Tears Fall Down Like Rain & Buffalo Stomps Hawks into Mud

Former Bills tight end Kevin Everett, using a loudspeaker prior to kickoff, asked Sunday’s sold-out crowd in Buffalo how everyone was doing. Showing concern for others, Everett was the one who was seemingly paralyzed in a game last year on a special teams play against Denver.

Everett was at Sunday’s opener with Seattle to receive an award for the player who has endured the most hardships the previous season. Given by the Professional Football Writers of America, the George Halas Award honors the memory of the former coach and team owner who helped integrate the league early in the 20th century.

The award was a nice moment for all Bills fans, and it brought tears to Everett’s eyes. The special teams for the Bills now without Everett was inspired and showed up in a big way with Kevin there one the sidelines not in uniform and pads. The special teams for Buffalo scored two touchdowns and were led in scoring by kicker Rian Lindell.

Lindell threw a nineteen yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney on a fake field goal, along with kicking two field goals and four extra points for the Bills.

Buffalo was also helped by a special team’s kickoff return of 63 yards by returner Roscoe Parrish. Parrish led the league in average yards per return last year. All of the special team’s offense, twenty one points and over half of Bills total points, was not a big surprise though because the unit has been statistically among the best in the NFL in the last four years.

Along with all of the Bills’ special team scoring came two Seattle Seahawk turnovers, a Matt Hasselbeck interception and Josh Wilson fumble on a kick off recovered by none other than Bill’s MVP of the day, kicker Rian Lindell. It was quickly turned into a 30 yard touchdown pass from Bill’s quarterback Trent Edwards to receiver Robert Royal. Edwards finished with a 63 percent completion rate on 30 passes and 215 yards.

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Hasselbeck was 17-41 with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Nate Burleson and an interception. Matt was sacked five times and the Hawks offense punted 11 times. Hawk rookie tight end John Carlson caught four passes for 52 yards while veteran receiver Nate Burleson caught six passes for 60 yards, a touchdown and knee injury that coach Holmgren says could keep him out next week against San Francisco 49ers.

Burleson was helped off the field with a left knee injury and limped afterwards but says he will be ready to play next week. It turns out that Burleson is out for the season with a torn ACL. The Seahawks already have an injured wide receiver crew was without Deion Branch and Bobby Engram who caught a team record 94 passes last year. Branch could be back next week but Engram is expected to be out until October. Also injured for the Seahawks was running back Maurice Morris who was mostly ineffective in the running game on the rain soaked field of Buffalo. Tests are to be soon ran on back Morris who could be unavailable next week.

Maybe next week the Seahawks big offseason acquisition, running back Julius Jones from the Cowboys, will get more carries with Morris hurt and Hasselbeck will have someone to throw to that won’t drop passes. The Hawks are expected to sign or trade for more veteran receivers with only three active wide receivers currently on the roster. The weather could also be much nicer back in the great Pacific Northwest at Qwest field in Seattle against the division rival 49ers.

By Dusty Holden
ProFootball-fans.com Seattle Seahawks Correspondent