Bruce Smith's Missed Flu Shot

[TC in St. Louis]

Anybody remember Bruce Smith having the flu and missing the playoff game v. Pittsburgh about 15 years ago? I remember going into that game knowing we had no chance without Bruce Smith. That's how much of an impact we felt by losing a key starter.

 

I'm not saying Schobel is a Bruce Smith, but he does make a huge difference in the effectiveness of our defense. He's been gone for weeks. Anybody remember the record of the team when Schobel went down? Not put on top of that the losses of Whitner, Simpson, Jabari Greer, McGee......certainly the cumulative losses have a similar effect to losing Bruce Smith. Do you think having Angelo Crowell in the mix would've made a difference

 

Maybe that's part of the reason our season has taken a turn for the worse. Granted, they have been nearly unwatchable the past few weeks. And the playcalling has been confounding.

 

But if we ever get everybody back, we might have something here.

[WinBeforeYouLeave]

Anybody remember Bruce Smith having the flu and missing the playoff game v. Pittsburgh about 15 years ago? I remember going into that game knowing we had no chance without Bruce Smith. That's how much of an impact we felt by losing a key starter.

 

I'm not saying Schobel is a Bruce Smith, but he does make a huge difference in the effectiveness of our defense. He's been gone for weeks. Anybody remember the record of the team when Schobel went down? Not put on top of that the losses of Whitner, Simpson, Jabari Greer, McGee......certainly the cumulative losses have a similar effect to losing Bruce Smith. Do you think having Angelo Crowell in the mix would've made a difference

 

Maybe that's part of the reason our season has taken a turn for the worse. Granted, they have been nearly unwatchable the past few weeks. And the playcalling has been confounding.

 

But if we ever get everybody back, we might have something here.

 

 

It's been said here before, but I think it's an important point. Losing Rusty Jones may have been the greatest loss this team has had in a long while. This team cannot stay healthy, and it seems like a lot of pulls and strains.

[Peter Griffin]

Anybody remember Bruce Smith having the flu and missing the playoff game v. Pittsburgh about 15 years ago? I remember going into that game knowing we had no chance without Bruce Smith. That's how much of an impact we felt by losing a key starter.

 

I'm not saying Schobel is a Bruce Smith, but he does make a huge difference in the effectiveness of our defense. He's been gone for weeks. Anybody remember the record of the team when Schobel went down? Not put on top of that the losses of Whitner, Simpson, Jabari Greer, McGee......certainly the cumulative losses have a similar effect to losing Bruce Smith. Do you think having Angelo Crowell in the mix would've made a difference

 

Maybe that's part of the reason our season has taken a turn for the worse. Granted, they have been nearly unwatchable the past few weeks. And the playcalling has been confounding.

 

But if we ever get everybody back, we might have something here.

 

It's our offense that is the problem.

[Saint Doug]

Yeah, I never believed that story. No professional sport's medical team would have let him slip by without getting a flu shot. He was probably out partying too hard the night before (you know, falling asleep at an intersection).

[MattM]

That one ended our SB run--I remember it well, and also remember being mad as heck at Bruce for failing to do something as simple as getting a flu shot. So easily preventible--it still makes me mad thinking about it.....

 

Who was the guy who replaced him that day--anyone remember?

[Wacka]

Getting a flu shot does not mean you won't get the flu. They guess what strains will be around teh next year and sometimes they are wrong.

I remember reading that he was so sick he could barely crawl to the bathroom to puke. I've been that sick from the flu (the two weeks before SB XXV)

[bills_fan]

I remember it well, my grandmother sent a care package of homemade chicken soup to the stadium.

[RkFast]

Id like to think that having Bruce in that game would have changed everything, but in retrospect PGH ran over the Bills so bad that game I dont think five Bruce Smiths would have made a difference. It wasnt even close.

[bills_fan]

Id like to think that having Bruce in that game would have changed everything, but in retrospect PGH ran over the Bills so bad that game I dont think five Bruce Smiths would have made a difference. It wasnt even close.

 

 

Yes, but on the last couple of PGH drives, when we needed to make a stop via pressure, it would have helped a lot. That would have given Kelly another chance, and Kelly had the offense revved in the ssecond half. Our D couldn't get off the field.

[Cheeseburger_in_paradise]

I remember it well, my grandmother sent a care package of homemade chicken soup to the stadium.

 

Yes, when all else fails...I remember it well too, and remember thinking, how can this be? And yes, without Schobel we have no pass rush.

[Arkady Renko]

I remember the game was far closer than it appeared. I recall Van Pelt coming in when Kelly was hurt and connecting with Tasker and a big drive. Only at the end did Pittsburgh pull away.

[IDBillzFan]

I remember reading that he was so sick he could barely crawl to the bathroom to puke. I've been that sick from the flu (the two weeks before SB XXV)

Altnernately, I was that sick two minutes AFTER Super Bowl XXV. Could barely drag my ass to the bathroom where I seemingly puked for a month.

[chicot]

I remember the game was far closer than it appeared. I recall Van Pelt coming in when Kelly was hurt and connecting with Tasker and a big drive. Only at the end did Pittsburgh pull away.

 

I remember it that way too. I think Pittsburgh jumped out to a big lead, but the Bills came right back. Van Pelt came in but then Kelly came back in to finish off a drive. I also recall Paup having a very big game - I think they were moving him around to create favourable matchups. The fact that they were managing to get a decent pass rush with Bruce out makes you wonder what might have been had he been there opposite Paup ...

[gus2378]

Id like to think that having Bruce in that game would have changed everything, but in retrospect PGH ran over the Bills so bad that game I dont think five Bruce Smiths would have made a difference. It wasnt even close.

That's just not true. The Bills had no pressure on O'Donnell at all during the game (despite the presence of supposed Defensive Player of the Year Bryce Paup ... he owed that award to Bruce) but had pulled within 26-21 early in the 4th quarter and had all the momentum ... Pittsburgh had a big 3rd-and-long from inside their own 10 or 15 yard line ... and again, no pressure, O'Donnell throws up a prayer on the sideline and Thigpen makes a crazy catch and gets his feet in ... they scored on that drive and it was pretty much over at that point ... but a punt there and you never know.

Granted, they definitely could still have lost with Bruce ... even if they get the ball back there Kelly was playing with a cracked sternum that happened earlier in the game ... but to say he would not have made a difference is crazy ... the guy was still the best defensive player in the game at that point and won defensive player of the year the following season. ANY pressure on O'Donnell could have made a difference ... they were right in it in the 4th quarter without him.

Say what you want about Bruce as a person, he comes off as a selfish jerk and I am in no position to doubt that. But he was a GREAT player and I believe they find a way to win that game if he plays.

[chicot]

That's just not true. The Bills had no pressure on O'Donnell at all during the game (despite the presence of supposed Defensive Player of the Year Bryce Paup ... he owed that award to Bruce) but had pulled within 26-21 early in the 4th quarter and had all the momentum ... Pittsburgh had a big 3rd-and-long from inside their own 10 or 15 yard line ... and again, no pressure, O'Donnell throws up a prayer on the sideline and Thigpen makes a crazy catch and gets his feet in ... they scored on that drive and it was pretty much over at that point ... but a punt there and you never know.

Granted, they definitely could still have lost with Bruce ... even if they get the ball back there Kelly was playing with a cracked sternum that happened earlier in the game ... but to say he would not have made a difference is crazy ... the guy was still the best defensive player in the game at that point and won defensive player of the year the following season. ANY pressure on O'Donnell could have made a difference ... they were right in it in the 4th quarter without him.

Say what you want about Bruce as a person, he comes off as a selfish jerk and I am in no position to doubt that. But he was a GREAT player and I believe they find a way to win that game if he plays.

 

Think you're selling Paup a bit short there. Yes, the presence of Bruce on the other side helped Paup a lot but 17.5 sacks is still 17.5 sacks.

[Mularkey]

You get the flu from the flu shot more often then not, look it up. The flu shot is actually the flu.

[Saint Doug]

You get the flu from the flu shot more often then not, look it up. The flu shot is actually the flu.

 

This is 100% untrue. In fact, there is a zero (yes, nada) chance of contracting influenza from the flu shot. The vaccine is actually composed of a recombinant protein, not an actual live virus.

 

And if one was to actually contract the flu after getting the shot, it is a milder, attenuated form of the flu. It would not keep you out of a football game - especially a playoff game. It is true that you may contract a serotype that was not included in the actual vaccine composition, but this would have been all over the news at the time (like last year - the flu shot was ineffective) and the rest of the team likely would have been out as well.

[Mularkey]

This is 100% untrue. In fact, there is a zero (yes, nada) chance of contracting influenza from the flu shot. The vaccine is actually composed of a recombinant protein, not an actual live virus.

 

And if one was to actually contract the flu after getting the shot, it is a milder, attenuated form of the flu. It would not keep you out of a football game - especially a playoff game. It is true that you may contract a serotype that was not included in the actual vaccine composition, but this would have been all over the news at the time (like last year - the flu shot was ineffective) and the rest of the team likely would have been out as well.

 

Sorry but don't believe the hype. The flu shot is composed of strains of the flu that are rendered "inactive". Anyways, maybe the Bills need a virus to give them an excuse for their poor play.

[TC in St. Louis]

Yes, when all else fails...I remember it well too, and remember thinking, how can this be? And yes, without Schobel we have no pass rush.

 

I wasn't sure if anybody would get the point that losing Schobel was important. Also, losing Whitner, Youboty, Greer, #24, and even Crowell have weakened the team considerably. QB's have had a freakin' field day back there.

 

The offense has stunk, but I think that is largely due to Edwards taking that shot to the lid at the top of the AR game. His play reminded me of a guy from a Zevon song: Brother Billy has both guns drawn, he ain't been right since Vietnam.

[Saint Doug]

Sorry but don't believe the hype. The flu shot is composed of strains of the flu that are rendered "inactive". Anyways, maybe the Bills need a virus to give them an excuse for their poor play.

 

I'm sorry, I'm a pediatrician. I know a little about vaccines. The regular intramuscular influenza vaccine, the one that the majority of people get, does not contain inactive virus. This has nothing to do with hype - it's a fact. However, Flumist, the intranasal influenza vaccine does contain inactivated virus. But, this was not given to Bruce Smith. It wasn't FDA approved back then.