Tag: Buffalo Bills

Categories
NFL General

The first in a soon-to-be long string of "shocking" NFL predictions

Say hello to your newest
1,000-yard rusher

The NBA season is officially over, signifying the official starting of the countdown to the NFL kickoff. We’re still trying to figure out who our keeper is going to be for this year’s fantasy team, but, luckily, we still have time. And between now and then, we’ll probably flip flop between players over a hundred times thanks to crazy, outlandish predictions like these from FBKid’s Sports Minute.

Fbkid’s top ten shocking predictions for the NFL season

10. Matt Forte will run for 1,000 yards as a rookie

9. Drew Stanton will be the starting quarterback for the Lions by the end of the year

8. Keith Rivers will win defensive rookie of the year

7. The Oakland Raiders will be a playoff spoiler come December

6. The Carolina Panthers will make the playoffs

5. Jonathan Stewart will win offensive rookie of the year

4. The Buffalo Bills will make the playoffs

3. The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t make the playoffs

2. The Cowboys won’t be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl

1. Troy Smith will be the starting quarterback for the Ravens week one

We’ll go out on a limb and say the Cowboys won’t be representing the NFC and TO will once again go home with snot coming out his nose and tears streaming behind his Kool Moe Dee shades. Either way, you need to get your popcorn ready because you’re going to want a snack while you wait for the season kickoff to roll around on September 4. Skins in New York to face the Super Bowl champs, in case you were wondering.

Links:

[FBKid’s Sports Minute]: top ten shocking predictions for the NFL season

Categories
Miami Heat

When you’re Shaq, all mo’ money means is mo’ bills


Patrick Ewing once infamously said “We might make a lot of money, but we also spend a lot of money.” Perhaps nobody exemplifies this better than Mr. Money Bags, Shaquille O’Neal.

The big fella is currently going through a divorce from his wife, Shaunie, and had to turn over a statement of his finances to the courts and the Palm Beach Post managed to get their hands on it. After taking a look at the article, it’s pretty clear everything Ewing said was true. Shaq indeed makes a lot of money ($1.8 million per month), but he spends a lot of money too ($875,015 per month). Here’s how Shaq attacks the bills.

* $156,116 in mortgages on three homes (including his $20 million mansion on Miami Beach’s Star Island), plus $31,299 in homeowners insurance
* $110,505 for vacations
* $26,500 a month for child care
* $24,300 for gas
* $17,220 for clothing
* $12,775 for food
* $10,065 for electricity
* $10,000 for temporary child support
* $10,000 for alimony
* $6,730 for dry cleaning
* $5,000 for car payments
* $3,345 for phone bills
* $2,305 for pets
* $1,610 for lawn and pool maintenance
* $1,495 for cable TV

Talk about depressing! He’s dropping almost seven grand a month on dry cleaning and we can’t even scrounge up enough change to get our water turned back on. Yea, do *not* go in there! Pheeww!

Links:

[PalmBeachPost.com]: Shaq as big a spender as he is a man

Categories
Buffalo Bills

Kevin Everett expected to recover thanks to revolutionary procedure


There’s really nothing to say other than science is simply amazing. After being diagnosed with a “catastrophic” injury to his spinal cord stemming from a hit in Buffalo’s opener against the Broncos, one doctor is now expecting the Bills Kevin Everett to walk again. This is light-years from the outlook just days ago.

After being taken somewhat out of his sedated state on Tuesday, Everett had regained voluntarily movement of his legs and arms. While he’s still not completely out of the woods yet and he has some serious rehabilitation to look forward too, this is the absolute best news anyone could have expected following the second half collision.

Based on our experience, the fact that he’s moving so well, so early after such a catastrophic injury means he will walk again,” said Dr. Barth Green, chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami school of medicine.

“It’s totally spectacular, totally unexpected,” Green told The Associated Press by telephone from Miami.

The most amazing part of this story is the revolutionary procedure that was used to help save Everett and could end up helping millions of others in similar, life threatening situations.

Green said the key was the quick action taken by (Dr. Andrew) Cappuccino to run an ice-cold saline solution through Everett’s system that put the player in a hypothermic state. Doctors at the Miami Project have demonstrated in their laboratories that such action significantly decreases the damage to the spinal cord due to swelling and movement.

“We’ve been doing a protocol on humans and having similar experiences for many months now,” Green said. “But this is the first time I’m aware of that the doctor was with the patient when he was injured and the hypothermia was started within minutes of the injury. We know the earlier it’s started, the better.

And just think, all this time we’ve been making fun of Ted Williams’ frozen head.

Links:

[RockyMountainNews.com]: `He will walk again,’ doc say of Bills TE hurt vs. Broncos

Categories
Buffalo Bills

Kevin Everett’s injury is a sobering reminder of how brutal football really is

Opening weekend of the NFL season is normally a time reserved for loud cheering, beer drinking, barbecue eating and unmatched hope for the upcoming season.  It’s supposed to be a time when fantasy football GMs feel the bitter pain and overwhelming joy of defeat and victory.  It’s supposed to be all those things, but how can it be when the football gods use opening Sunday to send a message that there’s more to life than winning and losing?

The Bills’ Kevin Everett is in ICU at a Buffalo hospital after a fairly routine tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half of the Bills/Broncos game.  Everett sustained a “cervical spine injury” that doctors believe could prevent him from ever walking again.  He’ll be sedated for the next 24-48 hours before doctors can determine more.  

(Brian) Overstreet (Everett’s agent) told the AP late Sunday that his client had some “sparse movement.”

“The next couple of days is going to be critical,” said Overstreet, responding to a question about paralysis. “Our concern is for him to come out of this healthy and, hopefully, be able to walk again.

This certainly makes Sunday’s highlights seem rather trivial and it has to be hard for any professional player to focus solely on the game when reality strikes down like a bolt of lightening.  We’d like to think these guys are superhuman the way they take a lickin’ and so often keep on tickin’, but it’s times like these that you realize why guys like Larry Johnson decide to hold out for more money.  Sure, some of it has to do with market value or simple greed, but these guys really are putting their health on the line each and every snap.  If that doesn’t deserve adequate compensation then nothing does.  

Links:

[AZCentral.com]: Bills’ Everett under sedation

Categories
Seattle Seahawks

Rick Tuten don’t know nothing about nothing


Rick Tuten played for 12 years in the NFL. Granted, he was a punter but he still made a pretty decent living for a dozen years. But apparently it wasn’t enough — Tuten was arrested for selling stolen goods. Police started investigating Tuten when they realized that he was named by a lot of burglars as the guy who they sold stuff to so they set up a sting.


During a taped telephone conversation, a police informant told Tuten she had two stolen flat screen televisions valued at $1,500.

According to an affidavit, Tuten replied, “I don’t know nothing about nothing.” He then instructed the woman to deliver the items to his home. Tuten paid the woman $600 for the televisions and then asked her to deliver more.

How is it possible that OJ Simpson gets to play golf every day on his NFL pension but Rick Tuten has to sell stolen goods to make ends meet? We don’t get the NFLPA.

Links:
[AOL Sports]: Ex-Punter Arrested for Selling Stolen Goods

Categories
NFL General

Jan 8 in Sports History: The Music City Miracle



After the 90.5 degree lateral from Wycheck

In 2000: An otherwise nondescript AFC Wild Card game suddenly found itself joining the Immaculate Reception, the Hail Mary and The Drive in pantheon of unbelievable playoff finishes. The Tennessee Titans were locked in a defensive struggle with the visiting Buffalo Bills in the first playoff game of the new millennium. The Bills rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half and took their first lead of the game at 16-15 with only 16 seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff, Tennessee’s Lorenzo Neal fielded the ball and handed it to H-Back Frank Wycheck. Wycheck threw the ball across the field to Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards for the touchdown. The Titans had to wait out a lengthy review by referee Phil Luckett (who was the Forrest Gump of the NFL in the late 90’s–he seemed to be involved in every major event), but the play stood and “the Music City Miracle” was on the list. The Bills protested that it was a forward pass by Wycheck and the play shouldn’t have stood, but replays show that the play was a lateral.

In 2003: Two Wild Card games played back-to-back provided NFL fans with one of the most exciting days of football ever. First, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers trailed 24-7 and 33-21 before rallying to beat the Cleveland Browns 36-33, despite 433 yards passing by Brown’s backup Kelly Holcomb. Then in San Francisco, the 49ers fell behind the NY Giants 38-14 in the second half before rallying to take a 39-38 lead behind Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens. The last play of the afternoon summed up the entire day. The Giants lined up for a game-winning field goal attempt but the snap was botched, and holder Matt Allen scrambled right and heaved a desperation pass to Giants’ guard Rich Seubert (who was an eligible receiver). Seubert was blatantly interfered with by the 49ers’ Chike Okeafor, but the referees instead penalized the Giants for an illegal man downfield. If the referees had called offsetting penalties (or if Allen had just spiked the ball—it was third down) the Giants could’ve had another shot at winning the game. The 49ers, for some reason, didn’t let the Giants play at Tampa the next week in their stead.

Categories
NFL General

Jan 3 in Sports History: The beginnings of Martyball


In 1987: It looked like the same old story for the Cleveland Browns: Have a great regular season only to choke it away in the playoffs. They were trailing the New York Jets by 10 with about 4 minutes left. Browns’ quarterback Bernie Kosar (who had complained that coach Marty Schottenheimer’s offense was too conservative in a playoff loss the previous year—I know, we couldn’t believe it either) had 489 yards passing and the Browns had out gained the Jets two to one., but still had to rally to tie the game. In overtime, it was Revenge of the Missed Chip-Shot Field Goals as kickers Pat Leahy of the Jets and Mark Moseley of Cleveland took turns pissing an AFC Championship Game trip away. Moseley finally connected in the second overtime to save the Browns’ playoff lives (and most likely his own—…we vaguely recall Marv Albert explaining how he would have been fed to the Dawg Pound had he missed again). Despite the lucky 23-20 win, the Cleveland Story continued in glorious fashion against Denver the following week.

In 1982: The San Diego Chargers defeated the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in a thrilling AFC divisional playoff game in the Orange Bowl. The Chargers jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Dolphins came right back to make it 24-17 at halftime. Miami’s final touchdown of the half came on the famous hook-and-ladder play, in which quarterback Don Strock completed a pass to Duriel Harris, who then pitched the ball to a sprinting Tony Nathan, who ran it the rest of the way for the touchdown. The Dolphins eventually took a 38-31 lead until the Chargers rallied to tie the score. A last second Uwe von Schamann field goal was blocked and the game went into overtime and was eventually won at 13:52 on a San Diego field goal. The game set records for total yardage (1,036) and points scored (79) but it is most remembered by the outstanding play of Kellen Winslow. The Chargers’ tight end caught 13 passes for 166 yards, many for critical first downs. He also blocked what would have been the game-winning field goal. After the game, Winslow was so spent he had to be helped off the field by teammates. And he was too tired to ride his motorcycle in the parking lot or violently proclaim himself a member of the Armed Forces in the postgame interview.

In 1993: Was it the greatest comeback in NFL history, or the biggest gag job ever performed on any playing surface? Either way, the Buffalo Bills overcame the largest deficit in NFL history to win an AFC Wild Card game against the Houston Oilers. A Bubba McDowell interception return put Houston ahead 35-3 in the third quarter. The Houston radio announcer proclaimed to his constituents back home that “they can turn off the lights here in Rich Stadium– it’s over!” The Oilers then went and made him look like the Douche of the Century by blowing the lead. Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich, subbing for an injured Jim Kelly, began leading the Bills down the field at will with 28 third quarter points, and they eventually took the lead 38-35 until Houston tied it with a last-second field goal. Warren Moon threw a quick interception on the first possession of overtime, and Buffalo’s Steve Christie kicked the game-winner, 41-38. The Bills were able to keep their string of losing in Super Bowls intact and the Oilers began thinking that maybe their luck would change in Tennessee a few years later.

Categories
Miami Dolphins

Dec 18 in Sports History: Dolphins go undefeated


In 1972: With a 16-0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts, the Miami Dolphins (14-0) clinched the first-ever undefeated, untied regular season in NFL history. The ’72 Dolphins are not considered by many to be the most dominant team in history, although they did lead the league in scoring (385 pts) and gave up the fewest (171) behind the “No-Name Defense.” They won despite the fact that starting quarterback Bob Griese went down in the fifth game with an injury and did not return until the AFC Championship game. Earl Morrall, who was 38 years old by then, quietly took the reins and led the league in passing efficiency. Running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Of course, the Dolphins won three straight in the postseason to finish 17-0; and now it’s just annoying when they annually pop the champagne when the last undefeated team in the NFL loses a game.

In 1973: Exactly 21 years, six months and 12 days before his ex-wife and her friend were found murdered, OJ Simpson ran a sweep left against the New York Jets for a short gain. That run on the cold, muddy Shea Stadium turf helped Simpson become the first ever NFL player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. He finished with 2,003 yards, won the league MVP and led the usually moribund Buffalo Bills to a winning record and almost a playoff berth. Other than that, nothing else ever happened in Simpson’s life and he plays golf all the time now.

Categories
College Football

Sports History: Thanksgiving Leftovers edition

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the best and most extended sports weekends of the year. Four full days of food, football, family, more football and more food, sprinkled with plenty of basketball (college and pro) and a dash of hockey make for a grand feast of sports gluttony not matched until the middle of March (some say Bowl Season, but we here at Sportscolumn blog are against whatever Shit Bag bowl 6-6 Pitt is going to be invited to, so no). Since we were so busy over the weekend ingesting all of this, and the Monday after is always one of the slowest days, not much happens (unless you count the dominance that is Hunters vs. Bears). So we offer you a healthy cornucopia (I love that word and this is the only time of year I can use it, so shoo) of sports history leftovers. Enjoy!

On November 23, 1984: In one of the most remarkable college football plays ever, Doug Flutie hit receiver Gerard Phelan with a “Hail Mary” pass with no time on the clock to help Boston College upset defending national champion Miami at the Orange Bowl, 47-45. After the Hurricanes took the lead 45-41 on a Melvin Bratton touchdown with 28 seconds remaining, the Eagles got the ball to the Miami 48 with six seconds left. On the last play, Flutie scrambled right and heaved the ball towards a cluster of players near the goal line. The ball miraculously eluded the outstretched hands of Hurricane defenders and found Phelan, who cradled it “like a newborn baby” as he fell into the end zone with zeroes on the clock. Flutie’s miracle pass capped off an amazing Heisman Trophy campaign for the diminutive QB from Natick, MA. He ended up with 472 yards passing that day, using the Hail Mary to edge Bernie Kosar’s 445 yards in the air.  (espn.com)

On Nov. 24, 1960: Here’s an amazing feat in NBA history that will never be duplicated: Wilt Chamberlain pulled down 55 rebounds in a game (Feel free to insert your joke here about the 20,000 women being a better record). Which undersized wusshole did Chamberlain dominate to set a record which still stands today? It was only his chief rival and nemesis, hall of famer Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. The game was a microcosm of the two center’s careers, as Chamberlain dominated on the stat sheet (he added 34 points and four assists), while Russell and the Celtics won the game, 132-129. We also know that Chamberlain’s 100 points in a game seems unattainable, but we’re pretty sure Kobe will huck up 150 shots one of these days to challenge it. (www.hoophall.com)

On Nov. 26, 1990: The Houston Oilers defeated the Buffalo Bills 27-24 in a Monday Night matchup. The Bills’ loss capped off a weekend in which all six first-place teams lost in the same week, the latest ever occurrence in a season. The Bengals fell into a tie for first with Pittsburgh and Houston in the AFC Central after being upset by the Colts 34-20, the Chiefs inched to within a game in the AFC West by beating the Raiders 27-24, the Giants lost to Philadelphia 31-13 in the NFC East, the Bears were clobbered by Minnesota 41-13 in the Central, and in the NFC West, the 49ers were shocked by the Rams at home, 28-17.  Each team held on to win their division, however. Also, the losses by the Giants and 49ers took a little luster off a showdown against each other the following week in which both teams would’ve been undefeated had they not lost. (The 2006 ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia)

Categories
Chicago Bears

Nov 20 in Sports History: Sweetness breaks the killer’s single game rushing record


In 1977: Walter Payton broke O.J. Simpson’s single-game NFL rushing record with 275 yards on 40 carries in a 10-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Simpson had set the record a year earlier with 273. “Sweetness’” performance sparked a run to the playoffs for the struggling Bears, who made the postseason for the first time in 14 years. Payton’s record stood for 23 years, until it was broken by Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2000 and again by Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens in 2003. Payton also set a record for most rushing attempts that season with 339 (which he broke a few years later). (The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia)

In 1962: Mickey Mantle tied an American League record by winning his third AL MVP award. Mantle shares the record with fellow Yankee greats Joe Dimaggio and Yogi Berra. Mantle won the award despite playing in only 123 games due to nagging injuries, hitting .321 with 30 homers and 89 RBI. Along with the three Yankees, only three other players have won three MVP awards (Roy Campanella, Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt). Barry Bonds (unfortunately) has won the award seven times. (baseball library.com)