After a virtual eternity of preseason games, training camps, mini-camps and rookie camps, the National Football League’s regular season FINALLY got underway last weekend and it did so with a bang.
The Indianapolis Colts began their quest for a second straight Super Bowl last Thursday night when they broke open a 14-10 game at halftime and buried the New Orleans Saints, 41-10 behind three TD passes by Milton Berle’s replacement as Mr. Television, Peyton Manning.
Your high-powered New England Patriots showcased their new weapons acquired during the offseason and handed a 38-14 whipping to the New York Jets in the Meadowlands, thanks to a breakout game by former Bad Boy Randy Moss, who hauled in nine passes for 183 yards — including a 51-yard TD — from Tom (Who’s Your Daddy) Brady.
Newcomers Wes Welker, Adalius Thomas, Sammy Morris, Kelly Washington, Donte’ Stallworth and Brandon Meriweather also made their presence felt for the new-look Pats, who should have NO problem lighting up the scoreboard in 2007.
In that game, the effusive Ellis Hobbs returned the second half kickoff to the house for an NFL record 108-yard touchdown, causing teammates and coaches alike to yell, “No, No – Go, Go.
Having the human quote-machine Hobbs follow the bellicose and mundane Coach Bill Belichick to the post-game podium was like having fast-talking Gomez involved in a neighborhood speaking engagement after his baritone butler Lurch in the Addams Family, mumbled, “You Rang?”
If it appeared New England seemed to have the Jets’ number, then illegal technology may have played a part in this mismatch.
The NFL is investigating the Pats for improper use of video equipment to intercept signals being sent by New York coaches to players on the field. NFL guidelines “prohibit the use of any video recording device on the field for the use of coaches, and teams are specifically barred from taping an opponent's offensive or defensive signals,” according to a published report in the Boston Globe.
Possible punishment from the commissioner’s office could range from fines and/or suspensions to the loss of draft choices. It was reported a camera and videotape were seized from a team employee stationed on the New England sideline and suspected of filming New York coaches relaying signals during the Pats’ victory.
One of the best stories coming out of the NFL is former Nauset High defensive line standout Mike DeVito. The 6-3, 295-pound U. Maine product was the lone free agent to make the Jets’ 53-man roster and takes the place of former Patriot Bobby Hamilton, who DeVito said was a excellent mentor for him and other young defensive linemen in camp.
Another local player who made an NFL opening day roster is Stephen Cooper of Wareham, another U. Maine star, who registered eight tackles, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in San Diego’s 14-3 win over the Chicago Bears. He will start again at inside linebacker Sunday night in Foxboro against the Patriots.
The most distressing news coming out of opening weekend was backup tight end Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills, who appeared to sustain a serious and life-threatening spinal injury after making a special-teams tackle in a 15-14 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Everett was under sedation and breathing through a respirator as doctors waited for swelling to decrease.
But a miracle seemed to occur Tuesday when Everett voluntarily moved his arms and legs when awakened, prompting a neurosurgeon to say the Buffalo Bills' tight end would walk again - contrary to the grim Continued from Page 2
prognosis given a day before.
“Based on our experience, the fact that he's moving so well, so early after such a catastrophic injury, means he will walk again,” said Dr. Barth Green, chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “It’s totally spectacular, totally unexpected,” Green told The Associated Press by telephone from Miami.
Dr. Green stated the key ingredient was quick action taken by Dr. Andrew Cappuccino to inject ice-cold saline solution through Everett's system that put the player in a hypothermic state. Doctors at the Miami Project have demonstrated that such action significantly decreases the damage to the spinal cord due to swelling and movement.
During the operation, Dr. Cappuccino repaired a break between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae and also lessened the pressure on the spinal cord.
Another injury, not life-threatening but season-ending, occurred to All-Pro offensive tackle Orlando Pace of the St. Louis Rams, who sustained a serious shoulder injury against the Carolina Panthers. The former number one overall 1997 NFL Draft pick tore the rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder and was also sidelined last season with a torn triceps muscle in November.
Two quarterbacks who were injured and whose availability for this weekend’s action and beyond are questionable are Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Chad Pennington of the cross-town Jets.
Manning sustained a bruised right shoulder against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday night and his status against the Green Bay Packers this weekend is uncertain.
Pennington was sacked by the Patriots’ Jarvis Green in the third quarter and in the process twisted his ankle and hobbled off the field, firing his helmet into the ground as he limped toward the sideline.
The Marshall product displayed toughness when he returned to action early in the fourth quarter, but was still favoring his injured ankle when he dropped back to pass. His status for Sunday’s game at Baltimore is also uncertain.
The NFL showcased not one but two Monday Night Football Games during the opening weekend.
I n the early game, the Cincinnati Bengals held on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-20, as Chad Johnson donned a cape after scoring a first-half touchdown.
In the West Coast matchup, the San Francisco 49ers edged the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17, on a one-yard TD by Arnaz Battle with 22 seconds remaining.
If the rest of the NFL season is like this, we may all need tranquilizers by mid-season just to calm us downonce monthly. He may be reached via e-mail at nyyank@comcast.net.