1 – Thurman to be profiled on 'A Football Life
NFL Network has announced the subjects to be featured on the upcoming season of the NFL Films-produced, Emmy-nominated series A Football Life and among them is Bills Hall of Fame RB Thurman Thomas.
Bills Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly was profiled last season.
The eighth season of the highly-acclaimed series A Football Life premieres Friday, September 14 at 8:00 PM ET with a profile of former Pro Bowl quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer. The 11-episode season of A Football Life airs at a new time of 8:00 PM ET on Friday on NFL Network.
The broadcast schedule for only September and October has been released to this point and Thomas is not one of the first five episodes to air meaning his profile will sometime between mid-October and December. The announced schedule is below.
- September 14 – Carson Palmer
- September 21 – Lawrence Taylor
- September 28 – Tony Romo
- October 5 – Willie McGinest
- October 12 – Brian Dawkins
The dates of future episodes including that of Thomas will be announced at a later date. For more information, go to NFL.com/nflnetwork.
“It is just a fellowship here. We are a family-oriented team and it is something special. It is going to take us a long way.” Bills safety Rafael Bush
2 - 2018 Bills embracing family culture
Anybody who has ever participated in team sports at any level will tell you that team chemistry and camaraderie are of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, sometimes when the level of competition and compensation are increased, the family aspect of the activities becomes a distant memory. However, head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have put an emphasis on ensuring the family aspect plays a large role in the success of the Buffalo Bills. Recently, Bills safety Rafael Bush spoke about how the culture is different from that of the Saints and the Lions, his two former teams.
"One thing that really stuck out to me is that this is a family-oriented organization," said Bush.
If Bush's observation does not suffice, he told a story about a recent happening inside of the Bills' dinner room.
"We had a situation where we were all in the dinner room," he said. "Coach [McDermott] told us to put our phones away so that we could talk with the guys around us and get to know them."
Not only did the Bills interact more at the dinner tables, they gathered in prayer as well.
"We all prayed before we ate dinner together," said Bush. "It is just a fellowship here. We are a family-oriented team and it is something special. It is going to take us a long way."
Bush and the rest of the Bills squad will look to continue building bonds with each other as the 2018 season approaches, and coach McDermott will look to further emphasize the importance of team chemistry.
3 - Bills' most deserving Hall of Fame candidate
Recently, Eliot Harrison of NFL.com released a list of every AFC team's most deserving candidate to be enshrined in Canton. Harrison named former Bills wide receiver and special teams ace Steve Tasker as Buffalo's most deserving candidate.
After beginning his journey at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas; Tasker transferred and played out his final two years of eligibility at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. After the conclusion of his college career, Tasker was drafted in the ninth round of the 1985 NFL Draft and subsequently claimed off waivers by the Bills in November of 1986. As a key member of the Bills' Super Bowl teams in the 90's, Tasker was named to seven Pro Bowls; and he is the only special teams player to ever win Pro Bowl MVP honors. Here is the reasoning Harrison gave for his belief that Tasker should be in the Hall of Fame.
The main point with Tasker is that nobody ever debates who the top special teams player was ... if you were the best, you belong in Canton, yes? Unless we've all been sold a bill of goods on the importance of special teams all these years.
Since hanging his cleats up after the 1997 season, Tasker has become a staple in broadcasting; joining CBS Sports, WGR Sports Radio 550, and MSG. In 2007, Tasker was named the 24th member of the Bills Wall of Fame. In 2011, he came close to being inducted, as he was named a semifinalist in a class that included Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Shannon Sharpe.
Bills fans and NFL pundits are all in agreement that Tasker should have already received his gold jacket, but his status as a Hall of Fame caliber player will always be remembered fondly regardless.
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