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Sports

Regarding The Buffalo Bills

Perhaps you have heard that the professional football team nearest to the Campbell family hearts both geographically and emotionally has recently been making some changes. Starting a couple months ago when they fired their head coach, Dick Jauron. (Well, they really started just before the season began when they fired the offensive coordinator, Turk Schonert, and released the converted-to-starter LT Langston Walker. Yes, just days before the season began. Neat.)

The shake-up continued when they announced that they had hired “football man” Buddy Nix (technically, he was promoted from within the organization) as the new General Manager. For a few years, Russ Brandon (former Marketing Guru for the Bills) has been handling those duties… sorta. Now he has been promoted to CEO. (I believe his official title is President and CEO. Impressive.)

Following that job responsibility shifting (and press conferences with Hall of Fame Bills, Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas) the Bills then announced that every single member of the coaching staff had been fired. But they said it nicer, something like, “The coaching staff has been told that they have completed their obligations to the Buffalo Bills.” (That probably makes it easier to swallow?)

Rumors are flying everywhere about whom the Bills are interviewing and who might be the next Bills coach. Bill Cowher, Mike Shannahan, Charlie Weis… (Yes, he was actually mentioned as an option!) We now know that Shannahan and Weis are with their 2010 teams. Cowher won’t decide till after the season (and post-season) are over. And the Bills continue to interview lesser-known candidates. (Though, intriguingly qualified… more than the recent list of head coaches.)

If last year’s signing of Terrell Owens is any indication of what the Bills organization is intent on doing, there is a good chance the Bills might actually have a recognizable name listed as their head coach in 2010.

Many Bills fans long for someone like Cowher who not only has the highest winning percentage of any current coach (not sure how he’s a current coach, but, I just report what I read/hear/see) he also brings discipline and toughness that has not been part of Buffalo Bills football for quite a while. At least, it has not been very evident to the fans.

Personally, I like the idea of Marty Schottenheimer. I’ve said that before (when I was doing the Buffalo Bills Review in years gone by) and I maintain that he would at least bring wins back to Buffalo. He’s always done that. In fact, I believe he has the second best career win percentage of any current coach. (Maybe it’s “available” coach?) The knock on Marty is that he can’t win playoff games. And, his record does show that.

At this point, Bills fans just want to GET to the playoffs!!!

Schottenheimer is also a former Bills linebacker, from the AFL championship teams in the 60s. (I believe he was on those teams.)

The Bills have also reportedly interviewed (or are seeking an interview with) his son, Brian, who is the offensive coordinator for the NY Jets, and has been sought by other teams for their head coaching position.

So… the intrigue continues. Bills fans are hoping that the Buffalo Bills of 2010 and beyond will look different than the Buffalo Bills of the aughts. (They ought!)

Perhaps they just need new uniforms…

Categories
Sports Videos

NFL Players Are Amazing

Are these for real? They look for real. But, really?

I like the warning before Mauroney does his stunt, “Do not attempt unless you are an NFL athlete.” (Perhaps not even then?)

I know these are old, but my Dad sent me some in an email today, and they’re just fun, so… enjoy!

Categories
Sports

Record Books

When it happened yesterday, I was fairly sure that the 98-yard touchdown connection from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Terrell Owens was a Buffalo Bills record. Turns out that I was right. The record for longest touchdown pass in Buffalo Bills history now belongs to a substitute QB and a player who will likely be a Buffalo Bill for only one season! 🙂

The best part was when I read the article today at BuffaloBills.com confirming that the play was indeed a record, they of course mentioned the previous record in the same sentence. Anyone want to take a guess?

Go ahead.

Kelly to Reed? Nope. Kelly to Lofton? Nope. Kelly to Beebe? Nope. How about Bledsoe to Peerless Price? Nope. Kemp to Dubenion? Nope. (Wow, you know your Bills history!)

The previous record for longest TD pass in franchise history was 95 yards and was accomplished by:

Todd Collins to Quinn Early.

So now, the top two longest plays read like this:

Longest Pass for a Touchdown:
98 – Ryan Fitzpatrick to Terrell Owens
95 – Todd Collins to Quinn Early

I’d almost guarantee you that in a few months (maybe even right now!) you could win some money with that trivia knowledge under your belt!

Categories
Sports

Breaking News: Dick Jauron is GONE!

Buffalo BillsI really can’t believe they did this! It should have been done long ago. That was obvious to most Bills fans. But I really can’t believe they actually pulled the trigger. Dick Jauron was “relieved of his coaching duties” today. Amazing.

Can’t wait to see what is next… it has to be better!!!

Short link to article here: http://tinyurl.com/nomorejauron

Categories
Entertainment Sports

The Ultimate Showdown?

Could Super Bowl XLIV feature two undefeated teams??
It has been a dismal season for my favorite professional sports franchise. (It was actually kind of difficult to label them “professional” just now…) There are some reasons beyond likely their control (an insane amount of serious injuries to some of their best players) but overall they continue their bumbling ways. It will be surprising if they reach as high as 7 wins this year. (They have been 7-9 for the past three seasons in a row!)

So, I have mostly lost all interest in the NFL season due to their ineptitude. However, there is one potentially amazing story line that has my interest…

After coming from 17 points behind in their game Sunday night, the Colts remained undefeated at 9-0. It was a stunning turn of events (and the game featured two teams that are CLEARLY far superior to the team I watch every week…) culminating with Indianapolis preserving their so-far unblemished record.

A couple weeks ago, in the other conference, a similarly talented team posted their own incredible come-from-behind win as the New Orleans Saints defeated Miami 46-34, after being behind by 21 points! Incredible!!

Both teams do have a few tough games remaining, but so far it hasn’t seemed that anyone can actually finish 60 minutes with more points than them. Both have great QBs (with other fine supporting offensive players) and solid defenses that make big plays when needed.

And they are both in different conferences, which means they won’t play each other until a possible Super Bowl showdown.

Here are their remaining schedules:

Indianapolis
at Baltimore
at Houston
Tennessee
Denver
at Jacksonville
NY Jets
at Buffalo
New Orleans
at Tampa Bay
New England
at Washington
at Atlanta
Dallas
Tampa Bay
at Carolina

Obviously, going undefeated is always an almost impossible task, but New Orleans seems to have the tougher road to get there. Playing the Patriots, and playing four division games (against pretty tough opponents). Both teams finish on the road (but so far this season opposing teams are 3-1 in Buffalo, and that likely won’t improve much before their January 2nd contest there.)

It will be tough, but it’s definitely possible that this year’s Super Bowl could feature not just one but two undefeated teams playing for the Lombardi trophy, and the first 19-0 season!

That’s what I’m rooting for… Go Saints and Colts!

(Although, I’m pretty happy for my “other” home team, the Bengals. They’re having a pretty fun season, too. So, if either of those teams has already lost… I’m rooting for Cincinnati!) 🙂

Categories
Sports

Buffalo Bills Season Begins Tonight!

The Bills take on the Patriots in the first game of the Monday Night Football double-header tonight. The Bills had a lackluster preseason (that’s putting it nicely) and thus many Bills fans have given up on the team before they have even played a down!

I, of course, being a BIG Bills Fan have not, and spelled out some of the reasons why in an article I published today at my BleacherReport.com page. The title? Just Who Are The 2009 Buffalo Bills Anyway?

We’ll find out tonight, I think. I’m hoping they’re the really fun, high-scoring team they could be. I’m neither optimistic nor pessimistic about that… mostly curious.

And excited that Bills football is here!

Go Bills!

(And if you’re a fellow Bills fan, or even just an NFL fan, do click the link to the Bleacher Report article. Don’t make me post it twice…) 😉

Categories
Entertainment Sports

NFL Realignment?

This past week, the boys and I discovered a feature in Madden 08 that allows me to see my proposed divisional alignment for the NFL in “action”.

Using the “Franchise” feature, you can actually realign the divisions however you want to. I saw my golden opportunity to watch an NFL season unfold with rivalries like Buffalo-Cleveland, Buffalo-Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, KC-St. Louis, and even Dallas-Houston.

Why wouldn’t divisions comprised of teams from cities that are actually in the same general region make more sense that a division where Miami and Buffalo are rivals, or the Dallas Cowboys play in the East, or St. Louis, Phoenix, and Seattle are all play each other twice?

I actually wrote a letter to Paul Tagliabue back when the league added Jacksonville and Carolina, suggesting to him that the old AFL and NFL allegiances were not as important as a division alignment that made geographical sense – and would create different (maybe better?) rivalries.

My favorite division is the Great Lakes division (or, I nick-named it the “Bus League”) which is home to Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Those cities are all really close to each other, meaning fans from every team could travel to all the away games! There is a sense of rivalry already on the rare occasions that Buffalo plays Cleveland… I’d imagine it would be the same if you throw Detroit in the mix, too.

Just for fun, here’s the list of what my NFL would look like with the current 32 teams in the league. Maybe some day we’ll get there…

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Northeast: Chicago, New England (Boston), NY Giants, NY Jets
Coastal: Baltimore, Carolina, Philadelphia, Washington
Southeast: Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa Bay
Great Lakes (Midwest): Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Heartland (Midwest): Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Tennessee
South: Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis
North: Denver, Green Bay, Minnesota, Seattle
West Coast: Arizona, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco

Categories
Sports

Donte Whitner - Buffalo BillsWe were joined on the Buffalo Bills Review tonight by Bills starting strong safety, Donte Whitner! Was a fun (pretty short) conversation where we covered stuff like his being the 8th pick in the draft (and how that was such a surprise at the time!) and about his big playoff guarantee. Plus, he has a foundation that helps inner city kids and kids from single-parent homes in various ways. Cool stuff.

So, if you are a football fan, and forgot that I have a Buffalo Bills show… click on over and check it out. James Hardy (Bills’ rookie WR) will be joining us later this week on the Bills bye week. Stay tuned…

Categories
Family Sports

Are You Ready For Some Football??

NFLNFL football is back! The regular season starts this week with a game featuring the World Champ NY Giants and the Washington Redskins on NBC Thursday night, a full slate of games on Sunday (including the BILLS GAME!), and then a double-header on ESPN on Monday Night. I can’t wait!!

The Bills are looking really good this year. From the coaches and the offensive and defensive schemes, to the players, established and new… it really could be a fun season to be a Bills fan. (I know I say that pretty often, but… seriously. Just watch…) 🙂

The start of the season also means that it’s time for Dad & the Boys to make their weekly NFL picks! 🙂 I almost feel like I am looking forward to that more than the football 🙂 It was lots of fun last year, and should be even more fun this year! We’re doing the whole season this time!

There’s a cool Facebook application where you can make picks and compare your results against your friends… it’s called Pro Football Picks, if you’re interested.

So, just a few days away… let the games begin!!

Categories
Sports

Special Guests at the Apple Store

All kinds of people come into the Apple store. I get to meet and talk with people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities. That’s a pretty fun part of the job, actually.

A couple days ago, I got to meet a few guys that were even more fun to chat with, being a long-time (big) Buffalo Bills fan.

I was working in the iPhone section, and a couple guys came up to check out the phones. One of them was studying it, so I offered to answer any questions, and began chatting with him.

The weird thing was, his friend looked a LOT like Ashton Youboty from the Buffalo Bills. I took a couple glances, but kept thinking, “Nah… he’s too young… too small. But it sure looks like him… Maybe a brother?”

As I was talking with Ashton-look-a-like’s friend, another guy from the store came up and said, “So you guys from Ohio State?” They were both wearing OSU garb, so it was a valid question. The guy is a Purdue grad, so it was a Big Ten thing… I didn’t bring up my MSU affiliation, as I was trying to be helpful with the iPhone, not play on long-standing college rivalries, which are an important part of life amongst Big Ten schools… 🙂

The guy who was checking out the iPhone said they did attend OSU, and they played football there. That of course intrigued me, as I knew that Ashton Youboty played football at OSU. Now I was pretty certain this was Ashton’s brother or something. Well, as I was going to ask, he left to go check out something else, but I asked his friend… and sure enough, it WAS Youboty, and the guy checking out the iPhone was another young Bills player, Dustin Fox!

After he revealed his “secret identity” I paused for a moment, then said, “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but… I just… thought you’d be bigger.”

He laughed and said, somewhat sheepishly, “Everybody does…”

We chatted a bit. Dustin said he’s the “team techie” and I showed him around to a few other toys in the store. They left and I was glad to have gotten to meet two of the (well, really just one) Buffalo Bills!

But the night was not over.

Much later in the night, I looked up at the big board that shows the names of people with appointments at the Genius bar, where we offer tech support on our products. One of the names on the board was Ashton Y. Now… there could be another person named Ashton. And perhaps even another Ashton with a last name starting with the letter Y. But, the likelihood of Ashton Youboty and this other potential Ashton Y. being in the same Apple store on the same night… not very likely. 🙂

So, apparently, Ashton was coming back.

And indeed… not long before closing time, Ashton (but not Dustin) and maybe four other friends strolled into the store. I was still manning the iPhone station, so I greeted them and helped one guy out, giving him an overview of what the iPhone does. Since they all came in together, I figured they were all Bills players, but honestly, I did not recognize any of them. Except Ashton, who was sitting at the Genius bar, getting some help from the Geniuses.

Well, as we were finishing up (it was just about closing time) the store cleared out – except for our Buffalo Bills friends – and I was no longer needing to stay at my station, so… I went over and introduced myself to Ashton. (Who, at this point, was just sitting at the Genius bar, waiting for something.)

“So, you’re Ashton Youboty,” I began. He nodded. “I just wanted to come say hello. I’m a big Bills fan, and your friend Dustin said you who you were when you guys were in here before.” I told him the story of how I thought they’d be bigger, and he said, “Man, I am bigger. I’m fat! The coaches want me to lose weight!” Then he added with emphasis, “It’s hard to lose weight!” Ha! He didn’t look like he needed to, but I’m sure his coaches know what they’re talking about. 🙂

After wrapping up a few other things, I had a moment to say hello to the other guys. I made sure that there were not other customers in the store, and that they (the Bills players) were not busy being Apple customers, and I finally got to say hello.

“So are you guys all Bills players?” I asked.

“Yeah.” (Their unified, hushed reply was a little less forthcoming than I had hoped…)

“Well, I have two boys at home, and they will want to know who I got to meet tonight, so… what are your names?”

The guy immediately to my right said, “Jabari.” I actually didn’t quite hear him, so I asked him to repeat and when I understood him that time I said, “Jabari Greer! Nice to meet you.” Ashton was next to Jabari, and then we went around the circle of guys and they all introduced themselves as I shook their hands.

“Reggie.”

“Reggie….” I said in a leading tone.

“Corner.” He smiled when he said it. Some of these guys are not really that outgoing… 🙂

Reggie Corner! Nice to meet you.” (It really was. This was fun!)

We got to the last guy around the half circle, who said, “Jon Corto.” I heard him just fine, but I asked him to repeat it, because I had never heard of Jon Corto, and I know my Bills! So I probed a bit further, asking what position he played, and where he was from… still no luck.

As I was probing, Jabari said, “Well, tell us who you are!” So, I laughed and introduced myself. “My name’s Greg… Campbell. Actually, I have a Bills show…”

“Really?!” said Jabari, “Here in Rochester?”

I explained the Buffalo Bills Review, and actually, I thought I remembered that Jabari had been in the running for – or possibly won – an award from our show this past season, but that turned out to not be true. I did let him know that though, and he said, “I’m gonna have to check that out!”

In explaining the show, I mentioned that I grew up in Buffalo, and that’s how I became a big Bills fan. That’s when Jon asked where I was from in Buffalo. Turns out he is from Orchard Park – where the Bills play! So I talked with him a bit about that, how cool it is that he is from there and now playing for the Bills! Kinda living vicariously through that for a moment… 🙂

They didn’t stay much longer, but it was very cool to meet them all and chat a bit about Bills football, even the Buffalo Bills Review. When I started working at the Apple Store, never imagined that I’d get to meet five Buffalo Bills in one night! Was definitely a fun experience.

Wonder who will be coming in today?