As The Ball Bounces: Week 2

Bob George

Sep 18, 2007 at 3:00am ET

You all know that Gino Cappelletti wasn't just a kicker, but a darned good wideout as well. Back in the day of the Duke, many kickers were position players who doubled as kickers. The specialist concept for kickers was still a few years away. That is why, in 1963, defensive end Mack Yoho handled the placekicking chores for the Bills. Yoho, who is listed at only 239 pounds (a defensive end, you say?), kicked all ten of his team's field goals in '63, but he misfired on 14 others. This turned out to be Yoho's final season in the AFL, and the Bills would turn over the kicking chores in '64 to someone named Pete Gogolak. Gogolak would help revolutionize the kicking position, and the Bills got themselves an AFL title in the process. Yoho gets the honor this week to toe the ball, and he steps into one and floats it end over end to about the ten-yard line.

You might wonder if the last thing Cleveland wanted was to have Derek Anderson ring up 51 on the 'Natti on Sunday. How do you bring in Brady Quinn now?

Chad Johnson isn't just a clown, he's also an idiot. I would no sooner jump into the Dog Pound than I would volunteer for the B.V.P. (Belichick Video Patrol)

Three cheers for Kevin Everett. The fact that he is voluntarily moving extremities is the best news of the year thus far in the entire NFL.

Houston comes into Carolina and leaves 2-0 for the first time in franchise history. Right in front of Panther second string quarterback David Carr. That is so not nice. If Carr had any blockers, he'd still be a Texan.

And a starter.

Vince Young needs to learn to finish games correctly like Sunday against the Colts. That was a win to be had, and he fell just short.

Pats 2-0, rest of AFC East 0-2. Boo-yah.

Geek of the week: The Patriots knew just how to shut LaDainian Tomlinson up. Shut him down completely and whip his team's butt. Tomlinson may not stay shutted up, but the Patriots sure sent him a clear and convincing message Sunday night.

The Raiders lose a game-winning overtime 52-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski because Denver sneaked in a time out just before the snap (Janikowski missed on the re-kick). Could Al Davis be heard saying "Yeah, the league's still got it in for me!"?

Any Jet fan who ridicules Chad Pennington should be taken out and tortured.

Take a poll amongst all New Englanders: Who in New York is more despised, George Steinbrenner or Eric Mangini? Call me when you get the results. My vote goes to the football fella.

Terry Bradshaw said to Tom Brady three years ago on the Super Bowl XXXIX victory podium, "You know, Tom, it really isn't this easy!" What would Bradshaw tell Brady today?

Anyone notice Terrell Owens and his camera act in the end zone Sunday? Nah. Miami lost, that's all that matters around here.

Alex Smith and those 49ers might be makin' some real noise this year. He's a quarterback who is beginning to come of age.

What is with New Orleans? Playoff hangover? Was last year all about the emotion from Katrina?

Baltimore had better be about defense. Their offense still stinks.

Back to school: Merely having the number one team in your crib isn't enough for Nebraska. Pete Carroll and his Trojans left that Big Red gang pining for the days when they had Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne winning national championships for the once-proud program.

Laurence Maroney may barely top the 1,000-yard mark this year, and it won't matter. With Sammy Morris around, Maroney will still find that life is good in Foxborough this year.

The Lions are 2-0? What, did Wayne Fontes make a cameo on the sideline?

NBC continues to exude idiocy on its Football Night In America show, and even without Keith Olbermann (out following an appendectomy).

Now that Spygate has come to light, suddenly Jerome Bettis is questioning the two Patriot AFC Championship wins at the expense of his Steelers. Someone please tell the Bus that in 2001, special teams lost that game, plus a dirty hit on Brady forced the Patriots to have to play Drew Bledsoe for most of the game. And in 2004, the Steelers were so badly outplayed and outcoached that even if the Steelers had the video cameras, they still lose by two touchdowns.

Then you have Cris Collinsworth, normally one not given to idiotic rambling, telling everyone that Roger Goodell "blew it" with soft (in his opinion) sanctions against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Yet he did not have the cajones to tell the commissioner his opinion to his face when he came on later in the broadcast. Saying "You blew it!" to Goodell's face would have at least made for great theater, though Collinsworth is still off base.

While we're on the subject, wasn't that nice of Brian Billick to toss out cheating allegations against Mangini (illegal snap counts). Let's get all the dirty laundry out there, shall we?

Remember him: One of the big Buffalo offensive weapons when the Bills and Patriots met in a 1963 AFL East playoff game was running back Cookie Gilchrist. He never attended college, broke in at age 27 with the Bills in 1962 after six years in Canada, and put up some great numbers while playing in western New York. His rushing totals in his first four AFL years, beginning in 1962, were 1.096, 979, 981 and 954 yards rushing respectively. His average in 1962 was 5.1 yards per carry. He led the AFL in rushing in 1962 and 1964. He led the league in rushing touchdowns during the first three years, and led the league in rushing attempts from 1962 to 1964. His last best season was 1965, but he had by then gone to Denver, then suffered through two dismal final years, one with Denver and one with Miami, before calling it a career in 1967. He was a fighter for civil rights, and even turned down enshrinement in the CFL Hall of Fame because of his belief that management was racist (thanks, Wikipedia). For three seasons, Gilchrist was a terrific back, and is still the fifth all-time Buffalo leading rusher.

So, Donovan McNabb, were the Redskins cheating?

Speaking of the Redskins, watch out when that team comes to Foxborough later on this year. The last time the Patriots beat Washington, it took Josh Ashton to pull it off.

And NBC flashed this graphic Sunday night: Highest yard average per rush in history against Patriots among active players? Tomlinson. Who's second? Clinton Portis.

Happy endings: The fans gave it up for Belichick when his image came on the message board. Belichick twice waved back to the fans, and mentioned them sincerely in his postgame press conference. Meanwhile, an ESPN report says that Belichick has been signed through 2013.

For now, peace returns to that little corner of Norfolk County where the NFL calls home in this region.