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Bruce gets sacked

When Bruce Smith heads to Canton, Ohio for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month we know he won't be driving himself. The former Bills great had his license suspended for a year by a judge in Norfolk, Va., for refusing a breathalizer test after being stopped for speeding in June. He also received a 90-day suspended sentence and a $350 fine.

Smith is appealing the conviction. According to his lawyer, Smith had trouble completing the field sobriety test after being stopped because of multiple knee injuries during his NFL career. That maybe true, but why refuse the breathalizer test? Seems to me that would have cleared everything up, unless he really was drunk. Smith had to know that refusing the test is an admission of guilt as far as the law is concerned. 

However, the charges don't change the fact that Smith was a great player and deserving of induction to the Hall of Fame. Five years from now, we'll remember all of his sacks and not for being caught half in the bag.

---Allen Wilson

Happy campers

Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn made himself very popular with his veteran players. According to reports, Zorn has informed the team at the end of spring minicamp that veterans with at least four years experience won't have to spend the night in the dormitories at the team's training camp site. Instead, they have the option of going home each night, provided they return in time for practices and meetings the next day.

Zorn believes his veteran-ladened team faded after a 6-2 start last season because the players were fatigued. He thinks by letting them sleep in their own beds the vets will be a lot fresher. Most of the players live near the training facility, Redskin Park, in Ashburn, Va.

This is not a ground-breaking move. Mike Shanahan and Brian Billick did the same thing when they coached Denver and Baltimore, respectively. Baltimore ended the policy when John Harbaugh took over as coach last year.

There is no chance the Bills would implement this, and with good reason. Their training camp is at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, which is more than a 90-minute drive from Orchard Park, Hamburg and other neighborhoods in the Southtowns where most of the players live.

Once practice and meetings are over, it can be pretty late. The last thing coach Dick Jauron wants is for his weary players to climb in their cars and make the long trek back to Buffalo, and then get up at the crack of dawn and drive back to Pittsford. They would be too tired to practice or play games. Staying in dorms is no fun, but the players would be more rested than going home.

What do you think of Zorn's idea?

---Allen Wilson

McNair's death a murder-suicide

Nashville, Tenn., police finally made official what many had suspected: former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was killed by his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, who then shot herself. The medical examiner office released its findings on Wednesday, saying that Kazemi had gunpower residue on her hand. It was also announced that the shell casings found at the scene came from the gun Kazemi purchased last Thursday.

The mystery of why Kazemi murdered McNair and killed herself is a little clearer, too. Police said she was upset over financial problems and suspicions that McNair was seeing another woman. None of this should lead one to take another person's life or her own, but this was the act of an apparent emotionally disturbed young woman who felt she had no other options. It's too bad no one, including McNair, saw this coming.

---Allen Wilson

Two down, five to go

With NFL training camps opening later this month, teams are beginning to sign their draft picks. The Bills began their own process by signing cornerbacks Cary Harris and Ellis Lankster on Tuesday. The team still has five rookies unsigned, including defensive end Aaron Maybin. Don't expect his deal to get done until the eve of training camp at the earliest.

Harris and Lankster were the team's sixth and seventh-round draft picks, so it makes sense they would be the first to sign since their contracts were easy to complete. Both players are long shots to make the roster because there are very few openings at cornerback. It's possible one of them could bet the odds, but Harris and Lankster will have a hard time getting the repetitions needed to take a job from a veteran.

---Allen Wilson

Hall of Fame warrior

Steve McNair is one of only three quarterbacks in NFL history to pass for 30,000 yards and rush for 3,500. He went to three Pro Bowls, was named league co-MVP and took the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl. But is that resume good enough to get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? As much as I'd like to say yes, the answer is probably no. McNair was a very good player , but not a great one. He was a terrific performer, but he didn't perform at an elite level over a long period of time. 

But if toughness, competitiveness and heart were the only criteria, McNair would be a lock for Canton, Ohio. People talk about Brett Favre being a tough guy because of his durability record, but no one defined tough like McNair. He played through various injuries when most guys would take themselves out of the game. That not only showed how tough he was, it also displayed his leadership. He was revered by teammates because of his willingness to lay his body on the line for them. He wasn't the most talented quarterback, but he succeeded with will as well as skill.

I'll never forget the second half in Super Bowl XXXIV when he literally willed his team back from a 16-0 deficit. He was amazing on that final drive, making play after play. The St. Louis Rams tried everything to stop the guy and he just kept coming. Several times Rams defenders had him trapped for sacks and he kept getting away. His last completion came one yard short of a tying touchdown that would have forced overtime. The Rams held on to win, but McNair's status was elevated in defeat.

It still a shock that McNair is dead. But his passing won't diminished the legacy he left behind.

---Allen Wilson

Steve McNair: 1973-2009

The news about the death of Steve McNair on Saturday afternoon shocked football fans around the country. McNair will be remembered for his toughness and performance on the field. For Bills' fans, he'll be associated with playing for Tennessee against Buffalo in the "Home Run Throwback" playoff game.

What memories do you have of this three-time Pro Bowler?

Punt, pass and pose

News Sports Reporter Anna Kim profiles Wheatfield's Krystal Gray, a quarterback for the New York Majesty in the Lingerie Football League, in Friday's Buffalo News.

Read the story here and go to the Sports Ink blog to take the poll.

Kelly Camp

Headed out to the Jim Kelly Football Camp at The Ralph/Fieldhouse Tuesday. I have to admit I was impressed by Jimbo's level of involvement. A lot of guys with his resume would be nothing but figureheads. But, as you'll read in Wednesday's column, Kelly's totally hands-on and his passion is undiminished, even as he nears the age of -- gulp -- 50.

-- Bob DiCesare 

Ralph in no rush?

Bills owner Ralph Wilson is in no hurry to have his team play more than one annual regular-season game in Toronto.

Wilson told the Associated Press he'd prefer waiting "two or three years" before he'd consider renegotiating the contract with Rogers Communications. The Bills will play five regular-season - one a year - and three preseason games in Toronto under the agreement, which runs through 2012.

"I'm sure they want another game. And who knows?" Wilson told the AP. "I don't know whether they'll get another game or not. We'll have to see how it works out up there."

Willy caught in numbers game

It should come as no surprise that University at Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy was released by the Baltimore Ravens last week. The writing was on the wall after the Ravens signed John Beck shortly after the former second-round draft pick was cut by Miami. Beck was a flop with the Dolphins, but he gives the Ravens a No. 3 QB with NFL starting experience.

With Beck joining starter Joe Flacco and top backup Troy Smith on the depth chart, there weren't going to be enough snaps to go around in training camp. Someone had to go, and unfortunately for Willy, he was the odd man out. Still, it would have been nice if he could have at least gone to training camp and maybe get a snap or two in a preseason game.

I don't know what Willy's future plans are. Maybe he waits by the phone and hopes another NFL team calls. If I were him, I'd give the Canadian Football League a look. Another option is the fledgling United Football League, which begins this fall.

A number of NFL scouts and draft analysts feel Willy has the ability to play pro football. If he still wants to chase the dream he should pursue every opportunity to play somewhere while he waits for the NFL to call again.

---Allen Wilson

Peppers signs tender

For those Bills fans (you know who you are) who fantasized about Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers coming to Buffalo can give it up now that Peppers has finally signed his one-year franchise tender, which pays him $16.7 million guaranteed.

Peppers wanted to leave the Panthers to play for a team that used a 3-4 defense. But to sign a franchise player, another team would have had to give Carolina two first-round draft picks. No one was going to do that.

Not only has Peppers signed his tender, he is now open to signing a long-term deal with the Panthers. Nice to see him come to his senses. Fact is, Peppers would have been a fish out of water trying to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He's a true 4-3 end, and a darn good one at that.

---Allen Wilson

Bills FG kickers

Steve Christie's success from long range and in the clutch is what makes him the best kicker in Bills history. This is a follow-up to last week's blog on the study of the best place-kickers in NFL history by the website pro-football-reference.com.

Here are the stats for Scott Norwood (7 years as a Bill), Steve Christie (9 years) and Rian Lindell (6 years) from 30 yards and out:

Kicker -----   30-39 (pct.)  ------40-49 (pct.)  ------ 50-and-over (pct.)

Norwood   44 of 57 (77.19) ----- 37 of 61 (60.6)  ----- 2 of 10 (20.0)

Christie    78 of 96 (81.25) ----- 57 of 81 (70.37) ----- 13 of 21 (46.4)

Lindell      47 of 50 (94.0)  ------ 33 of 51 (64.7) ------- 8 of 13  (61.5)

Accuracy percentages gradually have gone up over the years. But it's obvious Norwood simply did not have as strong a leg. Christie's track record from 40-49 - the tough kicks that a team needs to get - set him apart. The league average during his career was about 65 percent from that distance, which he outperformed. Take out one bad year from that range (1999 when he was 3 of 9) and his numbers are even better. Christie also has the longest field goal ever for the Bills - 59 - and the longest in post-season -54 in the Super Bowl. Christie's average from 30-39 is just a shade under the league average during his tenure (about 83 percent), but remember he was kicking often in bad conditions.Lindell's record from 30-39 is sensational, well better than the league average during his tenure, which is about 86 percent. He's not nearly as good as Christie from 40-49, and that's the make-or-break distance for a kicker. You need those points, and it's reasonable to expect them. The 50-plus kicks are gravy. The league average from 40-49 since 2002 is about 72 percent.

John Leypoldt kicked 5 1-2 years for the Bills in the 1970s and kicked well. He was 26 of 37 (70.2) from 30 to 39. The league average from 71 to 75 was about 64 percent. He was 21 of 42 from 40-49 and the league average was about 42 percent. He was 3 of 17 for the Bills from 50-plus. He was a good kicker, but his career with the Bills did not match that of the above three kickers.

Pete Gogolak only kicked two seasons with the Bills. He was very good - going 19 of 29 (65.5) in 1964 and 28 of 46 (60.9) in 1965. The 28 of 46 both were league-leading totals.

---Mark Gaughan

Graham eyes starting job in Chicago

Buffalo native Corey Graham impressed the Chicago Bears as a special teams standout during his rookie year in 2007 and as a starting cornerback last season. Heading into his third year, he is trying to open eyes at free safety.

After playing cornerback since arriving in the NFL, the Turner-Carroll High School product spent most of the offseason playing free safety. My story in today's Buffalo News deals with his position switch and what it could mean for him this season and beyond.

Graham started nine games at cornerback last season because of a groin injury to former Pro Bowler Nathan Vasher. Graham finished the season as the Bears' fifth-leading tackler with 93 stops. Naturally, he expected to compete for the starting job going into offseason workouts. But with Vasher healthy, the Bears decided to give Graham a shot at free safety. That position is the biggest hole on defense because the team opted not to re-sign long-time starter Mike Brown.

Graham hasn't played safety full time since his senior year at Turner-Carroll (he did it a couple of games at the University of New Hampshire). But the Bears think their 2007 fifth-round draft pick has the size (6-foot, 193 pounds), toughness, instincts, range and ball skills to be an ideal free safety in their Cover-2 scheme.

The Bears aren't going to hand Graham the job. He has to beat out Craig Steltz, who is the only returning free safety on the roster. Steltz has the experience, but Graham is more athletic and has better coverage skills. His ability to line up at corner in nickel and dime packages will only enhance his chances. The two players split time with the starting defense during offseason workouts, and their competition figures to be one of the most intense in training camp.

Word I got out of Chicago is the Bears are quietly hoping Graham wins the job because it would allow them to put their four best defensive backs on the field at the same time. If Graham plays with consistency and is able to communicate with his fellow DBs and get them lined up properly, he'll be the opening-day free safety. And even if he doesn't start, his ability to play two positions would only add to his value to the Bears.

Want to know how Graham feels about changing positions? Check out today's story to find out.

Oh and one more thing, you can see Graham in action this summer when the Bears visit the Bills in a preseason game on Aug. 15.

---Allen Wilson

Best Bills sweep ever?

Here's another blast from an old notebook on one of the famous plays in Bills history. It was perhaps the best Bills sweep run ever, an 80-yard score by Wray Carlton in the 12th game of the 1965 season, at Houston. The run still ranks tied for the fourth longest in Bills history. Carlton wasn't known as a burner. In his last five years, this was his only run of longer than 23 yards. He was a combo halfback and fullback. Nevertheless, at 225 pounds, he was not a plodder. This was one of the signature plays in the career of Hall of Fame guard Billy Shaw, whose mobility was evidenced by the fact he led Carlton around right end and escorted him all the way down the field into the end zone. Recalls Shaw:

"It was a 49 sweep. It was a double guard pull. (Joe) O'Donnell's responsilbity was to get to the corner and turn in and catch either the linebacker or the safety. I remember that as Joe turned and I turned up the field, it was wide open. The linebacker got tangled up in the mess. The safety had come up too far. It was just Wray and I. It was just one of those plasy that worked to perfection. Wray and I kid each other all the time about who was the fastest. He says he was having to wait on me because I was in front. I said he couldn’t catch me. It ended up being a perfect sweep."

---Mark Gaughan 

Maguire on Saban

Here's a story I got from Paul Maguire some years back that I neglected to include in the obituary on Lou Saban that we ran when Saban died recently. It's Maguire's recollection of Saban's pregame speech before the 1964 AFL Championship Game between the Chargers and the Bills in Buffalo. Those who recall the configuration of the tunnel at War Memorial Stadium, with both teams coming out of separate locker rooms that spilled out into the tunnel, can envision the scene. Said Maguire:

"In the championship game, the officals came up and the Chargers were in the tunnel. The official says you’ve got five minutes. We’re waiting for Lou, and Lou never came. So Lou finally runs down the ramp and jumps on the middle of this table and says, 'Everything that’s been said has been said.' We all knew he had no idea what he was talking about. And he said, 'So the only thing I can tell you guys now is heads down and toes up. Cookie (Gilchrist) opened the door and turned around and said, 'What in the hell does that mean?' And Saban said, 'How the hell do I know? I'm as nervous as you are.' And we started laughing. So we went down the steps into the tunnel, and we were lined up along the Chargers. And I had just played four years with these guys (the Chargers), and the whole team was laughing their (butts) off. John Hadl looked at me and said, 'Gonna be that easy?' And I said, 'I can’t explain it to you. You’d never understand.' Lou didn’t have any idea what he was saying, but he loosened up the team and we went out and beat the hell out of them."

"To this day I could not tell you how good he was with the Xs and the Os," said Hall of Fame guard BIlly Shaw. "But he was a marvelous leader in that he could motivate. He studied people’s personalities and he would know wehter to pat you in the back or want to slap you in the face."

---Mark Gaughan

 

Pro Bowl shakeup

The NFL will try to add a little more life to the Pro Bowl this year, and it's a worthwhile experiment. The game will be played the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, and it's at the site of the Super Bowl -- in Miami. Why not? It will add a little bit of substantive hype to Super Bowl week. The NFL all-star game really is the poorest of the all-star games for the major sports, becuase it's played at the end of the season, and the brutal nature of the sport precludes the players from giving an all-out ultra-competitive performance. The players like having the game in Hawaii, and it will return there in 2011 and 2012. Obviously, the players from the two Super Bowl teams will not compete, so a lot more replacements will be named. That's no real problem as far as the game is concerned. But it will dilute the meaning of "Pro Bowler." Even now, if a player is a five-time Pro Bowler, it's worth pointing out how many times he was voted into the game and how many he was added as a substitute.

--Mark Gaughan

UB players attend Bills tryout

Three University at Buffalo products -- guard Jeff Niedermier, offensive tackle Ray Norell and safety Adekunle Akingba -- were among 100 players showcasing their skills during a tryout with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Niedermier previously worked out for the Cleveland Browns during their rookie minicamp. Norell (6-6, 306) had an earlier tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals.

---Allen Wilson

Rookie QBs on road

The Tampa Tribune reported yesterday that rookie first-round draft pick Josh Freeman looked good in minicamp and may get a shot to start this year. This would be good news for the Bills, who play Tampa at home in Week Two. Freeman will vie with Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown at QB. The Week Two game in Buffalo is the first road game of the season for the Bucs, who play Dallas in Week One. Rookie QBs are notoriously bad in their first road start of their career. Of course, if the Bills can't beat the Bucs in the home opener regardless of who's starting, then there won't be much hope for the season, anyway.

---Mark Gaughan

White throwbacks

Compliments of the Bills and Sabres fan forums, where this photography blog was tracked down. It's some photos of the 1960s white throwbacks the Bills will introduce this year. I think the white Patriots throwbacks look good, too. Not crazy about the Jets throwbacks.

http://garylandphotography.squarespace.com/blog/2009/4/21/afls-50th-anniversary.html

---Mark Gaughan

Losman reports

Several national media outlets are speculating that former Bills QB J.P. Losman will sign up with the new United Football League. The league has four teams for its inaugural season - Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and San Francisco. It has hired high-profile head coaches - Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett and Ted Cottrell. The plan is to play a six-game schedule this fall, with games on Thursday and Friday nights. The exact schedule of games has not been released. Several of the teams have started combine-like tryout sessions. Losman reportedly would be tied to the Las Vegas team, coached by Fassel, but no deal has been announced. The number of openings at quarterback in the NFL have just about dried up. Ex-Bears QB Rex Grossman signed with Houston six days ago. That may have been the last viable opening before camps start. Oakland seemingly would have been a good spot for Losman. But the Raiders opted to sign 39-year-old Jeff Garcia on April 6 to be the backup to JaMarcus Russell. Playing in the UFL probably would be better than nothing for Losman to try to get another crack at an NFL lineup. Each of the head coaches have plenty of NFL contacts. If he were to impress in those games, regardless of the competition, it could open the door to another job.

---Mark Gaughan

TO's house deal off

Terrell Owens' search for living arrangements continues. The Buffalo Bills' receiver told fans today that his apparent deal to lease a home in Orchard Park is off, via a Twitter post. Owens had revealed in a Twitter posting late Tuesday that he had secured a house. His real estate agent, Maureen Flavin, acknowledged today that an agreement for Owens to lease a 4,500-square foot house in Orchard Park has been completed. However, Owens wanted the details of the deal to remain confidential. He let fans know he won't be taking the house today, stating that with "the release of my potential rental @ 34 Woodthrush (Terr.), I will not B renting due 2 the unprofessionalism of Maureen Flavin." Flavin, contacted today, declined to comment.

---Mark Gaughan

IFL tandem works out for Bills

Two players from the Rochester Raiders, the Indoor Football League franchise co-owned by Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas, will work out for the Bills on Thursday.

The players are Raphael Nguti, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound OT from Albany and 6-3, 205-pound WR Rob Mager from Indianapolis.

 ---Rodney McKissic

Strong-side LB cut

The Denver Broncos have released their starting strong-side linebacker from Opening Day last season. Boss Bailey, the brother of All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey, was cut. He's not healthy. He starting six games last year before going to the sidelines with a knee injury. He underwent microfracture surgery on the knee, a procedure in which small holes are drilled into the bone to promote new cartilage growth. Bailey told the Denver Post he "still has some work to do" to be ready to play for another team. He's 6-3 and 232 pounds. He started for Dick Jauron's defense in Detroit in 2003 and 2005 after being a second-round pick of the Lions. He's known for his athleticism. If he regains full health come August, he's someone the Bills might consider, depending on how some of the young linebackers are performing in training camp.

--Mark Gaughan

 

TO twitter

Keeping up with Terrell Owens' somewhat daily agenda during this six-week lull between spring practice and training camp is as easy as signing up to twitter.com. Owens is in Los Angeles taping some promotional segments for his VH1 reality show and reports that he has found a place to live in Western New York. Reported Owens on Tuesday: "I wanna thank ALL the people that opened up their homes n the WNY area 2 assist n finding me a place 2 stay this yr w/my new team! THANK YOU."

--Mark Gaughan

Greatest kickers

Pro-football-reference.com is a go-to site for historical records of the game. It also includes thought-provoking blogs, such as a recent study on the greatest place-kickers of all time. Researcher Chase Stuart came up with a list of the greatest seasons ever and the overall best kickers ever based on his statistical formula, which compared every kicker's performance by distance of his attempts to the league average from that distance in the year in which he played. Obviously there is no perfect formula. There's no way to calculate weather into a formula, so Buffalo kickers, booting in notoriously windy Ralph Wilson Stadium, are at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, it's a worthy study.

His results of the top 10 kickers: 1. Jan Stenerud. 2. Nick Lowery. 3. Morten Andersen. 4. Gary Anderson. 5. Eddie Murray. 6. Garo Yepremian. 7. Mark Moseley. 8. Fred Cox. 9. Jim Turner. 10. Jason Hanson. ... Notably low on the list is Adam Vinatieri, at 48. He, of course, kicks in bad weather. Clutch kicks also are not considered, and Vinatieri has the greatest of them. Nevertheless, it's an indication that Vinatieri - who I think is a Hall of Famer - may have some trouble getting in when his time comes. There will be some legitimate debate whether Vinatieri can go in if someone like Lowery is not in. (I say two Super Bowl winning kicks, from 48 and 41 yards, puts him in.) The top Bills on the list are Mike Mercer (who booted for Buffalo only in 1967) at No. 29, John Leypoldt at No. 50, Steve Christie at 59, Rian Lindell at 63 and Pete Gogolak at 65. I don't care what these stats say, Steve Christie is the greatest Bills kicker ever, and I can provide the stats to back it up. Here's the link:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=1716

---Mark Gaughan

YouTube site

Many Bills fans no doubt already are well aware of this site, but if not, it's worth visiting. It's BillCody1960's Channel on YouTube. The videos include all of Andre Reed's touchdown catches on three separate files, which are an endorsement of his Hall of Fame credentials. The site:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BillCody1960

---Mark Gaughan

Group tickets

The Bills announced that group tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday. The first three regular-season games are sold out. The team reports that only limited tickets are available for the Nov. 1 game against Houston, raising the prospect that that game could sell out before individual game sales begin later this summer. A limited number of seats also are available for the Kids Day preseason game against Chicago on Aug. 15. The other three regular-season home games are against Miami, New England and Indianapolis. The other preseason game is vs. Detroit. Groups of 15 or more people are eligible to take part in the group sales.

---Mark Gaughan

Favre = playoffs?

It's apparent the Minnesota Vikings intend to sign Brett Favre as long as they're convinced he will be healthy after undergoing what has been described as routine surgery to repair a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm. Many network commentators are talking like it's an obvious big upgrade for the Vikes to have Favre over Sage Rosenfels. OK fine. But Favre is 39. He will be 40 in October - by the fifth game of the season. He had 22 TDs and 22 INTs with the Jets last season. Granted, the Jets don't have the defense or the run game that the Vikes possess. But at this point in his career, it's hard to imagine Favre changing his mistake--prone ways, especially with a new team in a new situation. His great season of 2007 came in the comfort of a system he knew perfectly well with players he was extremely familiar with. I don't see that being replicated in Minnesota, even though the Vikes will run a West Coast offense similiar to what he has run in his career. Given the make-up of their team, the Vikings would have been better off handing the reins to 39-year-old Jeff Garcia. He's adept at the same offense and has a track record of making fewer mistakes. Garcia would give them the kind of "Brad Johnson" efficiency that they need. Garcia, however, is in Oakland, where he will backup JaMarcus Russell. Bottom line: Favre's potential impact is being overrated by a lot of people.

---Mark Gaughan

  

1 in 100

How many of the top 100 players in the NFL are on the Bills' roster? It's really a parlor game since the value of players, say, 50 to 200 is pretty close. Nevertheless, the Fox Sports website tackled the question and put just one Bill in the top 100. Terrell Owens ranked 51st. The list was compiled by Peter Schrager, who is listed as a Fox Sports college football contributor. The top five, predictably, were Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Peterson. Jason Peters was No. 78.

--Mark Gaughan

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