FanHouse KevinEverett

On Wednesday, Troy Polamalu let it be known that he wasn't happy. He doesn't like the fines on his teammate Hines Ward, he isn't a fan of the new rules that make the NFL a "pansy game," and he sure isn't thrilled the NFL is more concerned with making money than with the player's safety.

As you can imagine, the statements made by the Steelers safety raised some heads at the corporate office, including Roger Goodell. The NFL commissioner said in an interview yesterday that while he appreciates Polamalu as a player, he doesn't agree with any of the accusations about money being a bigger player in decision-making than player safety.

"I have a great deal of respect for him as a player, and obviously he has a right to his own views," Goodell said Thursday during an interview on WBAL-AM. "But to say that this is about money and not the health of our players, I think is extremely disappointing when we spend as much time as we do with active players, reviewing our rules, reviewing techniques and making sure we make the game is as safe as possible."

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."

(Hat tip: Hogs Haven)

The five finalists for the Halas Award were announced recently, with an entire team making the list. The Washington Redskins become the first team (by most accounts) to be nominated for the Halas Award ... which awards a player(s) for overcoming adversity.

The Redskins made the playoffs despite having All-Pro safety Sean Taylor murdered during the season. Washington had to play two games in a five day stretch with Sean Taylor's funeral sandwiched in between. The Redskins would win their last four games and grab the final playoff berth in the NFC. As Skin Patrol from HogsHaven said, what the Skins did was quite a feat:

The run is even more impressive viewed in context. We lost our starting quarterback (Jason Campbell) and faced an impressive run of teams, including: 1) the Vikings, in their hood, and they missed the postseason by one game, 2) the Super Bowl winning Giants, in their hood, when they could have clinched a playoff spot with a win over us, and 3) the Cowboys who were in a position to set a franchise record..

Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills tight end who has made a remarkable comeback after being paralized on a tackle in the season opener, is the other favorite to win the award. Honestly, what he's done in mere months after that scary injury is the reason the Halas Award exists.

Other nominees include the Cowboys Greg Ellis (the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year), and the Giants Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress.

Sophisticated medical techniques and smart doctors have done a great deal for Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a near-fatal spinal cord injury during the first weekend of the NFL season but is now back on his feet. But as Everett described in an interview on ESPN's Jim Rome Is Burning, he still has a long way to go to make a full recovery:

Everett says he still has "very little feeling in my hand" and adds, "My feet are still somewhat numb." He has a long way to go before he's living a completely normal life.

But Everett is working hard in his physical therapy, and while he does that, he deserves credit for the way he's deflecting attention from himself and giving attention to the advanced medicine that has helped him. Doctors on the scene induced hypothermia by injecting Everett with cold saline, and Everett said, "I really do think the hypothermia machine helped me a lot."

Everett still needs a lot of help. But every step he takes is a big one.

During Week 1 of the NFL season, Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered a severe spinal cord injury on a kickoff collision with Broncos receiver Domenik Hixon.

Thanks to hard work in rehabilitation, brilliant doctors and modern medicine, Everett is now walking. And thanks to a quirk in the schedule and Hixon being released by the Broncos and signed by the Giants, when Everett walked into Ralph Wilson Stadium yesterday, Hixon was in the building.

After the game, Hixon was escorted to a private box, where he met Everett for the first time.

"He looked great," said Hixon, who was signed by the Giants after being released by the Broncos in early October. "We just had some casual conversation. It was good. We talked about a little bit of everything.

"I think it was a one of those things where we both wanted to meet each other. It was a happy day."

He had wanted to talk to Everett in the worst way the past three months, but he felt so badly about what had happened, and he didn't want to do anything that might upset Everett or interfere with his recovery.

"I just wanted him to continue to get better," Hixon said. "He had enough to worry about. He didn't need to worry about me, too."

Hixon did nothing wrong on the play on which Everett was injured, but he says he has been haunted by feelings of guilt. Today, perhaps, Hixon can put those feelings behind him.

With their playoff hopes on the line, the New York Giants dove head first into the elements. Whether it was rain, snow, hail, wind or the overwhelming emotion coming from Buffalo after the arrival of Kevin Everett, the team held together and got the job done. And with the 38-21 victory, New York secured a playoff spot for the third consecutive season, joining the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks as the only teams to do so.

With Jeremy Shockey sitting on the bench, New York needed an emotional lift in the worst way. And after falling behind 14-0, veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer decided to step up and give them exactly that. In what was probably the most clutch performance of his career (that's saying a lot), Toomer hauled in five of Eli Manning's seven completions for 99 yards. And of the five receptions, three of them kept extremely important drives going.

In addition to Toomer's monster game, running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw each set personal milestones. Jacobs had a career best day with 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while Bradshaw racked up 151 yards and a touchdown. And for Bradshaw, he may have secured himself a significant position on this team heading into the playoffs -- not to mention, a long-term deal.

For Buffalo, they went out the window with the wind. As expected, the team came out on fire after an emotional chat with Kevin Everett prior to kickoff, but were unable to maintain that intensity for four quarters. And Trent Edwards three fourth quarter interceptions certainly didn't help.

The Giants now move to 10-5 and can afford to rest everyone on Saturday night against the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Bills fall to 7-8 and aim to end the season on a high note against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is about the swellest Christmas present the Buffalo Bills could receive: tight end Kevin Everett, who was paralyzed during the Week 1 game against the Broncos and has been rehabbing ever since, met with the team this morning at Ralph Wilson Stadium:

Everett addressed teammates about two hours before the game against the Giants. He left the locker room in a wheelchair and then, on his own power, climbed into a covered golf cart before being driven up the tunnel and out of the stadium.

This is an amazing turnaround for a player doctors feared would never walk again. Everett was hurt while making a special-teams tackle on then-Broncos return man Domenik Hixon. Hixon now plays for the Giants and had hoped to meet with Everett at some point today.

There was also some discussion of Everett walking out on the field, but the surprisingly inclement weather in Buffalo scuttled those plans. According to Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold, Everett will watch the game from an undisclosed location, presumably the vice presidential suite. Either that or he'll be a guest in Ralph Wilson's box.

Wherever Everett views the game, this is incredible news, and easily the best story of the 2008 season.

To get you ready for week 16, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New York Giants/Buffalo Bills preview.

2007 Records:

New York Giants: 9-5 (2nd in NFC East)
Buffalo Bills: 7-7 (2nd in AFC East)

Last Game(s):

Redskins 22 - Giants 10
Browns 8 - Bills 0

When the Bills have the ball: Buffalo has had some major success running the ball in recent weeks and it's unlikely they'll stray away from that this weekend. The combination of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch has proven quite formidable, and if the weather report holds up (rain and high winds), the Bills will need that duo to have a huge game.

Defensively, the Giants should know exactly what's coming. Unless their own offensive coordinator switches sides before kickoff, it's going to be all about the ground game. In fact, no team in the league other than the Giants would pass 52 times when the winds are above 25 miles per hour.

As hard as they may try, the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins will find it difficult to devote full attention to football this afternoon. Instead, somewhere in the back of their minds, everyone on that field will be with Sean Taylor.

"This is a game, but Sean is life," said Bills offensive guard Derrick Dockery said.

"Life is priceless," he added. "We're just trying to focus and will try to play a good game. It's going to be a very emotional game. It's going to be a tough one."

And it's not like the Bills are unfamiliar with tragedy. However, the misfortune they faced earlier this year when reserve tight end Kevin Everett was nearly paralyzed for life is far cry from the misfortune facing the Redskins after Taylor's murder.

"Kevin's situation is a whole lot different than this," said Bills coach Dick Jauron. "With Kevin, it was a terrible accident, but it just got better and better and continues that way.

"This is just an awful tragedy. It's not going to get any better. It's a tough one."

Although the game will be played, football is clearly a second thought this afternoon. Rather, these teams will do battle not for victory, but in honor of fallen teammates friends -- some of whom will be heard from again, and unfortunately, some of whom will not.

Bill Belichick has publicly expressed his respect and affection for the Buffalo Bills and coach Dick Jauron, but that didn't stop him or his team from manhandling them last night at Ralph Wilson Stadium. In fact, the Patriots showed no mercy at all as they tallied up 56 points, which included touchdowns on their first seven possessions.

What more can be said? It was another dominant performance by a team that is probably the best the NFL has ever seen. Tom Brady and Randy Moss connected 10 times for 128 yards and four touchdowns, while the Patriots defense held the Bills to 78 yards rushing and 229 yards overall.

Not all was lost for Buffalo, however. Despite their ugly performance on the field, the entire stadium was treated to a heartwarming message prior to the game.

Minutes before the players took the field to do battle, the Jumbotron came on and played a video from Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a near fatal spinal cord injury only 10 weeks ago. And his message was an extremely positive one. He let everyone know that he is finally home and expressed his thanks for the support from teammates, coaches and fans.

A loss is a loss and a life is a life. And while losing is never fun, the Bills and their fans have to walk away feeling great about their night after hearing such great news from Kevin Everett. I know I did.