NEW ORLEANS -- One car rear-ends another on a Saturday night. People argue. It escalates.Ten or so gunshots later, one driver is dead and the other waits nervously to give his side of the story to police.Conflicts settled by gunfire are tragically common in New Orleans but there was nothing routine about this one: the dead man was retired football player Will Smith, a star on the 2006 Saints team that help lift the stricken citys spirits with a winning season after Hurricane Katrina, and on the team that won the franchises only Super Bowl three seasons later.The accused is a 29-year-old former semiprofessional football player named Cardell Hayes. The owner of a tow-truck company and the father of a 5-year-old son, Hayes is described by friends as soft-spoken, even-tempered -- hardly the type to erupt into a lethal road rage. His attorney has been laying the groundwork for a self-defense argument ahead of a trial that opens Monday, but he may face an added burden in Smiths local popularity and national renown.Will Smith obviously was a beloved member of the New Orleans community, Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said in a recent interview. And thats going to make the defense of this case all the more difficult.Smiths shooting death is strangely similar to that of Joe McKnight, another former NFL player who was shot and killed just last Thursday in a New Orleans suburb after a road rage incident on a nearby bridge spiraled out of control. The man authorities identified as the shooter in that case -- Ronald Gasser -- has been released from custody with no charges as the investigation continues.Hayes has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Smiths death. Conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Hes also charged with attempted second-degree murder in the wounding of Smiths wife, who was shot in the legs. Hes been jailed since the April shooting, unable to make the $1.75 million bond.Snippets of surveillance video from near the scene, police statements plus testimony from pre-trial hearings paint this picture of what happened on April 9:Smith, his wife and two friends left a restaurant in New Orleans Lower Garden District and were heading downtown on Magazine Street. At one point Smiths SUV appeared to bump the rear of a Hummer that had come to a stop on the street.Rather than stop, Smith swerved his SUV around the Hummer and continued downtown. Moments later, the Hummer hit Smiths SUV from behind, shattering the rear window and pushing it into the rear of another car -- in which more friends of Smith were riding.Who the aggressors were in the ensuing conflict will be at issue in the trial. Hayes acknowledged to at least one police officer that he was armed when he got out of his vehicle. He said he was accosted by an unarmed Smith and others, and that Smith struck him, although police said there were no obvious signs of injury.The first officer to approach the scene after the crash was an off-duty rookie who had been at a nearby bar. Christopher McGaw has testified that he approached the scene as the argument grew more heated, ducked for cover when gunshots rang out, then approached again, finding Smith slumped across the front seat of his car, one hand extended toward the glove box.What was I supposed to do? Hayes is heard asking McGaw, on a recording of a 911 call McGaw had placed at the scene.Why Smith drove away from the scene of the first, apparently minor accident; whether Hayes intentionally rammed Smiths vehicle moments later; whether Smith was reaching for a gun when he was shot to death -- all are issues that will likely be addressed at trial.On the side of the defense is a toxicology report showing that Smith was legally drunk at the time of his death. Other factors Ciolino cited: The fact that Will Smith was, by some reports, so loud and belligerent; the fact that the forensic evidence, arguably could support that Will Smith was reaching for a gun.Smith had returned to his SUV when he was shot and police said there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help the defense argument that Hayes shot in self-defense, Ciolino said. But its an argument that could be blunted by the fact that Smith was shot eight times -- seven in the back, one in the side -- Ciolino added.Prosecutors also have made much of the fact that Hayess Hummer had hit Smiths SUV from behind so hard that the rear window shattered.Another odd twist in the case: A friend of Smiths who wound up at the scene the night of the shooting is William Ceravolo, a retired New Orleans police officer who had dined with the Smiths before the accident. Ceravolo was among six officers sued by Hayes after police killed his father, Anthony Hayes, in December 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011, and terms were confidential. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. NFL Jerseys China . 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The Cincinnati Bengals host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in what could amount to an elimination game in the AFC wild-card race.The Bills (4-5) and the Bengals (3-5-1) are currently 11th and 13th in the conference standings.With one more loss, Cincinnati wont be able to finish with 10 wins. If Buffalo loses on Sunday, it would have to run the table to finish with 10 victories.Generally, 10 gets you in (the playoffs), Bills coach Rex Ryan said. Its not all the time, but generally thats what happens.Buffalo hasnt won 10 games since 1999, and hasnt had a winning record after 10 contests since 2000. Coming out of the bye week, the Bills are searching for consistency after losing three straight following a four-game winning streak.Our focus has to be on Cincinnati and thats it, Ryan said. You cant worry about getting to 10 wins. Shoot, we have to worry about getting five wins, so I think thats where we have to look at it. We havent earned the right to think about anything further than that.At this point a year ago, the Bengals were 8-1 on their way to an AFC North championship. Cincinnatis impressive mark included a 34-21 win in Buffalo.You dont get qualifiers for that, though, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. You dont get to play from the green tees because of the past. We have to play back from the championship tees and move forward.Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth doesnt believe the Bengals losing record reflects their ability to win games going forward.I could go back over the last five or six years and as good as people think we have been, there have been a lot of games that we eked out at the end. Another team made a mistake and we got a lucky break that went our way, thats NFL football, Whitworth said, according to the team website. With this team though, the character we have, we can keep our heads down and keep working and turn this thing around.The Bengals are banged up and on short rest coming off Monday nights 21-20 loss to the New York Giants.Cincinnati is playing at Paul Brown Stadium for the first time in four weeks and hasnt won a game since then, despite being outscored by just one ppoint in the last two contests -- including a 27-27 tie with the Redskins on Oct.dddddddddddd 30.Our margin for error right now is not very big, Lewis said.A victory could go a long way for the Bengals. They are only 1.5 games back of the Ravens in the AFC North standings, but play four of their final six games against division foes -- including two matchups with Baltimore.Theres still so much to be determined in these last seven games, quarterback Andy Dalton said. We havent lost confidence in ourselves because weve been close in these games.The Bills were hoping to get healthy during the bye week but still have holes to fill in the lineup. They could have as many as five new starters on Sunday.Most of the changes will come on defense. Buffalo signed veteran safety James Ihedigbo this week with Aaron Williams (neck) likely out for the season and backups Duke Williams (who was cut) and Robert Blanton playing poorly.Cornerback Ronald Darby was benched in favor of Corey White in a loss to Seattle last week and could lose his starting job permanently.Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (groin) is still limited in practice and is questionable. Dareus primary backup, Corbin Bryant (shoulder) is out for the second straight game. Linebacker Jerry Hughes (hand/questionable) was also limited in practice this week.On offense, either Patrick Lewis or Ryan Groy will be the new starting center after Eric Wood (broken leg) was placed on injured reserve.I think the most important player on our offense is Eric Wood, Bills running back LeSean McCoy said. We put a lot of pressure on him to make the right calls and put us in the right protection and right schemes. As a whole, we have to do a better job of that and of knowing ourselves, instead of letting him tell us what to do.Seantrel Henderson could also replace Jordan Mills at right tackle.Henderson has missed the first nine games due to suspension for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy and his recovery from Crohns disease. 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