MNF a family affair for Ellisons
Published: September 14, 2009, 7:59 pm
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Keith Ellison said football has always been a big deal for his family. But it took on greater significance with him and his younger brother, Kevin, playing in the season-opening doubleheader on Monday Night Football.
Keith started at outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots while Kevin is a rookie backup safety for the San Diego Chargers, who visited the Oakland Raiders in the nightcap.
This brother act is not on par with Peyton and Eli Manning, but that didn't make Monday night any less significant for the Ellison siblings and their family.
"My parents have been talking about this since the schedule came out and my brother ended up in San Diego," Keith said. "Having me and my brother playing on Monday night — one after the other — is pretty cool. I don't know how many times that has actually happened, but it is a great thing for our family.
"There was always a vision to get here and play at this level. Thank God we were both able to make it. Getting a chance to play on the same night, that's awesome."
The Ellison boys took similar paths to the NFL. Both were All-Pac 10 Conference safeties in college (Keith at Oregon State, Kevin at Southern California), and they were drafted in the same round — the sixth.
Being low draft picks, Keith and Kevin had to fight harder than most for roster spots. But they beat the odds.
Keith, 25, is now an established veteran entering his fourth season. Kevin, 22, on the other hand, had to wait nervously while the Chargers made their final cuts 11 days ago.
"I can relate to what he went through," Keith said. "When the deadline passed and I saw he was on the team, I called to congratulate him. It's a big thing to make an NFL roster because there are no guarantees when you're drafted as low as we were. He's pretty excited and I'm happy for him."
Keith and Kevin attribute much of their success to their older brother, Chris, a defensive back at Brigham Young in 1997 and 1998.
"He was our role model," Kevin said. "He taught us how to work hard and compete."
With three football-playing brothers, it created a very competitive atmosphere around the Ellison household. Kevin proudly recalls how he tackled Keith during a non-contact kick return drill during practice while both were still in high school.
Keith, then a senior, insists it wasn't much of a hit, but Kevin, a freshman, boasted that the tackle was hard enough "to let him know I was there."
That was just one example of their competitive nature. Word is all three brothers competed at everything, including Monopoly.
"They hated losing to each other at anything," said their sister, Camille. "It was a very intense rivalry, but a supportive rivalry. They push each other to get the best out of each other."
The Bills and Chargers don't play each other this year, but there may come a time when Keith and Kevin will be on opposite sidelines. So what side will the family choose?
"Whoever is nicest to me that week," Camille joked.
"They'll probably cheer for whoever is winning at the end of the game," Keith added. "Actually, I know our parents would be rooting for both of us, no matter who comes out on top. It would be fun to see that happen, though."
The Ellison family had plenty of fun Monday night.
Big brother Chris hosted a big viewing party at his home for family members and friends. As for their father, Charles, and mother, Ruby, they wanted to watch one of their sons in person. Unable to be on both coasts, they decided to attend Kevin's game in Oakland because it's closer to their Southern California home.
But Kevin offered a different reason his parents came to watch him.
"They like me better. I'm their favorite son," he joked.
With a 27-yard catch in the third quarter, wide receiver Terrell Owens moved into sole possession of sixth place on the NFL's all-time career receptions list. He previously shared the sixth spot with former Bills great Andre Reed with 951 catches.
Owens is closing in on another milestone. Jerry Rice (1,549), Marvin Harrison (1,102), Cris Carter (1,101), Tim Brown (1,094) and Isaac Bruce (1,007) are the only receivers with 1,000 receptions.
Owens also extended his consecutive games streak with at least one catch to 184. That is the longest active streak in the NFL. Harrison has a catch in 190 consecutive games, but is currently not on a team.
Former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly talked to reporters before the game about his reaction to the firing of offensive coordinator Turk Schonert and the naming of Kelly's former backup, Alex Van Pelt, as Schonert's replacement 10 days earlier.
"Put it this way: What did we have to lose?" Kelly said. "Haven't made the playoffs the last how many years? And of course, this coaching staff, they've had three back-to-back-to-back 7-9 seasons and they went out, got T.O., got a couple of other guys, a young offensive line. What did we have to lose? Just go with it."
Kelly added that there is a lot of pressure on Van Pelt because "everybody's job security" is based on how well Van Pelt does.
The Bills elevated tight end Jonathan Stupar from the practice squad and released wide receiver Justin Jenkins on Monday.
The roster move was done out of necessity. The Bills had only two healthy tight ends — starter Derek Schouman and rookie backup Shawn Nelson — going into Monday's game. Second-year man Derek Fine has been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury.
Stupar, a member of the practice squad last season, had a surprisingly strong training camp and led the Bills in the preseason with 22 catches.
Jenkins, who was entering his third season, has been one of the Bills' top special teams players. But as the sixth receiver on the roster, he was going to see little or no action on offense.
Joining Fine on the inactive list was cornerback Drayton Florence, who is out with a sprained knee. Healthy scratches were cornerback Ellis Lankster, linebacker Ashlee Palmer, defensive end Chris Ellis, wide receiver Steve Johnson and offensive tackle Kirk Chambers.
The Bills are one of two NFL teams with two rookie starters (Eric Wood and Andy Levitre) in their offensive line. The other is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who started Eugene Monroe at left tackle and Eben Britton at right tackle in Sunday's opener at Indianapolis.
This is the first time the Bills have started two rookie offensive linemen since 1970.
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