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S Donte Whitner (Official Thread)

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Buckeye studs Whitner & Clements (Randy Stewart, Getty Images)

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Syracuse.com

8/11/06

Bills S Whitner eager to make preseason debut

8/11/2006, 12:44 p.m. ET

By JOHN WAWROW
The Associated Press


PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — For someone not sure how much playing time he's going to get in Buffalo's preseason-opener, rookie strong safety Donte Whitner certainly has high goals.

"Yeah, I'm eager, excited," Whitner said ahead of the game at Carolina on Saturday. "I want to go out there, do what I do, run around, make a couple of tackles and hopefully get a couple of interceptions."

A couple of interceptions?

Yeah," the Bills first-round draft pick said with a grin. "Don't set it too low."


The question is how many chances he'll get. Coach Dick Jauron remains cautious of pushing Whitner too quickly, particularly after the player missed the first eight days of training camp because of stalled contract talks.

Selected eighth overall in April out of Ohio State, Whitner signed a five-year deal last weekend and has taken part in only eight practices over five days this week at training camp in suburban Rochester.

Jauron said Whitner will definitely see playing time in certain special teams situations, but he wasn't sure about putting him in the defense.

"We're still going to look at it and make sure that we feel comfortable that he's ready to play in a game," Jauron said.

While veteran Matt Bowen continues to practice with the starters, Whitner has shown gradual signs of progress practicing mostly with the second-stringers.

On Tuesday, Whitner was notably caught out of position, 3 yards behind the play, when tight end Robert Royal caught a touchdown pass during red-zone drills.

Whitner looked better Thursday, leaping high in the air to deflect and almost intercept a Kelly Holcomb pass over the middle.

Projected to be the Bills' opening-day starter, Whitner is pleased with his progress so far.

"I feel like I've made up a lot of ground," he said. "After I get a significant amount of time in going over things mentally and physically, I think I'll be ready."

The Bills are relatively free of injuries heading into the game.

Reserve safety Coy Wire and reserve defensive tackle Lauvale Sape are both bothered by back injuries. Third-string quarterback Craig Nall will not play as he continues to recuperate after straining his hamstring July 29.

Nall has started running on his own and hopes he'll be cleared to return to practice next week. He didn't rule out the possibility of playing in Buffalo's next preseason game, at home against Cincinnati next week.

Also out is linebacker Takeo Spikes, who is being rested as he continues to progress from a torn right Achilles' tendon that forced him to miss the final 13 games last season.
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buckeyeboy said:
Interesting--I wonder how much he had to pay. IMO it was probably worth it, as 20 is a much cooler number than 36 for a S. I feel sorry, though, for anyone who bought his #36 jersey in the past few months.
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I kind of liked #36. Its more identifying, as #20 is a pretty common number for a safety, and I also kinda liked how it related to his college number, as 3 + 6 = 9.
 
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Link

8/17/06

Whitner expected to start for injured Bowen





PITTSFORD, N.Y. First-round draft pick Donte Whitner may get to debut as a starter for the Bills this week.
Injured safety Matt Bowen is expected to miss Buffalo's preseason game against Cincinnati on Friday.

Coach Dick Jauron today all but ruled Bowen out after the six-year veteran missed his third straight day of practice with a bruised lower right leg.

Bowen was hurt in the Bills' 14-to-13 preseason-opening loss at Carolina last weekend.

Whitner has been working with the first-stringers all week in Bowen's place.

This is only Whitner's second week of training camp after he missed the first eight days because of stalled contract talks.
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I was hoping that Whitner would be the 2006 version of Mike Doss (with the same results), but it seems like things are turning out really well for him, it looks like he made the right decision... it's been looking that way since he was drafted.
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
Those jerseys could be real collector's items down the road...
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With the NFL shop allowing you to customize any authentic jersey you would like, I think the collector aspect is fairly nonexistent, but with the way jersey styles change frequently I doubt they will customize 2006 style jerseys in the year 2030; either way, I'd be very upset if I bought the jersey before a number trade.
 
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Bills need Whitner to play like veteran
By RODNEY MCKISSIC
News Sports Reporter
8/22/2006

PITTSFORD - Donte Whitner is standing on the sidelines at training camp. He's mingling and sharing a laugh with a few teammates, as if he's been a part of the Buffalo Bills for years.
It's a good sign for the team and for Whitner because the quicker he blends in and adjusts to the NFL, the better off the Bills will be. The defense doesn't need a wide-eyed rookie struggling to keep his head above water. They need Whitner to unfold like a pop-up book, to rise up and prove that he can add another dimension to the secondary and make enough plays to make people forget about predecessor Lawyer Milloy.

"We drafted Donte high and we anticipate that he's going to start," said Bills coach Dick Jauron following Monday evening's practice at St. John Fisher. "He's more advanced than he was a week ago and he's a studier. He likes it, and he works at it all the time."

Obviously, the Bills would like more time for Whitner to pick up the game's rudiments but Matt Bowen, currently penciled in as the starter at strong safety, is nursing a sore bone bruise on his lower right leg that has limited his practice for the last week. Strong safety Coy Wire, who returned to practice on Monday, has also missed time with a pulled abdominal muscle. That means more reps for Whitner and it could quicken his maturation process.

"Everybody wants to be No. 1," Whitner said. "You just wait until your number is called. Hopefully that's soon; if not, I'll just wait."

Being thrust into a situation could hinder any rookie's development, but the Bills have high expectations for the player selected with the eighth overall pick.

"He's got excellent speed and excellent quickness," Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "If he can put together the call on our defense, we expect some good fundamental play out of him. Nothing more, nothing less."

Whitner earned his first start at strong safety last Friday night against Cincinnati in place of Bowen and was credited with two assists for tackles and a pass deflection. It was a vast improvement over his first game against Carolina two weeks ago when Fewell said Whitner's play was not as sharp as expected.

There were times during man coverage when Whitner dropped when he should have remained on the receiver, and he was out of place in some zone coverages. But once corrected, Fewell said, Whitner generally doesn't repeat mistakes.

"Once I know what everyone is doing around me and I get confident in what I see and know everything from the top of my head, I'll be fine," Whitner said. "I'm learning every day."

It was only practice, but Whitner offered a peek into his potential last Thursday. It's called a flip play, commonly run in the league, where the running back scats away from the strong safety for a reception. Whitner read the play immediately, pounced on it and broke it up.

"He zoomed on it like a cat," Fewell said. "I've seen second- and third-year veterans miss that play, I've seen Pro Bowlers miss that play, and he jumped all over it."

Whitner has all the physical tools to be an outstanding player, Fewell said. How good depends on his consistency.

"He has to do it every day back to back," Fewell said. "It's a little bit more difficult than the college level. Everyone is fast, everyone is quick and the game is a lot quicker for you. But he's getting better with each rep."


e-mail: [email protected]
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http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060822/1049727.asp
 
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