Buffalo Bills strong safety Donte Whitner has one of the brightest futures of any NFL player. He's already started 29 games in his career, and he's only 22 years old. I like him a lot.
So that's why, while I'd consider this type of statement to be over the top coming from some players, I kind of like it from Whitner:
When asked if he expects the Bills to make the playoffs, Whitner makes it clear how serious he is. "Do I expect us to make the playoffs?" he says. "I'm guaranteeing it.
That's what Whitner said to Clifton Brown of The Sporting News in a story that portrays Whitner as one of the league's smartest and hardest-working young players, not to mention as a mentor to Bills rookie Leodis McKelvin, who is only a month younger than Whitner but is much less experienced.
I don't know if I'm ready to buy into Whitner's guarantee, but I do know that I like his confidence. It sure seems like a long time ago that people were criticizing the Bills for drafting him.
Many Canadians believe that the NFL's plans to play regular-season games in Canada -- and possibly move a team there permanently -- are a threat to the Canadian Football League's very existence. In response, the CFL has launched an ad campaign reminding Canadians, "This is our league":
The commercial itself is cool, but I really don't understand why so many Canadian football fans are freaking out, to the point where elected officials are trying to pass laws to keep the NFL out. Is the CFL really so weak that putting one NFL team in Canada would put the entire league out of business?
Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark announced today that Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch has agreed to a deal that will resolve the investigation of his hit-and-run accident.
"This whole agreement is predicated on the fact that he was driving the car," Clark said. "Has he said that officially? The answer is no. But obviously, the reason we were here in these negotiations is all predicated on the fact that he was driving the vehicle."
Presumably, this means Lynch will plead guilty to some traffic offense related to leaving the scene of an accident, but Clark wouldn't get specific during his bizarre press conference, in which he got angry at reporters when they asked him what the agreement entailed. Clark did say there was one other person in the SUV when Lynch hit a pedestrian, but he would not say whether that passenger was a Buffalo Bills player.
Although those in the political arena can memorialize Russert far better than we can here, it's worth noting for our corner of the world Russert's love and affection for his native Buffalo, and especially for the Bills. Russert was well known for making it a point to be home from his Meet the Press tapings in time to watch the Bills on Sundays, and for ribbing politicians who came from states with teams the Bills beat.
Russert was 58. After the jump, watch Tom Brokaw discuss one of his favorite memories of Russert, which centered on his love of the Bills.
It's not clear what Wilson knows, but prosecutors could think that Wilson has asked Lynch point blank whether he was driving his SUV when it hit a pedestrian two weeks ago. Also likely to be subpoenaed are Bills rookie wide receivers James Hardy and Steve Johnson and second-year offensive lineman Christian Gaddis.
The Buffalo News also reports that although Lynch has never been arrested in New York State, local police were familiar with him -- and his propensity for getting kicked out of bars -- before the hit and run took place:
one law enforcement official was not surprised to hear about the latest incident involving Lynch's vehicle.
"God, no, I wasn't surprised at all," the source said. "It follows a pattern. It's the kind of stuff he's been doing. He's just so cavalier about everything. That was always my impression."
Lynch has still not said anything publicly, or to the police, about the incident.
Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is still invoking his Fifth Amendment rights and refusing to cooperate with police in the investigation of a hit-and-run involving an SUV he owns, but it appears that authorities are close to charging him as the driver.
WGRZ in Buffalo reports that a source with knowledge of the investigation says four witnesses say Lynch was at the wheel of the vehicle at the time it hit a woman and sped off. The station also reports that police are investigating whether other Bills players were in the car at the time.
The woman who was hit was treated and released at a local hospital. Police took the SUV from Lynch's driveway and have impounded it; they say it will remain in police custody as long as the investigation is ongoing.
It appears that Marshawn Lynch's involvement with a hit-and-run in Buffalo has gone from suspected to confirmed. Police found the SUV that struck a woman in Lynch's driveway shortly after the accident early Saturday morning.
The Buffalo News reports that the vehicle had damage that linked it to the accident but when police knocked on Lynch's door there was no answer. The police aren't assuming that Lynch was behind the wheel but consider him a "key figure" in the case.
"I think it's fair to say that, if Mr. Lynch was not driving the vehicle, he probably has a pretty good idea who was," Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said Tuesday, following a news conference at Police Headquarters. "At no point has Mr. Lynch reported his vehicle had been stolen that police are aware of," he added.
DeGeorge also said that charges will be filed at some point but they need to figure out who was behind the wheel of the car at the time. Lynch's representatives have been cooperating with the investigation but, as of Wednesday morning, Lynch himself had not spoken with the police and it took three days before his attorney responded to police requests for information.
WGRZ News in Buffalo is reporting that the Buffalo Police Department is investigating a hit and run accident involving a car registered to Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch.
According to the report, Lynch's car hit a female pedestrian at 3:30 a.m. Saturday. It is not known whether Lynch was driving. Witnesses said the woman was lying in the street for about 15 minutes but eventually got up on her own and walked to an ambulance. There are no details about her condition.
Neither the police department nor the Bills would comment publicly, but a Bills spokesman said Lynch's attorney is out of town and will address the situation when he returns.
The Buffalo Bills released tight end Kevin Everett this morning, but that does mean the two sides will be parting ways.
"Kevin will always remain a Buffalo Bill in the same way that Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and so many others before him are held in the highest regard by our franchise," the team said in a statement Tuesday.
Everett's release opens the door for him to receive several NFL disability benefits, including a one-time payment under the player health reimbursement plan. He will also be able to apply for additional long-term injury benefits, and should be well taken care of for the foreseeable future.
Although Everett may never return to 100%, his recovery is nothing short of remarkable. Not only did doctors believe he would never walk again, initial reports indicated that the severity of his injuries were considered life-threatening. Yet, less than a year later, Everett has regained most of the feeling from his neck down and has also learned to walk on his own once again.
"The Buffalo Bills continue to be moved by Kevin Everett's heartwarming story of his recovery," the team's statement read. "His progress from September 9 of last year through today is nothing short of a miracle, and is a tremendous example of faith, family and hard work."
According to the paper, Hardy was listed as a suspect but his name was redacted from a police report that said his father, James W. Hardy II, was engaged in a fight with his son. A witness said she yelled at the younger Hardy to stop fighting, and he then pulled out a gun before leaving. Hardy has a permit to carry a gun.
Hardy's father told police he and his son were in an argument, and that the younger Hardy was always angry with him because he was in prison while his son was a boy, but that he was not injured and did not want to press charges against his son. He told the Journal Gazette:
"Me and my son's relationship is fine and anything (different) ... is not factual. Me and James' relationship is fine," he said.
Buffalo Bills strong safety Donte Whitner has one of the brightest futures of any NFL player. He's already started 29 games in his career, and he's only 22 years old. I like him a lot.
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