Ravens 13, Bills 7

Earlier this year, I read an interview with Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas who had decided to speak publicly about the concussion related problems he has been having over the 15 years since his retirement from the NFL. His first public comments on the issue came at a concussion summit in Niagara Falls, Ontario in April. Thomas said that he does not discuss these problems with family or friends but decided to speak out in order to help the medical community better understand the condition that he shares with many former NFL players and to build awareness of the issue generally.

Thomas said that he suffers from frequent mood swings which have taken their toll on his family and friends. He also recounted an incident where he was driving home on a familiar route and, for a short time, he had no idea where he was or where he was going. Shortly afterward, he had an MRI done on his brain and his doctor described his frontal lobe as being similar to that of someone who fell off a house and landed on the front of his head. His condition is worsening and he's scared. His wife has decided that she no longer wants the couple's 14 year old son, who has already missed games from concussions, to continue playing football. His comments at the concussion forum included a statement that his going public with his story does not make him any less of a man, any less tough or any less loyal to the NFL. It was obvious that he had considered these questions carefully before speaking out.

I was saddened by this story. Thomas is a distinguished member of the Bills alumae, a resident of the Buffalo area and an active member of the community. As a running back, he certainly would have endured his share of hard hits but it seemed to me that his small stature and low centre of gravity allowed him to generally avoid serious hits to the head. But he played football since he he was a child growing up in Houston, then obviously played high school and college football at a high level before being drafted by the Bills in 1988. Those years of contact have now caught up with him and Thomas is now realizing that the game which made him relatively wealthy and famous (at least among football fans) is now seriously diminishing his quality of life.

As Rex Ryan entered his second training camp as Bills head coach, I was optimistic that the team, and the defence in particular, would benefit from the continuity of a returning coaching staff with the same systems and philosophy. But as the pre-season progressed, things began to unravel as a combination of injuries and substance abuse suspensions depleted the line-up. The Bills top two picks in April's draft are out with injuries - one of which is season ending. Two starters, stud defensive lineman Marcel Dareus and offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, like to smoke marijuana apparently and have each received 4 game suspensions for positive tests. Without commenting on the appropriateness of the league's substance policies, they are the rules which are in place and they are well known to players. Perhaps they could have followed the rules rather than leaving their team short-handed. There's plenty of time to get high after football.

These stories provided the back-drop for yesterday's regular season opener in Baltimore and I must admit that I was not feeling particularly optimistic about the team's fortunes or about the long term viability of the NFL as the most dominant force in North American professional sports. But I tuned in anyway, leaving the critically important Blue Jays baseball game to be watched only on commercial breaks from the Bills game. It was a ridiculously frustrating game to watch as the offense sputtered badly and penalties took their toll. The Bills were unable to stop the Ravens running game when it mattered most - near the end of the game - and opened the season with a loss in a game where they played well enough to win. But in the NFL, I think almost every team plays well enough to win 10 games.

Maybe a short week is what the team needs to get back on track as the 0-1 Jets come to Orchard Park on Thursday night. We're leaving Toronto after lunch but I will be sure to get a nap in on Wednesday as we won't be home until probably 3am.