ORCHARD PARK Ben Powers Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — a couple weeks ago from former Buffalo Bills teammate Bruce Smith.“Do yo know what it means to have your jersey retired?” Smith asked Thomas. “Do you realize the importance?”“I do now,” Thomas told to a sold-out crowd at New Era Field on Monday night. “Now that I’m here with you, I realize it even more.”The Bills retired Thomas’ No. 34 during a ceremony at halftime of Buffalo’s game against the New England Patriots. He is the third player in Bills history to receive the honor. Jim Kelly had his No. 12 retired in 2001, and Smith’s No. 78 was retired in 2016.With the lights turned out at the sold-out stadium, highlights from Thomas’ Hall of Fame career were shown on the video scoreboard while two spotlights projected 34s onto the field.Retired ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman introduced Thomas, who was joined by his family on an elevated platform at midfield. His name and number were unveiled on a wall above the east end zone.“When I look up and see the No. 34 retired under my name, I’ll be reminded that number doesn’t just belong to me,” Thomas said. “It belongs to the Bills fans everywhere.”Kelly and Smith were among several former teammates who watched the ceremony on the field. Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy and former general manager Bill Polian were also among the group.Earl Campbell, one of two Hall of Fame running backs, along with Walter Payton http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/iman-marshall-jersey-authentic , who inspired Thomas to wear No. 34, recorded a video message for the ceremony.Thomas played 12 of his 13 seasons in Buffalo and is the franchise’s all-time leading in rushing yards (11,938) and yards from scrimmage (16,279). He was voted NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1991 and led the league in yards from scrimmage in four straight seasons from 1989-92.The Bills put Thomas on their Wall of Fame in 2005, two years before he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Nine other players have worn No. 34 for the Bills, including Cookie Gilchrist, the 1962 American Football League MVP and star of Buffalo’s 1964 AFL championship team.Oklahoma State College and Willowridge High School in Houston have also honored Thomas by retiring No. 34. Byron Jones recently expressed hope that he would return in time for the start of training camp. The Cowboys don’t expect that to happen.Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday that with training camp still six weeks away, nothing is definitive, but the team expects Jones and DeMarcus Lawrence to start on the physically unable to perform list.The Cowboys, though Trace McSorley Jersey , are confident both Pro Bowlers will be available for the season opener.“There are a number of guys who have been out and coming back from surgeries,” Garrett said. “We feel good about the timetable of all of those guys. Each of them have just handled their rehab the right way, so they’re all on schedule if not ahead of schedule. So I think that’s probably accurate [that Jones and Lawrence will be the only players to begin camp on PUP]. We’ll have some more definitive conversations with our medical staff in the next couple days as we break to talk more about the exact timetable that they’re on, and we’ll get more updates as we go through these next four or five weeks. Again, everybody’s on schedule, and we feel good about where they are coming back.”Jones underwent offseason hip surgery and is not running full speed yet, he said earlier this week.Lawrence put off shoulder surgery until he signed a five-year, $105 million deal. He had surgery April 9, five days after signing his long-term deal, and has said he expects to miss the preseason.“He’s doing great Kyler Murray Jersey ,” Garrett said. “Obviously, the focus for him is to get the rehab done, so he’s spent a lot of time with our training staff and our weight staff to make sure he comes back the right way. He’s just handling everything the right way. All reports about him are really positive. When those guys are on that schedule, they’re not in every meeting or at every part of practice, because they’re doing their own stuff. But whenever he has a chance to be out there, he’s out there encouraging guys. He’s really grown into a really good leader on our guys look to him. The pace he sets, the example he sets for everybody else has been really positive.”
