What could ever get the ol' blog fired up again but, well, T.O.?
At least by now the whirlwind can settle and we can look at the Bills still startling move of acquiring Terrell Owens with a bit of perspective. As a football move? Interesting. Probably not a bad move to make. The Bills needed another option for Trent Edwards, who struggled mightily last season once opposing defenses took away Lee Evans with double coverage - not to mention what the state of the Bills ground game is going to be once Marshawn Lynch's pending status with the NFL Commissioner's office is finalized.
Pricey? Not at all. For one-year at $6.5 million, it represents a, dare I say, a prudent move considering it took the Dallas Cowboys $8 million to cut Owens from their roster.
Production? At 34, Owens turned in his ninth 1,000 yard season when he caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 TDs for the 'Pokes last season.
So having Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus go bargain basement shopping in western New York might just wind up being Buffalo's best discount since the liquidation sale at Burlington Coat Factory.
Or is it?
This is the beauty - or curse - of T.O.. It's never just about football, even though Owens has never been accused of off the field mischief, never been accused of drug use, or gun possession, or beating up a girlfriend ... nope.
T.O. 's problem is, well, he just acts like an A-hole.
OK, let's call it diva-esque, but you get the idea. It's always about T.O. It's always about the sound byte, about having the video clip on ESPN, or NFL Network, or the upcoming "reality" show on VH-1. Are these young Bills, and their third-year quarterback Trent Edwards, ready for the show that is T.O.?
I'm not so sure.
Owens is a self-promoter, both in the locker room and in the press. He promotes himself with certain teammates and alienates others - and these Bills are a young and impressionable group. Will the leadership core - and after last season's late season meltdown, you have to wonder just how effective that is - will take to Owens' act. Will Dick Jauron, who lobbied hard for Owens with GM Russ Brandon, be able to get a handle on the inevitable drama which will ensue inside the locker room?
As it always is with T.O., it's not what happens on the field. It's the tantrum on the sideline, or the antics in the press conference, or the outlandish touchdown celebration. You just know that's coming.
Get your popcorn ready, or your chicken wings, whatever. It's going to be an interesting, albeit a bumpy ride.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Just Ko Away ...
Buffalo Bills cornerback Ko Simpson was arrested outside a bar in his hometown of Rockville, S.C. early New Years Day, around 2 a.m., according to an Associated Press report, after he refused to leave police officers alone after they were arresting another man outside the bar.
Here's the kicker - and I just love this - Simpson began yelling at the arresting officers, "I’m Ko Simpson with the Buffalo Bills. I am worth millions!”
Well, actually Ko, according to figures provided by USA Today, you earned a base salary in the 2008 season of $445,000 plus a $4,440 bonus - giving you a salary of $449,440 and posting a cap number - including the amortization of his $465,000 signing bonus of - (ching!) $565,690.
Nice? yep, but not quite millions, is it?
But what it shows is yet another disconnected professional athlete who, were it not for the average Joe's interest or willingness to shell out his hard-earned dollars in a horse-bleep economy, would otherwise be stacking crates at Piggly-Wiggly.
The officers then arrested Simpson because they feared his screaming might cause the large crowd that gathered to turn against them, police said. He was charged with hindering police and released on a $470 bond, the AP cited Rock Hill jail officials.
And what is it about Bills named "Simpson" and cops, anyway?
Here's the kicker - and I just love this - Simpson began yelling at the arresting officers, "I’m Ko Simpson with the Buffalo Bills. I am worth millions!”
Well, actually Ko, according to figures provided by USA Today, you earned a base salary in the 2008 season of $445,000 plus a $4,440 bonus - giving you a salary of $449,440 and posting a cap number - including the amortization of his $465,000 signing bonus of - (ching!) $565,690.
Nice? yep, but not quite millions, is it?
But what it shows is yet another disconnected professional athlete who, were it not for the average Joe's interest or willingness to shell out his hard-earned dollars in a horse-bleep economy, would otherwise be stacking crates at Piggly-Wiggly.
The officers then arrested Simpson because they feared his screaming might cause the large crowd that gathered to turn against them, police said. He was charged with hindering police and released on a $470 bond, the AP cited Rock Hill jail officials.
And what is it about Bills named "Simpson" and cops, anyway?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
I came back for this?????
Really! Just got off the plane late last night from a holiday trip to Florida - visiting family, my dad in particular. Great weather, 81-83 and sunny. But that's almost to be expected - certainly not the 60-degrees I was greeted with jumping off JetBlue's Flight 1120. What a pleasant surprise!
Was it a sign? A premonition of things to come? Could the Bills do the unthinkable - almost like 60+ weather after last week's blizzard - sink the Patriots for the first time since, well, since Lawyer Milloy played his first game as the Bills' starting safety?
Well, of course not! PUh-leeze. The Patriots strode into Orchard Park and do what always do whether the game's in OP, Foxborough, Toronto or Timbuktu. They toyed with the Bills. The final was 13-0, but I suspect the howling 50-plus mph gusts had far more to do with the Pats' low score than anything the Bills did on defense, which didn't play that poorly all things considered.
New England was its usual model of consistency - no make that professionalism. They did EXACTLY what was needed to win. Matt Cassell was just 6-for-8 for 78 yards, but made key plays on the Pats' 43 yard TD drive with a 4th and 5 pass to Wes Welker on the Bills' 14 and on two third down conversions on an 80-yard drive which led to Steve Goskowski's 23-yard field goal.
And Bill Belichik just must chuckle that evil Darth Vader-Dick Cheney-esque chuckle every time he matches up against Dick Jauron. Time-outs in the first quarter with the wind at your back? Brilliant. Cassell's quick kick in the third quarter? Uber-brilliant! Belichik matching sidelines with Jauron is harder to watch than a game of one-on-one between Barack Obama and John McCain.
The Bills spent their final pregame week lauding Jauron - Trent Edwards told the media how much he "loved" his coach. Well they sure have a funny way of showing it. The offense looked like it has much of the season, like a fire drill gone horribly wrong. They did nothing with what few opportunities they had.
With 22 seconds left in the first half, Jauron's offensive coaches inexplicably called for a run, which ran the clock down to 12 seconds. But Duke Preston and Derek Schoulman suffered co-brain cramps and traded shoves with Patriot defenders - like undisciplined players would - while the rest of the offense ran off and tried to get the field goal unit on.
Forget it. No field goal. No field goal attempt. Just Jauron and his players left with beleaguered looks on their faces. Time after time - as they have so many times this season - the Bills couldn't get the right plays in from the sideline in time.
If this is how they play when they love the guy, imagine if they hated his ass ...
I think they do love the Jauron. He runs a light camp. His practices are easy. He doesn't throw anyone - coaches or players - under the media bus. He doesn't build any animosity. Why should he?
He reminds me of the teacher who wants to be the students' pal, or the parent who tries to be his kids' best friend. There's no pressure. He doesn't motivate. He doesn't become the burr under the saddle. He makes them comfortable, and the results show it - three straight years of 7-9.
But every pupil needs to be pushed, to be motivated, to be kicked in the pants when necessary - and here's a "secret" - they crave it. Is it any wonder Jauron's players only get motivated when they're two scores down, or when they're out of the playoff race. In that regard, Jauron is a dismal failure.
There's a lot of coaches with better records who will be out of work in a few weeks. Jerry Jones has said his coaching staff is "in play", yet Ralph Wilson won't commit to Jauron's future. Ralph - for better or worse - isn't Jerry. Too bad, since Bills fans deserve that same commitment to a winning team. Jauron is 55-75 as a head coach, 21-27 with the Bills. The time has come for Jauron's tenure as coach to become "in play." He simply cannot coach the Buffalo Bills.
Was it a sign? A premonition of things to come? Could the Bills do the unthinkable - almost like 60+ weather after last week's blizzard - sink the Patriots for the first time since, well, since Lawyer Milloy played his first game as the Bills' starting safety?
Well, of course not! PUh-leeze. The Patriots strode into Orchard Park and do what always do whether the game's in OP, Foxborough, Toronto or Timbuktu. They toyed with the Bills. The final was 13-0, but I suspect the howling 50-plus mph gusts had far more to do with the Pats' low score than anything the Bills did on defense, which didn't play that poorly all things considered.
New England was its usual model of consistency - no make that professionalism. They did EXACTLY what was needed to win. Matt Cassell was just 6-for-8 for 78 yards, but made key plays on the Pats' 43 yard TD drive with a 4th and 5 pass to Wes Welker on the Bills' 14 and on two third down conversions on an 80-yard drive which led to Steve Goskowski's 23-yard field goal.
And Bill Belichik just must chuckle that evil Darth Vader-Dick Cheney-esque chuckle every time he matches up against Dick Jauron. Time-outs in the first quarter with the wind at your back? Brilliant. Cassell's quick kick in the third quarter? Uber-brilliant! Belichik matching sidelines with Jauron is harder to watch than a game of one-on-one between Barack Obama and John McCain.
The Bills spent their final pregame week lauding Jauron - Trent Edwards told the media how much he "loved" his coach. Well they sure have a funny way of showing it. The offense looked like it has much of the season, like a fire drill gone horribly wrong. They did nothing with what few opportunities they had.
With 22 seconds left in the first half, Jauron's offensive coaches inexplicably called for a run, which ran the clock down to 12 seconds. But Duke Preston and Derek Schoulman suffered co-brain cramps and traded shoves with Patriot defenders - like undisciplined players would - while the rest of the offense ran off and tried to get the field goal unit on.
Forget it. No field goal. No field goal attempt. Just Jauron and his players left with beleaguered looks on their faces. Time after time - as they have so many times this season - the Bills couldn't get the right plays in from the sideline in time.
If this is how they play when they love the guy, imagine if they hated his ass ...
I think they do love the Jauron. He runs a light camp. His practices are easy. He doesn't throw anyone - coaches or players - under the media bus. He doesn't build any animosity. Why should he?
He reminds me of the teacher who wants to be the students' pal, or the parent who tries to be his kids' best friend. There's no pressure. He doesn't motivate. He doesn't become the burr under the saddle. He makes them comfortable, and the results show it - three straight years of 7-9.
But every pupil needs to be pushed, to be motivated, to be kicked in the pants when necessary - and here's a "secret" - they crave it. Is it any wonder Jauron's players only get motivated when they're two scores down, or when they're out of the playoff race. In that regard, Jauron is a dismal failure.
There's a lot of coaches with better records who will be out of work in a few weeks. Jerry Jones has said his coaching staff is "in play", yet Ralph Wilson won't commit to Jauron's future. Ralph - for better or worse - isn't Jerry. Too bad, since Bills fans deserve that same commitment to a winning team. Jauron is 55-75 as a head coach, 21-27 with the Bills. The time has come for Jauron's tenure as coach to become "in play." He simply cannot coach the Buffalo Bills.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sid & the Pens I
It must be the weather. Really. I haven't seen the HSBC Arena this dead since the days of Dixon Ward and 1-0 Dominik Hasek shutouts.
You can hear a pin drop in this place, or at least the sound of Lindy Ruff simmering on the Sabres bench over both of Teppo Numminen's big fat giveaways - one to Matt Cooke leading to a direct scoring chance on Ryan Miller, the other to Evgeni Malkin while on the power play. It didn't lead to a shot, but sheesh! It's Evgeni Malkin!
Sidney Crosby hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 29, and so far, Sid the Kid hasn't done all that much with his ice time. Crosby hasn't scored in ten games over which the Penguins have gone 4-5-1, sliding to seventh in the Eastern Conference ...
You can hear a pin drop in this place, or at least the sound of Lindy Ruff simmering on the Sabres bench over both of Teppo Numminen's big fat giveaways - one to Matt Cooke leading to a direct scoring chance on Ryan Miller, the other to Evgeni Malkin while on the power play. It didn't lead to a shot, but sheesh! It's Evgeni Malkin!
Sidney Crosby hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 29, and so far, Sid the Kid hasn't done all that much with his ice time. Crosby hasn't scored in ten games over which the Penguins have gone 4-5-1, sliding to seventh in the Eastern Conference ...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Identity crisis ...
As a few of you have already noticed, the name's changed. "foxonsportsn'otherstuff" is the new title from "ballsn'pucksn' otherstuff" because, well, someone objected to "balls" in the title.
Yep, swear to God. In 2008.
And yes, there's a funny story behind it, but not now. I'm beat, as I'm sure alot of you are, from removing all that snow.
Anyway, thanks for finding us. We'll be back Monday night from the HSBC when Sid the Kid and the Penguins come to town ...
Yep, swear to God. In 2008.
And yes, there's a funny story behind it, but not now. I'm beat, as I'm sure alot of you are, from removing all that snow.
Anyway, thanks for finding us. We'll be back Monday night from the HSBC when Sid the Kid and the Penguins come to town ...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Numbed from the cold
Think it's too early in the winter (hell, it's not even REAL winter yet) to be suffering from the blahs?
UB and UNC Asheville hooked up at Alumni Arena Saturday afternoon in what could charitably be called a "snoozer." The two teams combined to shoot 14-for-47 (that's about 40 percent - decent high school teams shoot better) and fifteen turnovers in the first half alone. The gym was about half filled with most of the students off on break. The crowd that did show was offered lukewarm support - and the refs sleepwalked through most of the game as well (well, why should that be any different?).
I realize it's hard for schools like UB's to draw over the break. But if you're going to play it, at least provide a better draw. UNC Asheville, with perhaps the youngest starting five in the nation, is a program still in its developing stages and has been mostly nothing more than a punching bag for established ACC programs (note Wednesday's 43-point loss at Duke - Duke for God's sake!) for most of the early season.
Meanwhile across town, Navy provided Canisius with a 68-63 nail biter, which was tied at 27 at halftime before the Golden Griffins eventually prevailed.
Back at the Alumni Snooz-a-torium, Buffalo's talent advantage (such that it is) eventually prevailed. About the only highlights were schtick provided by the Toronto Raptors mascot - including the bit where the Raptor gobbled up one of the UB cheerleaders.
Provide your own punchline ... here.
UB and UNC Asheville hooked up at Alumni Arena Saturday afternoon in what could charitably be called a "snoozer." The two teams combined to shoot 14-for-47 (that's about 40 percent - decent high school teams shoot better) and fifteen turnovers in the first half alone. The gym was about half filled with most of the students off on break. The crowd that did show was offered lukewarm support - and the refs sleepwalked through most of the game as well (well, why should that be any different?).
I realize it's hard for schools like UB's to draw over the break. But if you're going to play it, at least provide a better draw. UNC Asheville, with perhaps the youngest starting five in the nation, is a program still in its developing stages and has been mostly nothing more than a punching bag for established ACC programs (note Wednesday's 43-point loss at Duke - Duke for God's sake!) for most of the early season.
Meanwhile across town, Navy provided Canisius with a 68-63 nail biter, which was tied at 27 at halftime before the Golden Griffins eventually prevailed.
Back at the Alumni Snooz-a-torium, Buffalo's talent advantage (such that it is) eventually prevailed. About the only highlights were schtick provided by the Toronto Raptors mascot - including the bit where the Raptor gobbled up one of the UB cheerleaders.
Provide your own punchline ... here.
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