D6 THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
NFL
Nick Buoniconti was an
undersized NFL linebacker,
but he left a larger-than-life
impression on the game he
loved.
Buoniconti, a Hall of
Fame middle linebacker lat-
er afflicted by a degenerative
disease caused by repetitive
brain trauma, died Tuesday
in Bridgehampton, N.Y. He
was 78.
A leader of the Miami
Dolphins’ “No-Name De-
fense,” Buoniconti was a fix-
ture on teams that won
back-to-back Super Bowls,
including the only franchise
that finished with an un-
blemished 17-0 record.
In retirement, he and his
son, Marc, worked tirelessly
in pursuit of a cure for paral-
ysis, helping raise more than
$500 million in that pursuit.
They helped to found the Mi-
ami Project to Cure Paraly-
sis, the world’s largest spinal
cord injury research center.
In 1985, Marc suffered a
catastrophic football injury.
He was paralyzed from the
shoulders down after mak-
ing a tackle for the Citadel.
After that, his father dedi-
cated his life to finding a cure
for paralysis.
At the end of his Hall of
Fame speech in 2001, Nick
Buoniconti said: “I would
trade this [Super Bowl] ring
in, and all my individual ac-
complishments, if one thing
could happen in my lifetime.
My son Marc dreams that he
walks. And as a father, I
would like nothing more
than to walk by his side.”
“My dad has been my
hero and represents what I
have always aspired to be: a
leader, a mentor and a
champion,” the younger
Buoniconti said in a state-
ment.
After his playing career,
Nick Buoniconti was known
to millions as cohost of
HBO’s “Inside the NFL,”
where he worked alongside
former Kansas City Chiefsquarterback Len Dawson.
Buoniconti, an attorney,
also worked as president of
U.S. Tobacco and as a player
agent.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound
Buoniconti played on both
sides of the ball at Notre
Dame, as a linebacker andoffensive guard, despite his
stocky stature.
He went unselected in
the NFL draft but was taken
in the 13th round of the AFL
draft by the Boston Patriots,
where he played from 1962 to- He was traded to Mi-
ami and played for the Dol-
phins from 1969 to 1974, and
afinal season in 1976. In
1973, he set a Dolphins fran-
chise record with 162
tackles.
Recalled teammate
Larry Little, who was traded
to the Dolphins the same
year: “He came from Boston
and I was with San Diego. We
had a great relationship and
always kidded each other.
We were both captains of the
1972 team and he would al-
ways call the coin toss and
got it right every time. One
time I asked to do it and I got
it wrong. He never let me for-
get that. He was a great guy
and a great person.”
NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell called Buoni-
conti “a champion on and off
the field.”
“He was the leader of one
of the most dominant NFL
teams in history,” Goodell
said, “and earned his place
in the Pro Football Hall of
Fame with his grit, fearless-
ness and skill while playing
with the Patriots and Dol-phins.”
That apparently came at
a cost. Late in life, Buoni-
conti battled a devastating
and untreatable neurode-
generative disease that was
most likely CTE (chronic
traumatic encephalopathy).
He pledged to donate his
brain to the Boston Uni-
versity CTE Center upon his
death.
“Nick was special to me in
every way,” Hall of Fame
coach Don Shula said. “He
was someone I greatly ad-
mired. His love for his wife,
Lynn, his children, grand-
children, friends, team-
mates, family and the com-
munity was evident. His
groundbreaking work with
the Miami Project to Cure
Paralysis has made a huge
difference in the lives of so
many people. I am thankful
to have had Nick in my life. I
will miss him.”
Buoniconti is survived by
his wife, Lynn, sons Marc,
Nick Jr. and Justin, and
daughter Gina.N ICK BUONICONTI, 1940-2019
Hall of Fame linebacker on 17-0 Dolphins
By Sam Farmer
Battle VaughanMiami Herald
UNDERSIZED STAR
Nick Buoniconti raised millions in pursuit of a cure
for paralysis after his son was hurt in a college game.The Chargers certainly
have the drive to win the
next Super Bowl and many
forecasters have predicted
they have the talent.
Tyrod Taylor said he
thinks this team has some-
thing else necessary too, and
he should know, since he
won a championship with
Baltimore.
“That team that won the
Super Bowl, we weren’t per-
fect by any means,” Taylor
said. “We didn’t sweep or run
through the league. We had
our ups and downs. But we
were able to weather the
storm, and I think the right
personalities and the right
experience at different posi-
tions allow you to do that. I
think we have that here.”
The Chargers are a mix of
accomplished veterans and
playmaking youngsters.
They finished last season
one step short of the AFC ti-
tle game and return with
their roster nearly intact.
Like he was with the 2012
Ravens, Taylor will be the
Chargers’ backup quarter-
back, a veteran fallback
should something happen to
Philip Rivers.
Taylor played sparingly
during that 2012 season be-
hind Joe Flacco, the eventu-
al MVP of Super Bowl XLVII.
Taylor turns 30 on Sat-
urday and is entering his
ninth season. He spent three
years as the starter in Buf-
falo and began 2018 as the
starter in Cleveland. He has
been a backup the rest of his
time.
He signed with the Char-
gers during the offseason in
part because of his famil-
iarity with coach Anthony
Lynn, who also worked in
Buffalo.
During his introductory
news conference, Taylor said
the Chargers’ Super Bowl
chances had a role in his de-
cision.
“I stand by that com-
ment,” he said this week.
“There is a lot of leadership
on this team, a lot of experi-
ence on this team and a lot of
talent on this team. One of
the things that sticks out to
me is the unity that you have
in the locker room and on
the field.
“Of course guys compete,
but they also take care of one
another. It’s just the cama-raderie the guys have on this
team. [They] do a great job
of competing every day,
bringing that level of com-
petitiveness that you need to
better yourself but also bet-
ter your teammates.”
The Chargers have never
won a Super Bowl and last
season produced the fran-
chise’s first playoff victory
since January 2014.
With Rivers still playing
at a high level and his career
down to its final seasons, the
consensus has the Chargers
near the top of the NFL’s
best teams entering the sea-
son.
“That’s all talk right
now,” Taylor said. “It’s train-
ing camp. Everyone has the
same dream. But the work
has to be done, and we’re do-
ing it each and every day to
give ourselves a chance to go
out there and compete for a
Super Bowl.”Chargers vs. Rams
After six days of going
head-to-head, the Chargers
took Wednesday off and now
will welcome the Rams to
their Costa Mesa training
camp for a joint practice
Thursday.
“You get some fresh meat
in here and some competi-
tion and it’s just good for
morale,” Lynn said. “And ifyou’ve got good morale, you
usually get good produc-
tion.”
The teams will practice
together again Saturday at
the Rams’ camp in Irvine.
The Chargers will have joint
practices with the New Orle-
ans Saints in Costa Mesa on
Aug. 15-16.
That means they’ll have
the opportunity to scrim-
mage four times against the
NFC’s two best teams from
last season.
“They’re 10 minutes down
the road and I just feel like
there’s no reason two tal-
ented teams can’t get to-
gether and help one another
out and get better,” Lynn
said of the Rams. “You’re
bringing in competition,
new bodies, new faces. That
always brings a little more
energy.”
Two years ago, the Char-
gers and Rams had a joint
practice that resulted in a
skirmish as tempers flared.
Chargers wide receiver
Keenan Allenand Rams de-
fensive back Nickell Robey-
Colemanwere two of the no-
table combatants.
“We’re going to talk to
these guys, but they under-
stand,” Lynn said. “We’re all
in the same fraternity. We’re
here to help one another,
protect each other and getsome work done.”
Said center Mike
Pouncey: “We’re excited to
go against these guys. This is
the time for us to get better. I
think our football team ... is
going to take advantage of
these days and try to build
the team that we had last
year.”Tevi in line
One of the players who
will be affected by the ab-
sence of left tackle Russell
Okung is Sam Tevi.
Entering his third sea-
son, Tevi was forced into a
starting job last year when
Joe Barksdalewas injured
in the season opener. Tevi
ended up making 14 starts at
right tackle and, when
Okung was out for Week 5,
one at left tackle.
So far, Tevi and Trent
Scott have received most of
reps with the first team, flip-
flopping between the left
and right sides.
Okung suffered a pulmo-
nary embolism in June and
will be sidelined for an un-
specified amount of time
“He’s one of my boys,”
Tevi said. “He’s helped me
ever since I’ve been here. ...
To hear what happened to
him, it’s devastating. But he
knows we have his back.
We’re all behind him.”CHARGERS REPORTBackup Taylor super impressed
By Jeff MillerTYROD TAYLOR,who backed up Joe Flacco on the Baltimore Ravens’ Super
Bowl champions, likes what he sees in his first season with the Chargers.Allen J. SchabenLos Angeles Timesat age 95. Cooks was among
the attendees at his memori-
al service.
“It’s a special family that
means a lot to our communi-
ty in Stockton,” Cooks said
of the Spanos. “They’ve
done a lot for not just the
community but me and my
family.”
Last season, Cooks
caught 80 passes for a ca-
reer-best 1,204 yards and
also scored five touchdowns.
It was his fourth 1,000-yard
performance in five NFL
seasons.
“He’s the epitome of be-
ing a pro,” Rams coach Sean
McVay said. “You talk about
a guy who is detail-oriented,For Rams receiver
Brandin Cooks, joint prac-
tices with the Chargers on
Thursday and Saturday
have added sentiment.
Cooks grew up in Stock-
ton and remains close with
boyhood friend Phil Ruhl,
the grandson of late Char-
gers owner Alex Spanos.
Spanos died in Octoberlocked in, loves the game,
takes his preparation seri-
ously and then he has the
talent to match it.”
During the offseason,
Cooks and his wife traveled
in Southeast Asia with fel-
low Rams receiver Robert
Woods and his wife.
“It’s one of those things
you feel like you hit the reset
button,” Cooks said. “You go
with people you care about
and have fun seeing a part of
the world you haven’t seen
before. So all that stuff com-
bined in one is definitely spe-
cial. And when we got back
we were ready to rock.”
Cooks and other starters
are expected to get plenty ofwork during the practices
with the Chargers. The
Thursday workout is at the
Chargers’ facility in Costa
Mesa. The Saturday prac-
tice will be at UC Irvine.
There will be no tackling
as both teams aim to avoid
injuries.
“Our guys know that
we’re going there to get work
in and it’s about that,” Mc-
Vay said. “To be able to do it
against a really high-caliber
team is really good for us,
and we have to make sure we
don’t waste opportunities to
get better, and really the two
days will represent an awe-
some chance for us to do
that.”Cooks has connection with Chargers
Rams receiver looks
forward to practices
with team helmed by
‘a special family.’
By Gary Kleinald, the defending two-time
NFL defensive player of the
year, and defensive end
Michael Brockers, a seven-
year veteran, is up for grabs.
The run-stopping, road-
blocking rookie is in con-
tention to win the job.
Henderson said it’s still
too early to be thinking
about naming a starter. In
scrimmage portions of
camp, Gaines has been kept
largely to second-team duty
behind second-year pro
Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Tanzel Smart is also in the
mix. Brockers has shifted
into the nose tackle spot at
times too.
Nonetheless, “it’s an in-
credible opportunity,”
Gaines said. “Most guys, es-
pecially guys getting drafted
in the fourth round, don’t
have a chance to play at all,
really.”
Ndamukong Suh filled
the spot last year under a
one-year contract and was
not re-signed. His presence
multiplied the star power in
the defensive front but often
added up to something less
than a stout run defense.
The Rams ranked 23rd in
rushing yards allowed dur-
ing the regular season, then
let the New England Patri-
ots average nearly five yards
per carry in the Super Bowl.
Although Suh collected 4^1 ⁄ 2
sacks and 59 tackles, he
sometimes seemed to cede
his responsibilities up the
middle.
In Gaines, the Rams see
the potential for a new equa-
tion, hopeful his Mack
Truck-like body can min-
imize opponents’ rushing at-
tacks.
“A big guy, playing great
run [technique], pushing
the pocket great. He’s defi-
nitely showing up,” Donald
said. “He’s getting better
and grinding. Hopefully, he
can get better and better.”
Gaines isn’t a perfect
prospect. He doesn’t burst
into the backfield. Leading
up to the draft, some scouts
questioned whether he had
enough raw athleticism. In
the Rams’ three-man front,
he’ll be “shaded” between of-
fensive linemen pre-snap
more often than in college,
where his focus was on blow-
ing up blockers rather than
blowing by them.
Though he collected only
101 ⁄ 2 sacks during his four-
year career at Washington,
Gaines was productive in
other ways. His powerful
gap-plugging at the point of
attack helped the Huskies
rank in the top 15nationally
in rushing defense in 2017
and 2018.
“He was a huge piece to
our success” in college, said
safety Taylor Rapp, the
Rams’ other rookie draft
pick from Washington, se-
lected in the second round.
“His talent and his work
ethic, the way he works and
the way he comes in, he’s al-
ready a true pro as a rookie.”
Gaines says he has been
focused on lateral move-
ment and penetration. Dur-
ing a drill in practice last Fri-
day, he tumbled coming out
of a hairpin turn. Henderson
wants to see Gaines find
more consistency with his
technique too.
But four practices into
camp, Gaines has continued
building a good impression.
“Pleasing to see he’s
picked up where he left off in
OTAs,” Henderson said.
“The good thing is, he’s so in-
telligent, you know when you
put him out there he’ll get
lined up and know where to
go.”
Gaines guessed he might
be headed to Los Angeles
long before draft night. At
the NFL scouting combine,
he said the Rams hinted he’d
be a fit, especially with Suh
on his way out; the free agent
eventually signed with
Tampa Bay.
For the La Habra native,
the perfect match worked
both ways. Gaines has
family throughout the
Southland, from Newport
Beach to Long Beach to Tor-
rance.
An uncle has long been a
fervent Rams fan — “He was
super fired up” after the
draft, Gaines said — follow-
ing them during the team’s
original stint in L.A. and
sticking with them during
their 22 years in St. Louis.
Family members have
packed a field-side tent in
Irvine, loudly screaming
Gaines’ name when he takes
the field.
By the time the regular
season starts, Gaines is hop-
ing to give them more
chances to cheer.
“It’s really cool,” Gaines
said. “Just to have that op-
portunity and be able to
compete and have some-
thing to be out here really
working for.”GREG GAINES,a run-stopping rookie, says he has
been working on improving his lateral movement.
Jayne Kamin-OnceaGetty ImagesGaines aims to start
at defensive tackle
[Gaines, from D1]