the Buffalo News. It read: "I want to apologize to the entire Buffalo Bills organization, from Ralph Wilson to Dick Jauron and to everyone else associated with the team, including the fans. They believed in me and gave me every opportunity to succeed. I was just not healthy enough at the time. It took me reaching the bottom for me to look up and ask God to start helping me through the mess I had made of my life. I am on a new journey, and part of that journey includes manning up to the truth. I am the one solely responsible for the issues that led to my suspensions. The truth is that I let people down along the way, and all I can do at this point is say that I am sorry. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Bills' organization and am thankful in my heart that they cared about me."
DID YOU KNOW? Prior to Sunday's game, the Saints' previous visit to Buffalo came in Week 1 of the 2001 season. The Saints won 24-6, spoiling the debut of Bills Coach Gregg Williams, now the Saints' defensive coordinator. After Sunday's game, Saints Coach Sean Payton presented a game ball to Williams, whose defense limited the Bills to 243 yards and a touchdown on a fake field goal. "He deserves it, " Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb said.
QUICK HITS: Greer, who played for the Bills from 2004 to 2008, was made an honorary game captain. . . . Saints running back Lynell Hamilton scored his first career touchdown, on a 1-yard run to cap a 10-play drive with 10:04 remaining in the first quarter. Speaking of Hamilton, he borrowed a move from the WWE on his take down of Bills kick returner Roscoe Parrish with 9:39 remaining. Hamilton picked up Parrish and slammed him to the ground at the end of a 14-yard return. . . . Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel scored a hat trick in the second quarter, being credited with a sack of quarterback Drew Brees, strip and fumble recovery. . . . Brees threw for 172 yards, his lowest production since Game 15 of the 2006 season when he threw for 179 yards against the New York Giants. A week later, he threw for fewer yards against Carolina but was pulled after one series as a precaution. . . . Sharper was assessed a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness after an 11-yard reception by Bills wide receiver Lee Evans in the third quarter. Sharper came in late on Evans and led with his helmet. . . . The Saints scored on their opening possession for the third time in as many games this season.

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

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9thWardDesire

darstep

The numbers looked great...O-for
But I also looked at a few replays...
let me just say, I'm glad it turned out and ended up O-for
Its not that TO wasn't open - on occasion
We'll take the O-for and move on to this week

mighty12

There were two deep balls that he just gave up on. He should have caught at least one of those and might have gotten a touchdown. Lucky for us, HE DIDN'T!!!