Buckskin86
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http://www.democratandchronicle.com...?AID=/20060823/SPORTS03/608230361/1007/SPORTS
Congrats Donte on the starting spot....next stop Pro Bowl!!
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http://www.democratandchronicle.com...?AID=/20060823/SPORTS03/608230361/1007/SPORTS
Congrats Donte on the starting spot....next stop Pro Bowl!!
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Whitner maintains focus on the game
Distractions haven't slowed Bills' rookie
Sal Maiorana
Staff writer
(August 29, 2006) — ORCHARD PARK — Given what rookie Donte Whitner has experienced in the last few weeks, you'd think his head would be spinning faster than a golf ball struck by Tiger Woods' pitching wedge.
The eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft endured a bothersome one-week holdout while his contract was being negotiated and thus missed valuable practice time in training camp.
When he finally made it to St. John Fisher College, he literally hit the ground running as he was thrust into the starting strong safety spot in his second week because Matt Bowen suffered a leg injury.
He spent some time consoling his good friend, fellow rookie and former Ohio State teammate Ashton Youboty when the latter's mother died.
And on the day of her funeral last week, Whitner couldn't be there because his son, Donte Jr., was being born nearly two months premature back in his hometown of Cleveland.
Yet through it all, Whitner has been rock solid on the field and off and it seems apparent that he will be starting when the Bills open the season at New England on Sept. 10.
"If you want to be good early, you have to take everything as it comes and not get overwhelmed," Whitner said, explaining his philosophy for coping with all these rapid-fire events in the midst of trying to learn how to play football at the NFL level with the pressure of being a must-produce top-10 draft pick.
"I take each play and think about what I have to do on that play, and then off the field I try to stay away from all distractions. I have a lot of good people around me. My parents, my grandparents, my high school coach (Ted Ginn Sr., father of Ohio State star Ted Ginn Jr.), coach (Jim) Tressel and the coaches at Ohio State that I keep in contact with. Some people, when they get to this level, they think everything is going so fast, but I don't feel like that."
Of the contract holdout, which had everyone outside the negotiations perplexed because the draft picks around him had already been slotted and signed, Whitner said: "My thought was you have to take care of the business aspect first. I knew I would get in, and then when I got here I knew I had to get to work and pick up things fast out on the field."
As for the birth of his son, he did admit that was a little scary.
"He wasn't supposed to be born until Oct. 4, but he's doing good," the 21-year-old said of Donte Jr., who spent the first 20 minutes of his life with a tube down his throat to help him breathe.
"He's four pounds, seven ounces, but he's breathing on his own and his lungs are good. If you were to look at him you wouldn't think he was premature. It was hard coming back, and I don't know when I'll be able to see him again, so that's kind of hard."
Obviously harder than it has been for the talented 5-foot-10, 204-pounder to assimilate to life in the NFL. Whitner reported to camp on Aug. 5, participated in his first practice on Aug. 7, and despite limited reps played in the preseason opener at Carolina on Aug. 12.
Predictably he struggled with his assignments against the Panthers, but when Bowen hurt his leg, Whitner moved to first string and has started the last two preseason games against Cincinnati and Cleveland.
"I was a little surprised," Whitner said of his ascension to the starting lineup. "It does show confidence and it'll make me work harder knowing that the coaches have put that trust in me.
"I just want to come out here and continue to work. I can't get complacent because I still have a lot to learn, so I'm just going to keep on working and play the best that I can."
And with increased practice time, his play was better in both games.
"I love his athleticism, but I've said this before, his overall knowledge is still lacking," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "The game is faster than it was in college and he has to catch up mentally with us because he missed some time.
"He's got excellent speed and excellent quickness. If he can put together the call on our defense, we expect some good fundamental play out of him. What we've seen on tape, his willingness and desire, all those things are there."
Veteran free safety Troy Vincent has taken Whitner under his wing and helped him get his bearings. But Vincent also said that Whitner wasn't exactly clueless as many rookies often are because he has a unique maturity about him.
"I think he's handled it just as well as you can handle it for a young man his age," Vincent said.
"He has a lot on his shoulders, a lot of high expectations, but he's been quiet and very open to constructive criticism.
"He's a talented young man and the coaches have done an excellent job of getting him prepared. The pages in the playbook are flipping every day and he's picking it up and not making mental mistakes. He knows where he fits in, he leans on his teammates, and he's getting good advice. I've seen great progress in him and I'm looking forward to playing with him."
Whitner maintains focus on the game
Distractions haven't slowed Bills' rookie
Sal Maiorana
Staff writer
(August 29, 2006) — ORCHARD PARK — Given what rookie Donte Whitner has experienced in the last few weeks, you'd think his head would be spinning faster than a golf ball struck by Tiger Woods' pitching wedge.
The eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft endured a bothersome one-week holdout while his contract was being negotiated and thus missed valuable practice time in training camp.
When he finally made it to St. John Fisher College, he literally hit the ground running as he was thrust into the starting strong safety spot in his second week because Matt Bowen suffered a leg injury.
He spent some time consoling his good friend, fellow rookie and former Ohio State teammate Ashton Youboty when the latter's mother died.
And on the day of her funeral last week, Whitner couldn't be there because his son, Donte Jr., was being born nearly two months premature back in his hometown of Cleveland.
Yet through it all, Whitner has been rock solid on the field and off and it seems apparent that he will be starting when the Bills open the season at New England on Sept. 10.
"If you want to be good early, you have to take everything as it comes and not get overwhelmed," Whitner said, explaining his philosophy for coping with all these rapid-fire events in the midst of trying to learn how to play football at the NFL level with the pressure of being a must-produce top-10 draft pick.
"I take each play and think about what I have to do on that play, and then off the field I try to stay away from all distractions. I have a lot of good people around me. My parents, my grandparents, my high school coach (Ted Ginn Sr., father of Ohio State star Ted Ginn Jr.), coach (Jim) Tressel and the coaches at Ohio State that I keep in contact with. Some people, when they get to this level, they think everything is going so fast, but I don't feel like that."
Of the contract holdout, which had everyone outside the negotiations perplexed because the draft picks around him had already been slotted and signed, Whitner said: "My thought was you have to take care of the business aspect first. I knew I would get in, and then when I got here I knew I had to get to work and pick up things fast out on the field."
As for the birth of his son, he did admit that was a little scary.
"He wasn't supposed to be born until Oct. 4, but he's doing good," the 21-year-old said of Donte Jr., who spent the first 20 minutes of his life with a tube down his throat to help him breathe.
"He's four pounds, seven ounces, but he's breathing on his own and his lungs are good. If you were to look at him you wouldn't think he was premature. It was hard coming back, and I don't know when I'll be able to see him again, so that's kind of hard."
Obviously harder than it has been for the talented 5-foot-10, 204-pounder to assimilate to life in the NFL. Whitner reported to camp on Aug. 5, participated in his first practice on Aug. 7, and despite limited reps played in the preseason opener at Carolina on Aug. 12.
Predictably he struggled with his assignments against the Panthers, but when Bowen hurt his leg, Whitner moved to first string and has started the last two preseason games against Cincinnati and Cleveland.
"I was a little surprised," Whitner said of his ascension to the starting lineup. "It does show confidence and it'll make me work harder knowing that the coaches have put that trust in me.
"I just want to come out here and continue to work. I can't get complacent because I still have a lot to learn, so I'm just going to keep on working and play the best that I can."
And with increased practice time, his play was better in both games.
"I love his athleticism, but I've said this before, his overall knowledge is still lacking," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "The game is faster than it was in college and he has to catch up mentally with us because he missed some time.
"He's got excellent speed and excellent quickness. If he can put together the call on our defense, we expect some good fundamental play out of him. What we've seen on tape, his willingness and desire, all those things are there."
Veteran free safety Troy Vincent has taken Whitner under his wing and helped him get his bearings. But Vincent also said that Whitner wasn't exactly clueless as many rookies often are because he has a unique maturity about him.
"I think he's handled it just as well as you can handle it for a young man his age," Vincent said.
"He has a lot on his shoulders, a lot of high expectations, but he's been quiet and very open to constructive criticism.
"He's a talented young man and the coaches have done an excellent job of getting him prepared. The pages in the playbook are flipping every day and he's picking it up and not making mental mistakes. He knows where he fits in, he leans on his teammates, and he's getting good advice. I've seen great progress in him and I'm looking forward to playing with him."
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OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
lilnape26;602274; said:
ESPN.com lists him with 8 but they do make lots of errors.
I couldn't be happier for him. Before the draft when he wasn't getting much hype I felt like I knew this secret that they didn't. Now people are getting in on it.
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SanAntonioBuck
RIP Our Friend and Hero
CBS Sportsline has:
Donte Whitner, 4 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 Int.
Great game Donte!
Donte Whitner, 4 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 Int.
Great game Donte!
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Captain Hindsight
The Hero of the Modern Age
ScarletBlood31;604182; said:
Nice observation.
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Simpson and Whitner Likely To Man Deep Middle
by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist Last Updated: 9/13/2006 6:04 PM ET
With Troy Vincent on injured reserve and Matt Bowen questionable for Sunday, there's a strong likelihood that a pair of rookies will be manning both safety positions for the Bills on Sunday. While it might sound like a monumental task, Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson are going in confident.
"I feel that I'm ready," said Simpson who is expected to man the free safety spot. "I feel I'm good enough to play and I have the ability to play at this level. I'm ready to show what I can do and try to help this team."
"I feel good about my personal game," said Whitner. "I'm very confident in myself."
Since the day they arrived together at One Bills Drive they have carried a strong belief in their abilities. And that didn't change even after they each got their feet wet with extended action in Week One against the Patriots.
"I believe it went alright," said Simpson of how he performed when he replaced the injured Vincent in the first quarter. "I stepped in and played alright. There were a couple of mistakes I made that I'm learning from, but I thought I played okay."
Simpson had six tackles while Whitner finished with eight takedowns and his first NFL interception. Neither of them looked overwhelmed by the situation.
"Everybody makes a big deal about being a rookie," said Whitner. "But if you're poised and you know what you're doing out there, being a rookie really means nothing. We weren't like that, we knew what to do out there. We had some mistakes, but I don't believe you can play a football game no matter who you are."
The only big play that occurred in the middle of the field against them in Week One was a 34-yard completion from Tom Brady to Ben Watson.
Part of the reason Whitner and Simpson have such an air of confidence about them is because of the college conferences in which they played. Whitner played at Ohio State while Simpson was at South Carolina.
"I feel like the SEC is one of the best conferences and it has the better athletes," said Simpson who started at safety as a freshman. "There's a lot of speed. I think it helped my game a lot."
"I did feel like it helped," said Whitner of playing in the Big Ten conference. "It's really no different from college to the NFL."
But at the same time the two rookie safeties, who were good friends prior to being drafted by Buffalo, realize teams are going to try and pick on them every week.
"Going in there we know they're probably going to try to test us a little bit," said Simpson of this week's game at Miami. "Matt Bowen told me to be ready, so we know that going into this game. So I'm just going to try to go out there and make some plays."
"We have to step up," said Whitner. "Me and Ko have to contribute. We have to get the job done."
Leonhard
Recently re-signed safety Jim Leonhard is a strong addition with Buffalo thin at free safety. He's a heady player who is well versed in defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's defensive system.
He knows how to get a secondary lined up, which might not be something Ko Simpson is fully prepared to do at this stage in his career. With the heat expected in Miami this weekend, he figures to get at least some playing time Sunday.
Simpson and Whitner Likely To Man Deep Middle
by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist Last Updated: 9/13/2006 6:04 PM ET
With Troy Vincent on injured reserve and Matt Bowen questionable for Sunday, there's a strong likelihood that a pair of rookies will be manning both safety positions for the Bills on Sunday. While it might sound like a monumental task, Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson are going in confident.
"I feel that I'm ready," said Simpson who is expected to man the free safety spot. "I feel I'm good enough to play and I have the ability to play at this level. I'm ready to show what I can do and try to help this team."
"I feel good about my personal game," said Whitner. "I'm very confident in myself."
Since the day they arrived together at One Bills Drive they have carried a strong belief in their abilities. And that didn't change even after they each got their feet wet with extended action in Week One against the Patriots.
"I believe it went alright," said Simpson of how he performed when he replaced the injured Vincent in the first quarter. "I stepped in and played alright. There were a couple of mistakes I made that I'm learning from, but I thought I played okay."
Simpson had six tackles while Whitner finished with eight takedowns and his first NFL interception. Neither of them looked overwhelmed by the situation.
"Everybody makes a big deal about being a rookie," said Whitner. "But if you're poised and you know what you're doing out there, being a rookie really means nothing. We weren't like that, we knew what to do out there. We had some mistakes, but I don't believe you can play a football game no matter who you are."
The only big play that occurred in the middle of the field against them in Week One was a 34-yard completion from Tom Brady to Ben Watson.
Part of the reason Whitner and Simpson have such an air of confidence about them is because of the college conferences in which they played. Whitner played at Ohio State while Simpson was at South Carolina.
"I feel like the SEC is one of the best conferences and it has the better athletes," said Simpson who started at safety as a freshman. "There's a lot of speed. I think it helped my game a lot."
"I did feel like it helped," said Whitner of playing in the Big Ten conference. "It's really no different from college to the NFL."
But at the same time the two rookie safeties, who were good friends prior to being drafted by Buffalo, realize teams are going to try and pick on them every week.
"Going in there we know they're probably going to try to test us a little bit," said Simpson of this week's game at Miami. "Matt Bowen told me to be ready, so we know that going into this game. So I'm just going to try to go out there and make some plays."
"We have to step up," said Whitner. "Me and Ko have to contribute. We have to get the job done."
Leonhard
Recently re-signed safety Jim Leonhard is a strong addition with Buffalo thin at free safety. He's a heady player who is well versed in defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's defensive system.
He knows how to get a secondary lined up, which might not be something Ko Simpson is fully prepared to do at this stage in his career. With the heat expected in Miami this weekend, he figures to get at least some playing time Sunday.
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