Latest news with #TaronJohnson
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Frank Gore Jr.'s ‘elementary school' FGJ autograph a joke among Bills teammates that he vows to fix
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Frank Gore Jr. swears up and down he didn't sign that football card. Buffalo Bills teammates have a hard time believing him. 'I don't know what to think,' nickel back Taron Johnson said upon being shown a picture. 'But it's hilarious.' 'Is that AI?' receiver Keon Coleman asked. 'Either way, that s—'s funny.' Advertisement Gore is getting dragged about an autograph Topps inserted into packs and certified as authentic, a scrawling of only his initials: FGJ. A collector apparently pulled the card last week from a pack of 2024 Topps Chrome football cards and posted a photo on social media, asking 'Worst autograph ever?' The tweet made it into a Bills players group chat. They've been skewering Gore ever since. Ty Johnson and the rest of Gore's fellow running backs have been particularly merciless. 'They troll all day,' Gore said after practice Tuesday afternoon. 'They think it's funny, 'FGJ.' They say I have a poor, elementary-school autograph. 'But, in reality, I think it was fake. I'm 99.9 percent positive. I'm sure I didn't do that.' So there aren't any more 'FGJ' cards out there? 'Shouldn't be,' Gore said with a sheepish smile. 'I reached out to my team. It's social media. I'm not going to respond to it. But it was funny for sure.' The problem with Gore's claim is that an eBay search shows for sale dozens of 'FGJ' signatures that also carry a 'Topps Certified Autograph Issue' label. The backs of the cards read, 'The signing of all Topps autograph cards is witnessed by Topps representatives to guarantee authenticity.' But some of the same versions of Gore's 2024 Topps Chrome cards bear a gorgeous, flowing 'F. Gore Jr.' signature. Those cards feature the same Topps authenticity avowals. A third distinct signature can be found on his 2024 Panini Contenders insert cards with the back of the card stating, 'The autograph is guaranteed by Panini America, Inc.' 'FGJ' is worthy of ridicule, but not nearly the worst autograph out there. Card manufacturers have been frustrated for years over poor quality and the minimum effort players, who are getting paid for the endeavor, put into the assembly-line autograph industry. Google 'worst autographs' for a seemingly endless gallery of chicken scratch, spaghetti scribbles and kindergarten scrawls, including superstars such as Tom Brady, first overall pick Cam Ward, NBA great Luka Doncic and three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid. Some in the collectibles industry consider such autographs vandalism when applied to valuable memorabilia. They're also easily forged. Advertisement Bills quarterback Josh Allen was shamed into improving his signature while playing for the University of Wyoming, where his offensive coordinator's wife saw Allen's slop and told him he needed to be more dutiful to his fans. For a feature on the trend of ugly sports autographs, 2013 National League batting champion Michael Cuddyer told The Athletic how Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew castigated him for a sloppy autograph while at a Minnesota Twins fan event. Cuddyer revised his signature and now is known for delivering one of the most beautiful around. 'Your signature is who you are,' Cuddyer said. 'It's your name. I respect my name, respect the people that gave it to me, respect the hard work they put into helping to make my name autograph-worthy. 'When people truly want your autograph because they're proud to have met you, you don't want them to remember you as a squiggly mark. I feel like I'm defacing my name if you can't read it when I write it.' Topps did not respond to questions from The Athletic about the 'FGJ' authenticity or whether it would assist in a proposal Gore made to remedy the situation. Gore offered to autograph the 'FGJ' card in question, which would create a humorous collectible — and maybe get him off the hook in the locker room. 'If they reach out to me, I'll sign the right one,' Gore said. 'I promise. However I can make it better, I want to make it better.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Taron Johnson participating in Bills OTAs after shoulder surgery
Bills cornerback Taron Johnson closed out the 2024 season with a torn labrum in his shoulder and his recovery from surgery to repair appears to be progressing well. Johnson is taking part in the team's OTA practices this month and said that he feels like he's on track to be ready to go once the team gets to training camp this summer. Advertisement "Feels good, pretty much feels close to normal," Johnson said, via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News. "So, that's all I can really ask for, being healthy before training camp, so I can fully train and get ready for the season." Johnson started 12 regular season games last year and had 65 tackles, two interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He also had 11 tackles in the playoffs.
NBC Sports
6 days ago
- General
- NBC Sports
Taron Johnson participating in Bills OTAs after shoulder surgery
Bills cornerback Taron Johnson closed out the 2024 season with a torn labrum in his shoulder and his recovery from surgery to repair appears to be progressing well. Johnson is taking part in the team's OTA practices this month and said that he feels like he's on track to be ready to go once the team gets to training camp this summer. 'Feels good, pretty much feels close to normal,' Johnson said, via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News. 'So, that's all I can really ask for, being healthy before training camp, so I can fully train and get ready for the season.' Johnson started 12 regular season games last year and had 65 tackles, two interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He also had 11 tackles in the playoffs.
USA Today
08-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Buffalo Bills 2025 positional review: Cornerbacks
Buffalo Bills 2025 positional review: Cornerbacks 2025 Season Recap Christian Benford has ascended to the No. 1 cornerback spot for the Buffalo Bills. His development has been remarkable. Benford, a former sixth-round pick, flashed his coverage skills as a rookie. They have only become stronger, putting him in conversation as one of the top-tier cornerbacks in the game. Benford missed two games last season, and the drop off was quite steep from Benford to the second tier of Bills cornerbacks. Benford missed time against Kansas City in the AFC Championship game, and it was nothing short of a disaster for Buffalo's defense. Rasul Douglas was stellar when he arrived in Buffalo after a mid-season trade with the Green Bay Packers in 2023. However, after being a turnover machine in his initial season with the Bills, Douglas did not record an interception last year. His play was adequate but didn't live up to his first season in Western New York. Taron Johnson is one of the most important and underrated players on this roster. Johnson is a premier slot cornerback. He is a stellar coverage corner who blankets slot receivers. Arguably, Johnson is the best at his position in the league. Ja'Marcus Ingram played well in limited time. He stepped in and showed nice athleticism when called upon. In addition, Ingram played a large chunk of special teams snaps for Buffalo. The Kaiir Elam experiment seems to be over. Elam is extremely athletic and, in theory, should be a solid cornerback. However, it just hasn't come together for some reason. When pressed into action, Elam looks lost. It's unfortunate because the former first-round pick appeared to be a player who could have been a difference-maker for Buffalo. Cam Lewis played more safety this past season. However, he still logged time at cornerback when needed in a pinch. Brandon Codrington played limited snaps at cornerback. His largest contributions came in the return game for the Bills. Contract Status Under Contract: Taron Johnson- through 2027 Christian Benford- through 2025 Kaiir Elam- through 2025 Brandon Codrington- through 2026 Cam Lewis- through 2025 Ja'Marcus Ingram- through 2025 Te'Cory Couch- though 2026 Daequan Hardy- through 2026 Free Agents: Rasul Douglas Big Question Who will start opposite Benford next year? Benford is in the fold for at least one more year. It would be shocking if the Bills didn't move forward and sign him to a long-term deal. He has blossomed into the top player in the Buffalo secondary. The spot opposite Benford is a bit more challenging to forecast: Elam has not developed into a reliable player, and Douglas took a step back last year. Buffalo has played a great deal of zone defense, but there are rumblings that things might be changing a little bit in the future. Most likely, the CB2 is not on the roster right now. Important Stats Tackles: Cam Lewis (68), Taron Johnson (65) Interceptions: Christian Benford, Ja'Marcus Ingram, Taron Johnson (2) Passes defensed: Christian Benford (10) Tackles for loss: Rasul Douglas (5) Forced fumbles: Christian Benford (2) 2025 NFL draft Buffalo's salary cap situation is a bit tight. Thus, they need to make the most of this year's draft. Cornerback is a high priority for the team, so Brandon Beane will need to find a solid option to complement Christian Benford. Buffalo has eight picks, with the possibility of adding two compensatory picks. That draft capital should give the Bills some flexibility in selecting a cornerback by the end of day two in the draft.
