Vince Carter鈥檚 title with the Buffalo Bills is 鈥渓imited partner,鈥 but the way he sees it, he can also be viewed as an unlimited adviser.
Carter played a combined 1,829 regular-season/playoff games in the NBA and is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He knows what being the face of the franchise is like. He knows the pressures of the postseason and the focus it requires.
The good part for the Bills: Carter wants that role. He wants to help. He wants to listen.
鈥淧laying in the league for so long, being the old guy in locker rooms, outside of wanting to play, my focus was giving those guys as many tools and dropping as many gems (as possible),鈥 Carter said during a Zoom with reporters on Friday. 鈥淲hatever I can see to help them become better in the moment, better athletes (and) better men 鈥 that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 excited about the most.鈥
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Carter started his career with the Toronto Raptors, becoming a perennial NBA All-Star and volume scorer (23.4 points per game). He moved on to the New Jersey Nets before sliding into a reserve role over the final eight years of his career.
Carter can relate to quarterback Josh Allen, the NFL MVP favorite entering the Bills鈥 game Sunday against New England. But I think the impact Carter can have on the Bills鈥 younger players 鈥 players who grew up watching his highlights 鈥 can鈥檛 be measured. What a resource.
鈥淯sing my voice and having that ear (for) these guys because, as athletes, you respect another athlete coming to you and lending their hand if they see something or say, 鈥楬ey, that may not be the right thing to do,鈥欌 Carter said.
Carter pointed to fellow limited partners/former athletes Tracy McGrady and Jozy Altidore as bringing knowledge to the table.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all had experiences,鈥 Carter said. 鈥淛ozy made it to the pinnacle 鈥 he鈥檚 won championships (2017 Major League Soccer) so he understands what it takes as a unit to stay together from start to finish and finish the job.
鈥淎ll the (limited partners) who have come on here have done great things to get to that point and it helps the entire organization in general.鈥
Quick kicks
1. Unique finish. Two scheduling quirks for the Bills 鈥 they face New England on Sunday and in Week 18, only the third time in franchise history they have faced an opponent twice in the last three weeks (they beat the New York Jets in the final two games of the 1963 season and beat Miami twice in the last three games of the 2017 season). It also is the fourth time since 1970 that the Bills have finished with three consecutive division games (1993, 2010 and 2017).
2. Low-block penalty. Bills right guard O鈥機yrus Torrence had to hit the deck when pulling on a run play against Detroit because Lions defensive end Za鈥橠arius Smith tried to set the edge by going to the turf.
Smith was called for a 鈥渓ow block鈥 penalty and could be subject to a fine by NFL. It is a rule designed to protect offensive linemen from having their knees chopped.
鈥淚 saw him and I thought, 鈥楬e鈥檚 getting kind of low,鈥 and then he鈥檚 on the ground,鈥 Torrence said. 鈥淚 still want to make the block, so I just stopped as fast as I could and fell on him.鈥
The NFL has issued fines for low-block penalties, including $11,817 for Bills cornerback Taron Johnson鈥檚 penalty against Indianapolis.
3. Bishop鈥檚 growth. Rookie safety Cole Bishop, who started against Detroit because of injuries to Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, said he 鈥減layed faster鈥 compared to his first start (Week 5 at Houston).
I asked him about one play 鈥 his tackle for a 1-yard gain of Lions running back David Montgomery. Bishop started 9 yards downfield, but quickly diagnosed the play and charged toward the line, shedding a tackle attempt by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Does Bishop make that play earlier in the year?
鈥淚 would have known to do that, but I might have messed with the crack-back block (by St. Brown) a little longer,鈥 he said, agreeing his increased comfort level has equaled more assertiveness.
4. Lembo about Belichick. At University at Buffalo football practice on Tuesday, I asked head coach Pete Lembo about the biggest challenge facing Bill Belichick at North Carolina.
鈥淗e鈥檚 coming from a world where if somebody isn鈥檛 getting the job done, they cut him,鈥 Lembo said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a different world in college. We have grown a lot closer to the NFL because of NIL and the transfer portal and the ability to be immediately eligible when you transfer. But we are still living in a world of academics and 18- to 22-year-olds, and if somebody doesn鈥檛 pan out the way you thought they were going to, you still have them. That鈥檚 going to be an adjustment.鈥
5. Extra points. Brad Allen is Sunday鈥檚 referee, his first Patriots or Bills game of the season. The home team is 8-5 in his crew鈥檚 games and in an optimistic note, they have generally kept things moving 鈥 seven games with a combined 11 or fewer penalties. 鈥 The Bills are 3-2 in one-possession games this year. Other teams of note (for good and bad reasons) 鈥 Kansas City 10-0, Pittsburgh 5-2, the New York Jets 3-7 and Jacksonville 1-9. 鈥 My final season covering high school sports was 2003-04, and with the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press, my last Football Player of the Year was current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, who was a star linebacker at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia, before going on to Tennessee. 鈥 Bills-Lions last week drew 23.3 million viewers on CBS compared to 16.4 million for Steelers-Eagles on FOX in the same window. 鈥 Mike Shula, a Bills senior offensive assistant in 2022-23, was promoted to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at South Carolina on Tuesday (three-year contract, $1.1 million average). 鈥 Left tackle Dion Dawkins called the Bills鈥 red jersey/white pants their 鈥淐andy Crush鈥 uniform. 鈥 Running back James Cook on getting his hair pulled during a 41-yard touchdown run last week: 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 really hurt or anything.鈥 鈥 College Football Playoff Saturday predictions 鈥 SMU over Penn State, Texas over Clemson and Ohio State over Tennessee.
