Four Quarters and a Prayer

by Ryan


How do you begin to write about a football team whose backup TE is lying in a hospital bed?

Really, is it even right to think about Pittsburgh when the biggest news all week is that Kevin Everett moved three fingers? I want to think about Pittsburgh, but my thoughts really can't escape the reality that was thrown at us last Sunday.

It really hit me hard on Monday that someone could die from a football game. In all my years I had honestly never considered that. How many times have you played football, or any dangerous sport, really? Have you ever considered the threat of death ever? All those tackle games with no pads. Pickup hockey with nothing but balance keeping your vital parts from an inch of ice.

It's a scary thing to put into hindsight, even with the very low odds. Taking into consideration how many plays like that occur a game, Kevin Everett's injury was an aberration. Hopefully it's something we will never have to see again. Still, many of us will never be able to forget the horrible replay of a motionless Everett dropping to the FieldTurf.

With all that on the minds of many, it really is hard to think about a game tomorrow. We are 9.5 point underdogs, and the Steelers beat the Browns so badly last week they traded their starting QB away. To say we have a fighting chance in this game isn't a stretch, but to say we come away with a win takes some faith.

Will they win? Probably not. Personally, I don't look at Big Ben and the Steelers to determine who wins tomorrow. How this Bills team reacts will be key. The thought of Kevin Everett could weigh heavy on their minds, or galvanize their effort and bring this team together.

Death will not be on the minds of anyone tomorrow, but a friend and teammate will.