Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

According to a Rogers Communications quarterly financial statement, the Buffalo Bills will receive $78 million to play eight games (five preseason and three regular season) in Toronto over the next five years. That works out to nearly $10 million a game. Per-game revenues from tickets and concessions in Ralph Wilson Stadium are roughly $6 million/game. You can do the math.

I guess I am more understanding of this partnership than I initially was. If this sort of relationship allows the team to expand their fan base, make more money and thus stay in Buffalo, I’m all for it. But, the day they pack up and move to Toronto is the day I curse the whole idea and say “I told you so.”

Source: TheStar.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Bills Have 78M Reasons to Play in Toronto

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

A little over four months ago, Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett lay on the Ralph Wilson Stadium turf unable to move. After making a hit on a kick return against the Denver Broncos in both teams’ 2007 season opener, Kevin suffered a catastrophic and life-threatening injury that caused a fracture to his cervical spine. He was diagnosed a quadriplegic by team physicians right there on the field and it wasn’t believed he would ever again regain the ability to move.

I’ve been writing about Kevin’s injury since the day it happened. I first met Kevin at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center in November 2005, when he was a rookie. He and his fellow first-year teammates were serving Thanksgiving dinner there. Two years later (this past 2007 season), I took an opportunity to work the press box and locker room at all the Bills’ home games in Orchard Park. So I felt close to Kevin’s situation. And I talked with his teammates about his progress every time I saw them. I received numerous emails and comments about Kevin from those who knew him at one point in their lives and from others who had never heard of him before, but who were concerned about his status. Everyone had hopes that he would somehow recover to live a normal life again.

Kevin made his first public appearance yesterday on Oprah and his much-anticipated book, Standing Tall, is in stores today. You can win one of four copies, courtesy of Triumph Books, by simply commenting on this post. Keep reading.

I was anxious to get my hands on this book so I could somehow try to understand what Kevin has been through the past four months. I was hoping to hear what his life has been like because his is a story of triumph and recovery. Not only is Kevin walking again, he is improving each day and working toward living the normal life he once enjoyed.

As I turned to the first of 224 pages, my initial question was whether Kevin was aware of what was happening when the injury occurred. Did he know he was paralyzed? What did he remember about the hit and what was that moment like? You’ll find out in the chapter “Normalcy Turns to Terror.” This is an honest book. Author Sam Carchidi and Kevin weren’t afraid to tackle the personal and painful experiences on the road to recovery. It’s all in here. You’ll also get:

• The controversial medical procedure used on Kevin
• Specific entries from the personal journal of his fiance Wiande Moore
• Detailed accounts from his rigorous rehab the past four months

Kevin Everett is a walking miracle. He wasn’t supposed to have been able to recover from this injury. He wasn’t supposed to be walking around as he is today. When a doctor gives you 5% odds on ever walking again, your future isn’t looking very bright. But Kevin beat those odds. And he turned his situation into, as the front cover of this book states, a “remarkable story of love and recovery that captivated a nation.”

This is a wonderful and powerful story. And it affords Kevin the opportunity to share his heart. One of Kevin’s occupational therapists, Rafferty Laredo, said it best near the end of the book:

“I told him he has a very important story to tell. He has experienced something (amazing) and at this point, he has ears that are listening … and I think his experience is so important that people need to hear it. People need to hear about the power of the human spirit …”

I’ve got four copies of Standing Tall from my friends at Triumph. To be eligible to win one, just leave a comment on this post and the winners will be notified on February 15. Only one entry per person, please. You must enter a working email address to win. If you simply can’t wait and you want to order your book today, just click here. For my previous writings about Kevin, visit my Kevin Everett category page.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett ‘Standing Tall’ With New Book

As a follow-up to my post yesterday about Marv Levy stepping down as GM of the Buffalo Bills, the team made it official later in the day with this press release:

Bills General Manager Marv Levy announced today that he is stepping down from his position, 10 years to the day that he announced his retirement as the team’s head coach. The Pro Football Hall of Fame coach was named General Manager in January of 2006 after serving as the team’s winningest coach from midway through the 1986 season until the conclusion of the 1997 campaign. During that time frame, Levy led his team to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Statements from Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. and Marv Levy are below:

STATEMENT FROM RALPH WILSON

“I met with Marv last week and he told me that his mission as the Bills’ General Manager was accomplished. I will always be grateful for his service. When we needed a new focus and direction, Marv improved our organization’s morale, attitude and environment. All of that, plus the stability we needed to move forward. I sincerely wish Marv, Fran and Kimberly all the best. I have never met anyone with the class and dignity of Marv Levy and he has the utmost respect from me and the entire Buffalo Bills organization.”

STATEMENT FROM MARV LEVY

“Following the 2005 NFL football season, Mr. Wilson and I agreed that I would return to Buffalo to serve as the team’s General Manager for the following two-year period. It has been an experience that I have enjoyed immensely, and I am grateful to Mr. Wilson, to all the wonderful people in the Buffalo Bills organization, and to those incomparable fans who have inspired our team so magnificently. Those two years have now elapsed, and I feel compelled now to turn my energies and my time to other endeavors that intrigue me. Despite an unprecedented number of season-ending injuries, Dick Jauron, his coaching staff, and an admirable core of high-character players are heading in the right direction. If my contributions to their efforts have been meaningful, I then take my leave from One Bills Drive, thankful and gratified. Over the next two or three weeks, I look forward to participating, as Mr. Wilson and I have agreed, in the transition process that facilitates my departure. After that, I plan to return to my home in Chicago. There will always remain a part of me, however, that walks down that tunnel out onto the playing field at Ralph Wilson Stadium on those excitement-charged autumn Sunday afternoons.”

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Buffalo Bills Make Official Announcement, Marv Levy Steps Down as General Manager

The Buffalo Bills’ 2007 home sked may be complete, but activity inside their home base, Ralph Wilson Stadium, certainly isn’t. Crews are converting “The Ralph” into a hockey rink for the Winter Classic outdoor NHL hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins on January 1, 2008 at 1 p.m. It will be the first-ever NHL game played outside in the United States and the second NHL outdoor game ever.

The temporary rink, with boards in place, was built above the field, sitting atop an intricate series of plastic pipes — or ice mats, as they’re called — that run across the width of the ice sheet. Sand was then poured onto the pipes to hold them in place and to create a level surface. The combination of running coolant through the pipes and pouring water on the sand created a frozen concrete-like mixture that provides an ideal base for making ice. Crews will now spend the night spraying the surface to build an inch-thick sheet, which will then be ready to be painted. By tomorrow afternoon, the entire surface will be painted white and the center-ice logo will be in-place. The red and blue lines, face-off circles and goal-crease areas will also be painted in. Once that’s completed, another half-inch of ice will be built to meet NHL standards, and crews will use Zambonis to keep the sheet smooth and level in preparation for Monday, when both teams are scheduled to practice outdoors.

This whole process actually began immediately after the Bills/Giants game last Sunday. I had just gotten back to the press box from the Bills’ locker room (listen to my interview with safety Donte Whitner) and saw about 50 people trying to put a tarp down on the field. The wind was blowing so hard they could barely control the thing. It’s an interesting process. I wish I could’ve been around to watch the whole rink being built.

Some 42,000 tickets were made available to fans and purchased within a half-hour after they went on sale back in September. The remaining 30,000 tickets were set aside for season-ticket holders and the NHL. Those have also been sold. The game is being sponsored by Amp Energy.

For more NHL news, head over to b5 Sports Channel’s Hockey Beat. Tell Jeanne the EMQB sent you.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Buffalo Bills’ Ralph Wilson Stadium Being Converted Into Hockey Rink for Winter Classic

I just finished reading Kevin Everett’s great Sports Illustrated article. Kevin will be on the cover of next week’s SI, but you can read the copy from SI.com today.

Now a little more than three months after he lay motionless on the floor of Ralph Wilson Stadium during the Buffalo Bills’ season-opening 15-14 loss to the Denver Broncos, Kevin Everett is walking and continuing a remarkable progress that is as heartwarming as it is miraculous. I recall the posts I created, anxiously awaiting any news and updating his progress almost daily during those tense first few days, wondering if this football player whose team I would cover on-location this entire 2007 season would ever walk again. I received emails from people who had known Kevin over the years — old friends from high school, friends from his home town, wanting me to forward messages of hope and prayer to Kevin. I couldn’t believe that in some small way, I was directly involved in this very personal tragedy-turned-triumph that has touched so many people.

Here are some of my posts on Kevin’s injury and recovery over the past three months (you can also type Kevin’s name into the Search box to the right or click on his name in the category lineup):

• Bills TE Kevin Everett Seriously Injured
• Kevin Everett Injury Update
• Report: Kevin Everett Has Voluntary Movement in His Arms and Legs
• Kevin Everett Continues to Improve
• Kevin Everett’s Miracle Recovery Continues
• Kevin Everett Moves Rehab to Houston
• Kevin Everett Makes Progress in Recovery
• Message From Kevin Everett: ‘I Feel Fortunate Every Day…..
• Adversity Introduces Us To Ourselves: New Era Cap…..
• Kevin Everett Released From Hospital, Buffalo Bills TE…..
• Kevin Everett Walking to and From Rehab, Buffalo Bills TE…..

Buffalo’s WGRZ.com is reporting that Kevin is planning on returning to Buffalo to walk out on the field for the Bills’ final home game against the N.Y. Giants December 23. It should be an incredible moment and an amazing Christmas present for both his teammates and the Buffalo fans. I’m looking forward to being a part of that as well.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett on Sports Illustrated Cover, Plans to Attend Buffalo Bills’ Dec. 23 Game

Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell set a team record by kicking his 18th straight field goal yesterday. And he did it in style, booting a 51-yarder just as a light snow began falling on Ralph Wilson Stadium (note: the previous record of 17 consecutive FGs was held by Steve Christie). At the time, the kick gave the Bills a 24-7 lead and they went on to beat the Miami Dolphins 38-17 to keep their AFC Wild Card playoff hopes alive. Rian has been one of the NFL’s best kickers this season, hitting on 88% of his field goal attempts so far. I caught-up with Rian in the Bills locker room after the game. Here’s part of our conversation:

DAVID: Rian, first of all congrats on the win. But also congrats on setting a team record — 18 straight field goals!

RIAN: Thank you. We came to play today and played pretty well. And it was nice to hit that one (kick) and to add to our lead at the time. It would be nice to say 19 (note: Rian unfortunately missed his next kick) but, oh well. It was a win and I guess if you’re going to miss, miss in a win.

DAVID: And it was really a must-win game in a situation when certainly you couldn’t afford to look ahead.

RIAN: Yeah, I think if we don’t come away with a win in this one, it’s over. I don’t know about mathematically or whatever, but they’re all big games. We knew Miami was better than an 0-12 team. They’ve lost a lot of close games and even the game we played down there earlier we had to battle to come back and win that one. It’s a testament to the guys on this team and the coaches made sure we were focusing on this game. And I think the guys understood that. We couldn’t look ahead. And that has nothing to do with Miami, but to lose at this point by looking ahead — we knew we needed to take care of business here first.

DAVID: It’s an awesome feeling in this locker room to be in the middle of the playoff race. It’s been a dry spell for this team as far as the playoffs.

RIAN: It’s nice. It’s definitely nicer than showing up and playing for pride or whatever. We’ll go home now and see how Cleveland’s doing and how Tennessee’s doing. It’s fun to be involved in that.

DAVID: You’ve been such a huge part of this team’s success this year and keeping the Bills in the playoff race this late in the season. Your kicking and the special teams play has been outstanding.

RIAN: We take special teams very seriously around here. When they look at bringing a guy in here, they look at how he does on special teams as well. Some teams, perhaps, get their offense and defense squared away and then everybody left over, they make a special teams unit out of them. Here, we take it as a third of the team and Coach Jauron gives Bobby (April, special teams coach) a lot of time to work on it — meeting time and practice time.

DAVID: Watching last week’s game against the Redskins, Rian. You practically score all the team’s points and then the game-winner in a clutch situation at the end with the rain falling. Does kicking in those pressure situations come naturally for you or have you built a sort of resistance to that pressure?

RIAN: You kind of get used to it because they’re all big kicks — obviously for the team or they wouldn’t send me out there, but also for me, personally, because I’ve been trying to keep my job for eight years now (laughs). So every kick is big. I don’t know what I have now (thinking) 24 attempts and I’ve made 21 of those. And not that field goal percentage is everything (note: Rian led the NFL in FG% coming into this game). So they’re all big and I think I’ve done a much better job over the past couple years of having my game kicks feel like practice kicks. I go out, look down, see Brian’s (Moorman, punter and holder) fingers there and know that it’s just a matter of me kicking. And the other stuff that enters your mind — the stuff that entered my mind my first couple of years in the league — just doesn’t come in there anymore. It’s just a matter of hitting a good ball.

See also my interview with Bills LB Keith Ellison and Gameday blog.

If you want to vote for Rian to represent the Bills on the AFC Pro Bowl roster in February, just click here to vote at nfl.com/probowl/ballot. There are only a couple days left to vote so get to it.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Interview: Buffalo Bills K Rian Lindell

Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell should be on the AFC’s Pro Bowl team this season. After 13 weeks of this 2007 NFL regular season, he’s made 91% of his kicks (that leads the NFL) and is a perfect 16-16 on extra point tries. He has two game-winning kicks, including last weekend’s 5-for-5 performance. You also have to take into consideration the environment where he kicks. Half of his games are outdoors at typically windy Ralph Wilson Stadium. If Rian makes his next field goal attempt, he’ll pass former Bills kicker Steve Christie for the team’s all-time mark. Rian and the rest of the Bills’ special teams unit are the big reason Buffalo is still alive in the AFC playoff race.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Rian Lindell Getting a Kick Out of ‘07 Season

Ten weeks after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury. Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett was released from Houston’s Memorial Hermann/TIRR where he spent the past two months in rehab. In a statement released by the hospital, Kevin said:

“While this news is a significant milestone for me, I still have a long journey to full recovery. I was fortunate to meet many extraordinary people at Memorial Hermann/TIRR, many who have suffered the same or similar injury as myself, many of whom I now consider friends. Their courage and determination inspired me to fight every day for recovery of my ability to walk.”

In a surprise to everyone in the press box (and the entire stadium, too, I’m sure) at last night’s Bills / Patriots game, an inspirational 25-second message from Kevin appeared on the Ralph Wilson Stadium video scoreboard. You could have heard a pin drop. It was amazing that over 70,000 frenzied fans could be that quiet. It’s such great news to hear that Kevin is well on the road to recovery. Check out my story on Kevin’s New Era cap.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett Released From Hospital, Buffalo Bills TE Sends Message to Team, City