Logo of an original team from the National Football League, the Duluth Eskimos. This franchise played as the Duluth Kelleys in 1923 and changed their name in 1926. Although based in Duluth, the team was basically a traveling show and rarely played any “home” games. The team disbanded after the 1927 season, but despite its’ short existence, boasts having 3 Hall of Famers – Walt Kiesling, Ernie Nevers and Johnny “Blood” McNally.
This 1958 Topps football card of former NFL quarterback Lamar McHan is a classic example of the “huckabuck” pose used by players on cards of that era. On the card, McHan is shown doing what is a lost art in football today, throwing a “jump pass”, a tactic which shorter QBs used to throw over taller defensive linemen. McHan was highly touted coming out of college and was drafted as the second overall pick in 1954, but overall his career was disappointing. He played for 11 seasons with 4 different teams, mostly as a backup.
According to coach Chan Gailey, the Bills’ braintrust spent the bye week breaking down the defense in the team’s first 6 games, and were determined to do whatever was necessary to improve on that side of the ball. Apparently, judging by the Bills’ 23-0 shutout of the undermanned Washington Redskins on Sunday, the tinkering went well. After racking up only 4 sacks and very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks in those previous 6 games, the Bills sacked John Beck 9 times on Sunday, and made his day pretty miserable overall. Granted, the ‘Skins were missing at least 5 starters from their offensive unit, and they looked like a team full of players who weren’t used to playing with each other. But Buffalo was forced to play without starters Shawne Merriman and Kyle Williams. With Williams out and Torrell Troup not fully healthy, the Bills moved rookie Marcell Dareus inside to nose tackle and he responded with a monster game, recording 2 1/2 of the team’s sacks and spending a lot of time in the backfield disrupting Washington plays. Arthur Moats got a bulk of the playing time in Merriman’s spot and was active all day also, getting credit for a half sack but getting lots of pressure off the edge on Beck. The Bills’ starting safeties continued their stellar play, as Jairus Byrd got a sack and a pick, and George Wilson had an interception to go along with a team-high 8 tackles.
The offensive effort was workmanlike, with Ryan Fitzpatrick guiding a steady attack, spreading the ball around and hitting tight end Scott Chandler for a pair of touchdowns. Fred Jackson, who is now having his name mentioned in league MVP conversations, helped his cause by rushing for 120 yards and catching passes for 74 more. For really the first time all season, the Bills were held to field goal attempts on some of their drives instead of touchdowns, but with the defense playing so well the urgency to pile up points wasn’t really there and the team never seemed in jeopardy of losing control of the game. The win sets up a huge AFC East matchup next week against the New York Jets, who’ll be rested coming out of their bye week. It’ll be a big test for the Bills – but they now have 2 things going for them. One, they’ve passed all the big tests they’ve faced so far this year, and two, they’ll be back at their real home at Ralph Wilson Stadium, feeding off the energy of their real home fans.
A great team logo for Halloween, the logo of the Toronto Phantoms football team, who played 2 seasons in the Arena Football League, in 2001 and 2002. The team was moved from New England after failing there, and was the Arena League’s attempt to enter the Canadian market. They were owned by Rogers Communications, the same group that later made a deal with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL to host some of their home games, and played their home games at the Air Canada Centre. Unfortunately the team disbanded after the 2002 season. Their most notable player was “offensive specialist” Damian Harrell.
What better sports card to feature on Halloween than a 1968 Topps football card of the ultimate “monster” of the NFL team known as the “Monsters of The Midway”, the Chicago Bears – linebacker Dick Butkus. One of the most feared and intimidating players not only of his era but of all time, Butkus played 9 years and was an 8 time Pro Bowler, was voted to the All Decade teams for both the 1960s and 1970s, named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-time team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. The award given annually to the most outstanding linebacker in college football is named for him. After retiring from football, Butkus made numerous appearances in movies, television and beer ads, and also has worked on the Bears’ radio broadcasts.
Last weekend’s games produced my first sub-.500 record of the year as I picked 6 winners and 7 losers. Still, the overall season record stands at a respectable 70 correct and 33 wrong. Here are the picks for week eight:
Washington at Buffalo – this game is being played in Toronto as a “home” game for the Bills. They have actually never won at Toronto in a regular season game since this series began, but that will change this week. The Bills will continue to push the ‘Skins on their downward slide.
Arizona at Baltimore – it’s hard to believe the Ravens lost to Jacksonville on Monday night, and I can’t see them losing at home to another lowly opponent. Baltimore’s defense shuts down the Cards and the Ravens win.
Minnesota at Carolina – Christian Ponder had to battle against Aaron Rodgers in his starting debut last week, and this week he faces Cam Newton, who will lead the up-and-coming Panthers to another win at home.
Jacksonville at Houston – the Jaguars’ win on Monday night was a fluke. Houston wins this game at home to stay atop the AFC South.
Miami at New York Giants – people are beginning to question whether the Dolphins are tanking their season on purpose in order to draft Andrew Luck. Well, they DID just sign J.P. Losman as their backup QB. The Giants win this game easily at home.
New Orleans at St. Louis – every week the poor Rams face another tough opponent. Sam Bradford is going to be a successful NFL quarterback and the Rams will eventually turn it around. It’s just not going to be this year. The Saints win big on the road.
Indianapolis at Tennessee – at some point the Colts have to start playing with some pride. I expect them to keep this game close but also expect the Titans to win.
Detroit at Denver – after a 5-0 start the Lions have lost 2 straight and now try to stop the Tim Tebow “magic”. It is impressive how Tebow pulls out wins without playing like a conventional NFL quarterback, but I just think the Lions have too much talent to blow this one. Detroit fights through injury problems and finds a way to win.
New England at Pittsburgh – neither of these teams is as good as their hype would indicate, but both are still title contenders in a year with no clear-cut AFC favorite. Tom Brady guides the Pats to another of his patented surgeon-like wins on the road.
Cincinnati at Seattle – the Bengals are playing good football but also benefitting from a relatively soft schedule. I expect them to win a close game over the inconsistent Hawks.
Cleveland at San Francisco – I really think Colt McCoy is a better QB than Alex Smith, but Smith plays on a better team in the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh’s club wins to move a step closer to an NFC West title, with the post-game handshake getting more coverage on the highlight shows than the game.
Dallas at Philadelphia – the Cowboys are a good team but their QB, Tony Romo, is not a finisher. The Eagles are over their early season troubles and win this game to position themselves for a run at the playoffs despite the 1-4 start.
San Diego at Kansas City – the Chiefs were left for dead early in the year after suffering embarrassing losses and crushing injuries, but have righted the ship and gotten back into the AFC West race. Still, I see the Chargers winning here.
With Halloween just around the corner, a good team logo to feature is this one, of a minor league baseball team that played in the Pioneer League from 2008 until 2011, the Casper Ghosts. Based in Casper, Wyoming, the team played as the Rockies from 2001 to 2007 before taking on the spooky new name, and along with the name change, introduced new team caps that had a ghost logo that glowed in the dark. Unfortunately the team is moving to Grand Junction, Colorado next season.
1958 Topps football card of Ted Marchibroda, a quarterback from St. Bonaventure University who played only 4 seasons in the NFL, but had a long, successful coaching career in the league that spanned 25 seasons over 3 decades. He was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers and played 3 years for them before finishing his playing days with a one-year stint as a Chicago Cardinal. Marchibroda had 2 successful stays as head coach of the Colts, for 5 seasons in Baltimore in the 1970s and again in the 1990s for 4 seasons in Indianapolis, and for his last job as an NFL head coach he returned to Baltimore to coach the Ravens in the late 1990s. His most memorable job as an assistant coach in the league was his 5 year stay in Buffalo, where as offensive coordinator he perfected the team’s “No Huddle” offense directed by Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly. Marchibroda is still active in football today, serving as an analyst on the Colts’ radio pre-game show.
It wouldn’t be fair to call this post the Buffalo Sabres’ season preview, since the season is already well underway. So we’ll call it the season “outlook” and take a look at where the club stands as this season begins to progress:
If you include owner Terry Pegula and his family here, this is the best part of the organization. They have breathed new life into the organization, from remodeling the locker room to continuing the plaza parties, and most importantly, putting GM Darcy Regier on a level playing field with the big spenders of the league when it comes to player acquisitions. Team president Ted Black is also a great addition to the franchise, and even if the team is still a ways from being a true championship contender, the new attitude of the franchise is making it fun for the fans as they go all out to make it happen.
Lindy Ruff has always done a good job of taking whatever players he was handed and molding them into a competitive, hard-working team on the ice. Then cheap ownership would allow the most valuable members of the team, from Mike Peca and Dominik Hasek on through to Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, to leave and Ruff would have to make do with the scraps left behind. And usually he would do a decent job of piecing together those scraps and putting a competitive, accountable team on the ice. Now we get to see what Ruff can accomplish with a little support from management. The club has been good so far this season and only stands to improve once the new players get accustomed to playing with each other and with Ruff’s system.
Jhonas Enroth
It could be argued that with the emergence of Jhonas Enroth at the end of last season as a reliable backup goalie, the Sabres have the best goaltending depth in the NHL. Ryan Miller is considered world-class and although I still am not sure of that assessment, I believe he is capable of back-stopping the team to a Stanley Cup title if the cast around him is improved. In the past fans always thought Tom Barrasso was good, but never good enough to take the Sabres to the top, but when he left here and was able to play with a talented Pittsburgh Penguin team he was more than adequate to help them win multiple Cups. I definitely see Miller’s situation being similar to Barrasso – the difference being that Miller stays here while the championship team is assembled around him – which never would have happened under previous owners. The presence of Enroth as a second option that Ruff can use, who has the total confidence of his teammates, means that there’s no reason to overwork Miller. The team should be in excellent shape as far as goaltending is concerned throughout the regular season and playoffs if both goalies stay healthy.
Nathan Gerbe
The Sabres don’t have an offensive threat that strikes fear in any opponent, and haven’t really had one since the record-breaking duo of Pat Lafontaine and Alexander Mogilny. They have been relying in recent years on a balanced attack, which can be advantageous come playoff time when teams try to match lines. Their most feared scorer now is Thomas Vanek, who has a great shot and also a knack for scoring in the tough areas around the net. Drew Stafford finally developed into the goal scorer the team expected when they drafted him, and the return of Derek Roy should help the offense also. New captain Jason Pominville hasn’t been a great scorer over his career but gives the offense something just as valuable – consistency. The Sabres should also expect players like Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe and Luke Adam to push their games to the next level. Ruff now has a new toy to play with when he puts his line combinations together – newly-signed free agent Ville Leino. Leino has been a productive scorer in his NHL career, especially in the playoffs, which should be a tremendous help to the team. Add in the toughness that players like Paul Gaustad, Cody McCormick and Patrick Kaleta provide, along with any contributions they get from spare parts like Jochen Hecht, Matt Ellis and Brad Boyes, and the Sabres have all the ingredients they should need to have their offensive game covered.
Christian Ehrhoff
Buffalo’s defense corps was adequate last season, but the team went out and got the unit some help in the off-season. Big Tyler Myers is on his way to becoming one of the top defensemen in the NHL, and should start to develop more of a mean streak as he grows into his body. The addition of Robyn Regehr will increase the toughness factor of the unit also. Marc-Andre Gragnani was a revelation in last year’s playoffs and will be a big addition to the team’s blue line, and the power play, as a full-time starter this year. Another newcomer, Christian Ehrhoff, was solid as an offensive defenseman in Vancouver’s run to the Cup finals last year, and will help upgrade the Sabres defense corps also. Holdovers Mike Weber, Andrej Sekera and Jordan Leopold round out what is now as good as any defensive unit in the league.
Logo of the Baltimore Clippers minor league hockey team, which played in the American Hockey League from 1962 until 1975. They were affiliated with the New York Rangers and later the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team disbanded when the Michigan Stags of the WHA relocated to Baltimore and became the Blades. A couple of notable Clipper players include goalie Ed Giacomin and Wayne Rivers.