National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Adam “Pacman” Jones appeared on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” this morning, being interviewed by Stephen A. Smith. He had a similar interview with CBS Sports’ James Brown yesterday and said he expected to be employed by an NFL team next season — maybe even with the Dallas Cowboys. I think Adam is being extremely optimistic. Unless the Oakland Raiders come calling, I don’t think any other team is that nuts for a pretty average, troublemaking cornerback/kick returner. Maybe the UFL is interested?

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Pacman Thinks He’ll Play in 2009

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

Check out Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett on Rocawear’s new “I Will Not Lose” campaign which celebrates those who overcome adversity daily to continue to thrive and make the world a better place. These individuals have omitted the word “can’t” from their vocabularies and have gone on to achieve in various ways. The campaign is the brainchild of Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z.

Source: IWillNotLose.org

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett on New Rocawear Campaign

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

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

Here is the front cover of the forthcoming Kevin Everett book Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story. Published by Triumph Books, it was written by Sam Carchidi who has been a staff writer and South Jersey sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer since 1984. He co-authored Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, about a Penn State player’s remarkable recovery from a paralyzing spinal injury, so he’s got some experience on this difficult subject. Here’s how the book’s being described:

“In a matter of a few seconds, a strong, promising young Buffalo Bills player lay paralyzed and very mortal after a violent collision on the second-half kickoff return during the opening weekend of the 2007 NFL season. Kevin Everett, second-year tight end and special team’s player, went helmet-to-helmet with Denver Broncos return man, Domenik Hixon, with all the force a 6′4″, 260-pound 25-year-old can muster while running downfield full-bore.

Fate was on Kevin’s side. Only a few days prior, the medical-training staff had practiced a spinal-cord drill supervised by Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Cappuccino was on the sidelines during this game as a regular member of the Buffalo Bills medical staff, one of the few NFL teams to be so staffed. Cappuccino determined that Everett was quadriplegic, as he lay on the field of Ralph Wilson Stadium. And so began a real-life drill.

With controversial and aggressive medical care, Kevin began a tougher challenge than any Sunday-football warrior faces; he was in a fight for his life and faculties. Dr. Cappuccino employed a daring, debated, but not scientifically proven, hypothermic method of treating Everett’s paralysis. Kevin’s body temperature was lowered to 91.5 degrees to prevent further damage from neurological swelling. Yet within twelve days, during which Dr. Cappuccino risked his medical career in order to look Kevin in the eye knowing he did everything to help him, Everett was flown to Houston (his home) to begin rehab. Less than a month later he would be walking with assistance.

This remarkable and heart-warming story is not just about a doctor and his patient; it is about the love of a family and a fiance who have been at Everett’s side throughout his grueling rehabilitation. It is a story of Kevin’s strength of will and his determination to regain his life. There is also an unfinished story of new beginnings and coming to inner peace, as Everett contemplates his rehabilitation, future health, and life after NFL football. This amazing story of recovery begins with Kevin’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where he will tell Oprah’s national audience the dramatic saga.”

Yes, Oprah gets first dibs on the story, but thanks to my friends at Triumph, I’ll have a full review and some giveaway copies before the book hits store shelves February 1. If you want to pre-order the book, just click here.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett Book Due February 1

Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett is just one of many fantastic stories of courage and achievement that make up the 2007 class of The Ed Block Courage Awards.

It’s well-known that Kevin suffered a spinal cord injury covering a kickoff in the Bills’ season opener against the Broncos. The injury was life-threatening, but the outstanding work of the Bills’ training staff and team doctors saved his life. Kevin was told that he may never walk again. Through hard work and determination not only was he able to walk again, he was able to visit his teammates in Buffalo before their last home game of the year against the New York Giants.

Kevin is just one of many great stories of courage in this year’s class. Baltimore Ravens CB Samari Rolle gathered the courage to return to the football field after being diagnosed with epilepsy. Detroit Lions RB Kevin Jones was honored by his teammates for returning to action after suffering a season ending foot injury. When Kevin spoke at the Lions Courage House dinner, he told the crowd of a different hero. His stepfather, who had the courage to take-in Kevin, his brothers and sisters, and his mom when he was young. And how his real father was shot and killed when he was eight years old.

This year’s class also boasts three playoff quarterbacks. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia, and Seattle Seahawks back-up QB Seneca Wallace will all represent their teams. Listed below are all the 2007 winners:

• Arizona Cardinals, Bertrand Berry
• Atlanta Falcons, Alge Crumpler
• Baltimore Ravens, Samari Rolle
• Buffalo Bills, Kevin Everett
• Carolina Panthers, Mike Rucker
• Chicago Bears, Tommie Harris
• Cincinnati Bengals, Reggie Kelly
• Cleveland Browns, Gary Baxter
• Dallas Cowboys, Jay Ratliff
• Denver Broncos, John Engleberger
• Detroit Lions, Kevin Jones
• Green Bay Packers, Chris Francies
• Houston Texans, Anthony Weaver
• Indianapolis Colts, Ryan Lilja
• Jacksonville Jaguars, Greg Jones
• Kansas City Chiefs, Eddie Kennison
• Miami Dolphins, Andre Goodman
• Minnesota Vikings, Chad Greenway
• New England Patriots, Steve Neal
• New Orleans Saints, Roman Harper
• New York Giants, Amani Toomer
• New York Jets, Laveranues Coles
• Oakland Raiders, Justin Fargas
• Philadelphia Eagles, Montae Reagor
• Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger
• San Diego Chargers, Darren Sproles
• San Francisco 49ers, Eric Heitmann
• Seattle Seahawks, Seneca Wallace
• St. Louis Rams, Dane Looker
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jeff Garcia
• Tennessee Titans, David Thornton
• Washington Redskins, Marcus Washington

I’ll be posting more on these stories here at EMQB and talking with some of the players for the BPR NFL Podcast leading up to the award ceremony March 11. In the meantime, check out my interview with Cleveland Browns DB Gary Baxter.

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Kevin Everett Highlights Courage Awards

Injured Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett was at Ralph Wilson Stadium today watching his team’s final home game of this 2007 season. I worked the game and was in the press box and locker room but never saw Kevin in-person. I can only imagine what was going through his mind thinking back to the season-opener against Denver when he went down with the spinal injury that nearly took his life and left him temporarily paralyzed. Even though the Bills lost to the N.Y. Giants 38-21, it was just a good feeling knowing that Kevin was “in the house.”

Earlier this week, I posted on a report by WGRZ in Buffalo that Kevin would walk onto the field before the game, which seemed like an incredibly good idea for Kevin, his teammates and the Buffalo fans. But according to an email from Triumph Books, the publisher of Kevin’s forthcoming autobiography:

“Oprah Winfrey’s producers approached Kevin Everett to be the lead show to launch this amazing story. They expect a book in hand, January 24th, before their taping January 31st. There are other broadcast shows lined up but Oprah demanded to be first. He cannot walk on the field of the last Bills game (as Buffalo wanted to do) because Oprah has set the rule here.”

Ok, what I’m reading is that Kevin could not make a public appearance because Oprah wanted him on her show first. If that’s the case, I think it stinks. Oprah is denying Kevin and the Buffalo fans what would have been one of the most unique and inspiring moments in NFL history. I understand that Kevin will be making some nice money on the Oprah appearance and that’s fine. But Oprah playing God is what boils my blood.

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Kevin Everett Visits Buffalo Bills, Watches Home Finale From Ralph Wilson Stadium

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 TE Kevin Everett was released from Memorial Hermann/TIRR three weeks ago and is now an outpatient there. That’s good enough news on its own. What’s even better news is the fact Kevin is walking in and out of his daily rehabilitation sessions on his own.

Thinking back to where Kevin was, back in September when his life was literally in jeopardy, this just makes me incredibly happy to hear. Having covered the Bills on-location this season, I know firsthand the effect Kevin’s injury has had on this team. And the joy they feel each time they hear of another step in his improvement. I know the Buffalo fans also have a place for Kevin in their hearts. A person close to the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of Kevin’s status, told The Associated Press today:

“He doesn’t have a full natural stride but, yeah, he’s walking. He’s not driving or anything like that, but he is walking. He’s not running. He is walking.”

The news just keeps getting better and you just hope and pray that Kevin will be able to live a completely normal life one day in the not-too-distant future. It looks very much like that is going to happen.

Photo courtesy Buffalo Bills

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Kevin Everett Walking to and From Rehab, Buffalo Bills TE Continues Progress

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.

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

When Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett went down with a potentially life-threatening, temporarily paralyzing spinal cord injury on a special teams play in the team’s first game of this 2007 season against Denver, it left not only the Western New York community but the entire country at attention on his road to recovery. Not long after that opening game, Buffalo-based New Era Cap Company, the largest sports-licensed headwear company in the world, created the “KE85″ cap in Kevin’s honor. New Era Corporate Communications Manager Dana Marciniak gave me all the details.

How did the idea for this cap come about? Well, it was actually Brian Moorman’s idea. He came to us and wanted to know if we could make a cap honoring Kevin. And that’s really all we needed.

Is it true Brian and some of the other Bills players were involved in the design? Definitely. Brian, J.P. Losman, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish all came to our headquarters one night after practice and sat with one of our designers. They decided everything from the style of caps to the colors to the actual design. And, of course, the phrase on back (keep reading below). They were here for about an hour and had fun looking at — and trying on — all the caps!

How many versions are there to choose from? There are five! We have the signature 59FIFTY, which is the fitted cap; our 39THIRTY, which is a stretch fit cap; two adjustable styles and one just for women — it’s made to fit women’s heads perfectly!

You mentioned the phrase on the back: Adversity Introduces us to Ourselves — a powerful statement. I know. The guys took about a week to come up with it and it really does hit home. It’s something we can all relate to.

And the proceeds go to Kevin’s charity? Yes, his charity, which will support spinal cord research, is still being established, but every penny will go right to that.

Have you heard from Kevin or his family on what he thinks of it? We’ve heard he loves it and can’t believe we made it for him. WGRZ (Channel 2 in Buffalo) actually has a reporter down there this week talking to Kevin and she brought a cap with her to get his family’s reaction! So watch for it.

His story really seems like a miracle, especially in how far he has come after the initial prognosis. Absolutely. And the caps are not only to raise money, but to let him know he’s not forgotten by the team or the fans!

Where can fans get the caps? They’re only available in our flagship store in Buffalo, NY. But if there are Buffalo fans out there who really, really want one, they can send me a check (made out to Kevin Everett) and a note with what style they want (the 59FIFTY is $20, all the others are $15), I’ll get one out to them. The address is: New Era Cap, Attn: Dana Marciniak, 160 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202.

Photo by David Kindervater

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Adversity Introduces Us To Ourselves: New Era Cap Honors Buffalo Bills Kevin Everett