ORCHARD PARK — He didn’t say a whole lot, and that wasn’t a surprise because Kevin Everett has always been a man of very few words.
But anyone who knows Everett, or knows his remarkable story, realizes that his actions speak louder than any words he could ever muster.
So Sunday afternoon, as the Buffalo Bills celebrated their resounding 34-10 season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks, it really didn’t matter what Everett said to his former teammates when he joined them in their ebullient locker room.
His mere presence is what they cared about.
“Coach Jauron addressed the team after the game and then Kevin broke us down (for a cheer) and it was short and sweet — ‘Buffalo on three,’” center Melvin Fowler recalled with a grin on his face.
An absolutely perfect day on the field in front of a sellout crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium ended in absolutely perfect fashion for the Bills with Everett — who sustained a life-threatening, career-ending spinal cord injury almost one year ago to the day — standing among his victorious buddies who have never, and will never, forgotten him.
“A year ago to the first game of the season he sustained his injury, and to have him come in here and break us down, it was the icing on the cake,” said safety George Wilson. “He really didn’t have to say anything. All the guys just stood up and applauded him as he walked into the middle.”
Funny thing is, it was Everett — who was in town to receive the prestigious Professional Football Writers of America’s George S. Halas Award for courage and perseverance during a halftime ceremony — who was doing the applauding, along with 71,194 giddy spectators after watching the Bills dismantle the Seahawks.
The Bills played suffocating defense as they sacked Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck five times and held the Seahawks to 252 yards and one touchdown.
They were efficient enough on offense as Trent Edwards threw for 215 yards and one TD, Marshawn Lynch ran for 76 yards and a score and Lee Evans had 102 receiving yards including two long receptions that set up touchdowns.
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