Inside The Bills

Frank Reich’s Call to Courage awards next Sat

Former Bills QB Frank Reich’s Athletes in Action will host the 12th Annual Call to Courage Award Breakfast this Saturday (April 6th) at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo with a special look back at the “Greatest Comeback in NFL History.”

The high profile breakfast will be held from 9-11 am and Reich will present the 2013 Call to Courage Award to Indianapolis Colts All Pro Center Jeff Saturday. He was named to six Pro Bowls and named First Team All Pro twice in 2005 and 2007.

A special highlight of the program will be the 20^th Anniversary celebration of the “Greatest Comeback in NFL History”. Joining Reich for a look back video highlight panel discussion will be former Buffalo Bills greats Andre Reed, Kenneth Davis and Steve Tasker. Buffalobills.com will cover the event.

The honorary chairman for this year’s breakfast will be Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell.

In addition to the NFL winner of the Call to Courage Award, the High School Call to Courage Award will also be given to an outstanding member of a Western New York high school football team. Buffalo Bills play –by-play man, John Murphy is this year’s MC.

A commemorative Limited Edition 20^th Anniversary – Greatest Comeback poster will also be made available, exclusively for those in attendance at the breakfast.

The Call to Courage Award Breakfast is open to the public. Tickets are $40 each and a table of ten is $350. For ticket information call 716-559-1800 or find them on Facebook at aiabuffalo.

Tasker’s Super Bowl prediction: OT

Former Bills great Steve Tasker will have a sideline view of Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday. And he thinks he may be putting in some overtime.

Tasker appeared as a guest on The John Murphy Show Friday night. He’s been in New Orleans all week getting ready for his role as a sideline reporter on the CBS TV broadcast of the Super Bowl.

Tasker told host John Murphy the Baltimore Ravens matchup with the Forty Niners is going to be close.

“I can’t pick a winner in this, even if I wanted to,” Tasker said. “But I think this Super Bowl looks more like an overtime game than any other Super Bowl game I’ve ever been around.”

“The unstoppable force meets the immovable object in this game. I think it’s going to be an overtime game, and I couldn’t tell you who’s going to win it.”

Tasker did say the Forty Niners solid defense is going to be tested by Ravens QB Joe Flacco and his ability to throw the long ball.

“Joe Flacco is throwing the football better than any quarterback has in the National Football League for the last five years. This guy is making throws that most teams won’t even ask their quarterback to think about. And not only are the Ravens asking Joe Flacco to make those throws, they’re calling the plays specifically so Joe Flacco can. This guy makes throws nobody else can. He’s the most accurate deep-ball passer I’ve ever seen. And he’s got as strong an arm as anybody who’s ever played this game.”

The entire interview with Steve Tasker is available at buffalobills.com\johnmurphyshow

Tasker on Reed’s HOF chances

Steve Tasker has had plenty of consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recent years. But this weekend, he’s focused on his former Buffalo Bills teammate, Andre Reed, and his chances for election.

The electors for the Hall of Fame meet Saturday morning in New Orleans to elect the class of 2013. And Reed is one of 15-modern era finalists for the honor again.

In an appearance on The John Murphy Show Friday night, Tasker says he’s obviously rooting for Reed to get into the Hall this year. In New Orleans as part of the CBS Super Bowl broadcast team, Tasker says he talked to Reed earlier this week about being a finalist.

“I have talked to him, we went out a few nights ago on his birthday,” Tasker said on the radio show. “We did talk about it. We’re always hopeful. We all have no doubt that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”

“But we also acknowledge that there’s a process that has to be gone through, and that maybe it is his year, maybe it’s not. And we’re not privy to why it would be or why it would not be. So we’re just going to have to wait and see. I encouraged Andre to not let it ruin his weekend, waiting on this to happen. We know it will. Be patient, and when it does happen, it will be all the sweeter, because we were around to enjoy it.”

The entire interview with Steve Tasker is available at buffalobills.com\johnmurphyshow

Tasker on the Super Bowl experience

Steve Tasker played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills. And he’ll be on the field again Sunday, as a CBS sideline reporter for Super Bowl XLVII. It’s the third time Tasker has been tapped to be one of the sideline reporters for the big game.

And with his playing and broadcasting career tied into the Super Bowl, the former Bills special teams ace has a unique perspective on the game. He told The John Murphy Show Friday night that what he likes most about the Super Bowl, is the potential it has to define an NFL players’ career.

“I remember how important it really was to me and the players I played with,” Tasker told host John Murphy. “For the players in that locker room, who are trying to weave their way through the murky waters of Super Bowl week, it really means more than you can say.”

“Their whole life will sometimes center around this game. And they understand that, I think most of them do. They understand how important and how difficult it is to get here. And they live and die with every snap of this game, even before it starts.”

Tasker and the Bills last played in the Super Bowl 19-years ago. But he said on the radio show his memories of the game and the significance it played in his life remain vivid.

“That’s the one thing I remember,” Tasker said. “I was so fully invested in my team and getting us the win, I don’t think I’ve ever been invested in anything like that, before or since. Nothing ever seemed that important to me as that. No event ever seemed as important as that event. It’s neat to see grown men play a game that they think is so important to so many. I really enjoy that part of it, how important it is to these guys.”

The full interview with CBS sideline reporter Steve Tasker is available at buffalobills.com\johnmurphyshow

Brandon: We’ve got to get Andre in

Bills all-time leading receiver and Wall of Famer Andre Reed is once again a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon when given the opportunity on SiriusXM radio to campaign for Reed laid out why Reed should be enshrined.

“He’s one of the best receivers of his generation,” said Brandon. “That’s what I believe should really be the focal point. The Bills were the winningest team in the AFC in the 90′s. A dominant team with a dominant offense and every single individual associated with our organization and in football will tell you what a big of that offense he was.”

In the next breath Brandon also stumped for Steve Tasker, who was a Hall of Fame semifinalist this year.

“We also need to get Steve Tasker into the Hall of Fame,” said Brandon. “He’s the greatest special teamer of all time. Why is he not in? If you game plan for someone every time he’s on the field, that was Steve Tasker. It’s a third of the game and he needs to be in the Hall of Fame with Andre.”

The HOF Board of Selectors will be whittling down the list of 17 finalists to a maximum of seven for induction on Saturday.

Wednesday’s John Murphy Show

The AFC/NFL Pro Bowl squads will be announced tonight at 7pm on the NFL Network.  And we’ll see if the Bills put any of their stars into the annual showcase game.  Last year, the Bills were shut out of the big game in Hawaii.

Tonight on The John Murphy Show, we’ll have updates on the Pro Bowl announcement.  Seven-time Pro Bowl selection Steve Tasker joins us at 720pm to talk about his experience in the game, and the disappointing Bills season so far.

AT 8pm, five time Pro Bowl RB Thurman Thomas joins us live on the line to talk about the Bills.  We’ll also ask Thurman to elaborate on his mysterious tweet from last Sunday, when he said on twitter “Can’t share the news I just got, but it is ON LIKE A …. And yes, it involves the Bills ..”  May want to tune in for that.

At 8:20pm, Albert Breer of the NFL Network and NFL.com joins us to talk about the Pro Bowl in the future.  He’s got some ideas on improving the quality of the game.

As usual, we”ll take your phone calls on the Bills and the NFL.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Reed, Tasker make HOF semifinalist list

Two former Bills from the four-time AFC title teams have made the list of Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists.

All-time leading receiver Andre Reed and seven-time Pro Bowl special teamer Steve Tasker have both been named to the list of semifinalists for the Pro Football HOF class of 2013. There were only 27 semifinalists selected from the initial nominee list of 127 candidates.

Both Reed and Tasker have been semifinalists before. Reed has gone a step further qualifying as a finalist each of the last six years, but has fallen short of enshrinement.

The list of 27 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists.  That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are defensive tackle Curley Culp, (1968-1974 Kansas City Chiefs, 1974-1980 Houston Oilers, 1980-81 Detroit Lions) and linebacker Dave Robinson, (1963-1972 Green Bay Packers, 1973-74 Washington Redskins). 

The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January, 2013.

Hull, Reed, Tasker on HOF nominee list

Five Bills from the AFC title teams in the early 90′s are on the 2013 Pro Football HOF nominee list.

Cornelius Bennett, the late Kent Hull, Andre Reed, Steve Tasker and Darryl Talley are among the 127 nominees for the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Former GM Bill Polian is also on the list.

A group of 25 semifinalists will be chosen from the nominee list in late November by the HOF Selection Committee. That semifinalist list will be further reduced by a mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists and announced in early January. 

Tasker has been a semifinalist before. Reed meanwhile has been a finalist six times, but has not gained induction.

Other former Bills that are nominees include Sam Adams, Drew Bledsoe and Ted Washington.

Friday’s John Murphy Show

Final tuneups before the Bills game in Cleveland this Sunday, and we’ll get you ready for the game with tonight’s edition of The John Murphy Show.

At 7:20pm, our color analyst on the Bills Radio Network, Mark Kelso, joins us in studio to preview the matchup.  Mark spends much of the week looking at game tape of both teams,  and he’s ready to start spilling out his brilliance on our airwaves.

We’ll try to hook up again with former Bills special teamer Steve Tasker tonight at 8pm.  He broadcast the Browns-Bengals game last Sunday and he’s got some thoughts on Cleveland’s strengths and weaknesses.

We get our weekly fantasy football fix with Sal Capaccio at 815pm.

And at 8:20, Browns play by play man Jim Donovan joins us live from Cleveland.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7-9pm on the flagship station of the Buffalo Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Wednesday night on the John Murphy Show

The Buffalo Bills lead the league in rushing after two weeks.  And it’s not just because of C.J. Spiller.  One of the key blockers for the Bills offense has been Tight End Lee Smith.  He’ll join us tonight at 7:20pm on The John Murphy Show to talk about his role in the Buffalo offense, and the season so far.

The Bills play the Browns in Cleveland Sunday, and the Browns are coming off a tough loss in Cincinnati.  At 8pm, former Bills great Steve Tasker will be live on the line with us.  He was the color analyst for the Browns-Bengals game last Sunday on CBS, and of course, he knows a lot about the Bills.

We’re going to leave lots of time for the fans tonight, with open phone lines at 7:45, 820, and 845pm.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Tasker remembers Whitney’s anthem

With the tragic passing of singer Whitney Houston over the weekend at age 48, a lot of Bills fans called from memory the singer’s stirring national anthem prior to Super Bowl XXV between the Bills and Giants.

Amidst the start of the Gulf War and everyone at the stadium in Tampa decked out in red, white and blue partly due to patriotism and partly due to the fact that both teams wore those colors, Houston’s anthem was in a word magnificent. Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker  told Peter Kind for his SI.com Monday Morning QB column what he remembered.

“She hit it out of the park,” he said. “I’m an anthem enthusiast. I like to listen to them and judge them, and there’s never been one like that. I remember looking around when it was over. I looked in the stands and saw fans waving their little American flags with one hand and wiping tears away with the other. I looked over and saw Jim Kelly and Marv [Levy] wiping away tears. And I’m standing right near one of the officials that day, Larry Nemmers — and he’s wiping his eyes. Amazing.”

Metzelaars: I was worst kept secret

The Bills hiring of new tight ends coach Pete Metzelaars might’ve been one of the worst kept secrets. Though Metzelaars instructed his family to keep quiet until he signed his contract with the club Tuesday, some of the former teammates from the early 90′s had other ideas.

“(Steve) Tasker started the whole deal making it the worst kept secret in Buffalo,” Metzelaars told Buffalobills.com. ”Steve ended up tweeting it and Jim (Kelly) picked it up and re-tweeted it.”

Metzelaars had specific instructions for his son after telling him he had accepted the position and was flying back home from Buffalo to Indianapolis.

“I told my son not to say anything to anybody,” said Metzelaars. ”And by the time I got off the plane back home he tells me, ‘It’s all over the internet!’”

Tasker has King’s HOF support

Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker made the list of Pro Football HOF semifinalists for the 2012 induction class along with fellow Wall of Famer Andre Reed. SI.com’s Peter King supports Tasker’s candidacy, but just isn’t sure he’ll make the list of 15 finalists.

Here’s what King wrote about Tasker’s candidacy in his Monday Morning QB column.

Reed, Tasker among HOF semifinalists

Two Bills Wall of Famers have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame list of semifinalists for the Class of 2012.

All-time leading receiver Andre Reed and 7-time Pro Bowl special teamer Steve Tasker made the cut from the preliminary list as announced by the Hall Tuesday.

The list of 26 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists.  That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee.  The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are cornerback Jack Butler, Pittsburgh Steelers (1951-59) and guard Dick Stanfel, Detroit Lions (1952-55); Washington Redskins (1956-58). 

The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January, 2012. 

Remembering Kent Hull

Tuesday was a difficult day for the Bills family with the passing of Wall of Famer Kent Hull. Wednesday morning some of his former teammates will be remembering him in their own words on the radio.

Mark Kelso will appear on Morning Bull at 7:45 am and will be followed by Wall of Famer Steve Tasker at 8:10. (listen online)

Steve Tasker will be on at 8:10 am.

Bills on prelim HOF list

There are several former Bills on the 2012 Pro Football HOF preliminary nominee list. Here’s the rundown of names.

Cornelius Bennett
Drew Bledsoe
Larry Centers
Andre Reed
Fred Smerlas
Steve Tasker
Troy Vincent
Coach Chuck Knox

The complete list of nominees for the Class of 2012 consists of 103 candidates. From that list of nominees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will choose 25 candidates who will advance as semifinalist nominees. The list of 25 semifinalists will be announced in mid-November.

The list of 25 semifinalists will be further reduced by a mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists and announced in early January. 

The final list of nominees that will be considered for election will consist of the 15 modern-era finalists and the two senior nominees, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jack Butler and former Detroit Lions guard Dick Stanfel, who were selected this last month by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Selection Committee.

Tasker on Bills game Sun.

Bills Wall of Famer is part of the CBS broadcast team that will call Buffalo’s Week 4 game at Cincinnati.

Tasker will provide color commentary while Andrew Catalon will handle play-by-play. It’s Tasker’s first regular season Bills game this year. Kickoff is at 1 pm.

Tasker gives uniforms thumbs up

Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker, who emceed the Bills uniform unveiling Friday night was in the same boat as his teammate, Hall of Famer Jim Kelly feeling a sense of nostalgia in seeing Buffalo’s 2011 uniforms.

“They’re a little bit of a modernized, tricked out version of what we had when I played,” he said. ”When you put the helmet on top of it, it really jumps out. I love it. I think it looks great. From the top down to the black and white or the black and red shoes, the detail of the navy blue outlining the numbers on the jerseys and the charging buffalo and the back of the jersey and pants it’s really good. A lot of detail when into it and it looks great.”

Black shoes are kind of the underestimated final component of the entire look. Black shoes are old school football and though the Bills had gone to black shoes in recent years, they’ll stand out all the more with royal blue jerseys.

Tasker on new uniforms

Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker was on 97 Rock to talk about the new uniforms.

Tasker himself has not seen them, but he commented on the unveiling event lined up for June 24th and was also asked for his take on the NFL labor situation.

Remember complimentary tickets for the uniform unveiling are available beginning today (Friday) at M&T bank branches and Verizon Wireless stores in Erie County and online.

Tasker on the radio

Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker will be appearing on the radio airwaves north of the border Tuesday morning.

Tasker will be on the FAN590 (590 AM) with Jim Lang and Greg Brady.