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S Donte Whitner (Official Thread)

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Published: December 13, 2007 12:13 am

BILLS: Whitner, Evans ready for a homecoming

By Jay Skurski
[email protected]

ORCHARD PARK ? It would be an understatement to say Donte Whitner?s looked forward to playing Sunday?s game against the Cleveland Browns for a long time.

?Since I was born,? Whitner jokingly responded Wednesday when asked how long he?s had this game circled on his calendar. ?I watched a lot of Browns football growing up in Cleveland. I?ve never really had the opportunity to play in Cleveland since I?ve been in high school.?

He?ll get that chance Sunday in front of the ?Dawg Pound? and 70,000 passionate Browns fan ? something Whitner was not that long ago.

?Coming from Cleveland, I know how bad the fans in Cleveland want to go to the playoffs,? he said. ?I?m looking forward to the opportunity to go down there. ... It?ll be fun. This is a big game for both of us.?

Whitner, who makes his offseason home in Cleveland, said Wednesday he?d already gotten about 65 requests for tickets. But that was before he had talked to his mother.

?I?m looking for about 100 ticket requests,? he said.

Whitner also hopes to ruin some afternoons in the process.

?What I want to do is I want to go back and win so that I can upset some of my family members,? he said. ?It?s a great opportunity for me to go out there and talk a little smack for the rest of the year to everybody at Christmas time.?
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Niagara Gazette - BILLS: Whitner, Evans ready for a homecoming

Whitner no longer bleeds Brown
Jerry Sullivan
Updated: 12/13/07 6:48 AM


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Donte Whitner was 5 when he went to his first Browns game at old Cleveland Stadium. He went with his uncle, a devoted fan who claimed to have drunk with the players in Jim Brown?s time. Whitner recalls nothing about the game. He remembers that it felt like some family initiation ritual.

?I never had a choice,? Whitner said Wednesday. ?I was going to be a Browns fan. It was forced on me. My grandfather, my uncles, even my mom, they all watched the Browns. The Browns were like family.?

So you can imagine how excited Whitner is about Sunday?s big game, his first in his hometown. When Buffalo?s strong safety was asked how long he?d had this game circled on his calendar, Whitner replied, ?Since I was born.? But he never imagined it would have such significance, with the surging Bills one game behind the Browns in the battle for a wild-card spot.

?When we were 1-4 and going through the tough times, you never thought it would be this big,? Whitner said.

Some people in Whitner?s life might be conflicted. His relatives have lived through the Elway drive, the Byner fumble, the Art Modell desertion, the long string of incompetence after getting a team back in 1999. Now, the Browns have a game with playoff implications ? and it?s against Donte. What?s a long-suffering Browns fan to do?

?They want to root for the Bills, but they?ve been Browns fans for too long,? Whitner said. ?I can understand that. It feels good. I want some of my family to root for the Browns, I really do. I want to make them upset.?

That won?t stop them from asking for tickets. Whitner estimated that he has 150 relatives living in Cleveland. He has friends from his days at Ohio State. As of Wednesday, he had 65 requests for tickets. ?And my mother hasn?t called yet,? he said.

Whitner wishes there were some way both Cleveland and Buffalo could reach the postseason. Cleveland sports fans are our emotional soul mates, linked by Lake Erie and a chain of tortured sporting memories. Whitner is only 22, but he sees the grim parallels.

?Yeah, it is similar,? Whitner said. ?The Browns always seemed to find a way to mess it up in the playoffs. The same thing with the Indians. One out from winning the World Series, they find a way to mess it up. The Cavs make the [NBA] Finals, find a way to mess it up. I?ll bet the fans here in Buffalo feel the same way. They feel so connected to the organization and want them to do well.?
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The Buffalo News: Sports: Whitner no longer bleeds Brown
 
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Buffalo?s player to watch

Donte Whitner, strong safety

Buffalo?s emotional leader returns home for the biggest game of his young career. Though he?s in just his second season, the Cleveland native has become the most important player on Buffalo?s defense. With 87 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles, Whitner?s had a solid season. But in a lot of ways, he?s about more than stats. Whitner?s been a leader, a teacher and a spokesman at various times, even hosting the members of Buffalo?s secondary at his house in an effort to bring the group together.

?The most important thing for us, the reason why we drafted him and what we still see is he loves to play the game and he?s very competitive,? Bills coach Dick Jauron said of Whitner. ?He wants to win and he plays to win. (I?m) really, really happy with Donte?s progress both as a player and a leader.?
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Niagara Gazette - BILLS GAMEDAY: Buffalo visits Cleveland
 
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I don't know if anyone else went to this game but this was alot of fun even if the Browns beat my Bills. But good luck the rest of the way Brownies!!!
 
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Whitner?s Sinus Condition Improving
by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist Last Updated: 1/1/2008

It takes a lot to keep Donte Whitner out of a game. After all he had not missed a defensive play all season until Sunday's season finale at Philadelphia when a sinus infection kept him from flying with the team.

"Donte had severe sinus issues, really severe. He was having headaches," said head coach Dick Jauron. "So the doctors didn't want him to fly and he didn't practice all week."

On Monday Whitner was feeling better, but even the ultra-competitive strong safety admitted he could not have played Sunday.

"It was tough, but I kept getting headaches," said Whitner. "I had a sinus infection behind my left eye. I didn't want to be tackling people and having headaches at the same time and so we played it safe."

Whitner even went so far as to say that he would not have played even if it was a playoff game.

"Probably not, because I was getting chronic headaches for long periods of time," said Whitner. "It was to the point where I couldn't open my left eye. I probably wouldn't have been in there."
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Whitner?s Sinus Condition Improving - Buffalo Bills
 
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Whitner is too strong to be free
Posted by: Anthony Bialy on March 26, 2008

The Buffalo Bills' Donte Whitner is fine where he is. There seems to be steadily frequent talk regarding moving him from strong to free safety, chatter that began when this team hosted Donovin Darius last offseason and that continues to manifest itself through murmurs on how the Bills should tweak their secondary right now. But the problem with any discussion along those lines is that he's convincingly held his own at his usual place. Repositioning Whitner could disrupt one of the defense's brighter spots over the last two seasons, namely Whitner himself.

The core trouble with the prospective change would be that Whitner has performed well in rushing support as a strong safety, as many of his 193 tackles over his two seasons have come about from stopping running backs. What's notable is that he's particularly sharp at it for a zone coverage member. The whole idea of this defensive philosophy revolves around the safeties being held back in order to help the cornerbacks stifle long passing gains; the drawback is supposed to be that they're not available to suppress ground attacks.

But Whitner has overcome that through a combination of sometimes aligning near the play along with his ruggedly physical style and gift for detecting where enemy backs are headed. While he needs to improve on choosing the right line of attack, the resulting head-on impacts when Whitner does aim himself correctly are as entertaining to fans as they are effective in restricting yardage concessions.
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Buffalo Bills "Donte Whitner is too strong to be free"- Realfootball365.com
 
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Just a heads up about some Nfl conversation that has been going on in this pre-draft, post-draft period. As some of you have likely decifered my living allows me to at times spend alot of time working with talk radio playing, and a good portion of that time is spent with Sirius 124 the Nfl network playing. Some of their people are excellent as far as game knowledge and insider information. Apparrently a big new move of emphasis is toward what they are calling big nickel, in which the SS has to be a guy that can go down in the box and make a play, as well as cover a reciever or particularily a TE one on one. This guy needs to have cornerback speed and skills, but the toughness and desire to stand up in the run game. Donte has repeatedly been mentioned as a prototypical ideal player in this role. I smile everytime when I think back at the grief the Bills took for taking Donte at no. 8(?), and how so many of these pundits have shown themselves to look like fools a few years later. Statistics show that many of these pro teams are actually in a 5 db set more plays per game than they are in 3 lb sets. Donte's role is proving to be critical in this generation of the NFL. A duel threat on defense, as apposed to a "can't miss" player like Micheal Huff in Oakland who is not getting it done in run support and looking at a move to FS. Or a guy like Roy Williams in Dallas who can play the run, but is a massive liability against the pass. Word is if he isn't cut, he will likely only see the field for 15-20 plays a game.
So congrats to Donte on finally getting some league recognition as one of the top all -round playmakers at his position. We OSU fans always knew what a special talent he was. A safety with cornerback speed and skills, as well as his leadership qualities. Many NFL Execs and coaches have come to respect donte's all-round game also.
 
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Inside the Bills Homepage - Buffalo Bills
Chris Brown is a Buffalo Bills Reporter
WHITNER'S OFFER TO MCKELVIN UNCOMMON: After Donte revealed to me that he was planning to put Leodis McKelvin up at his house to help him learn the defense faster, I was very impressed. Whitner began to show some leadership characteristics last season. But this really shows some foresight for a young player. I think it also shows how badly he wants to win. He knows that McKelvin's abilities can help the Bills right away and is doing what he can to make it happen as soon as possible. As McKelvin said himself, you don't see that kind of an offer put out there every day.
I asked Donte how McKelvin reacted when he first asked him if he'd be interested in staying with him.
?His reaction was he was thankful. He said, ?Thanks man I appreciate it,?" said Whitner.
I also asked McKelvin if he has a way of paying Whitner back, perhaps by cooking up a good meal one night or something.
?I cook pretty good," said McKelvin. "Enough to hold up my end. But I?m expecting sooner or later to take all the DBs out.?

Sounds like McKelvin knows there are other "expectations" that come with being a top pick rookie.
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:oh:
 
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osucollegebuck;1170894; said:
Inside the Bills Homepage - Buffalo Bills
Chris Brown is a Buffalo Bills Reporter
WHITNER'S OFFER TO MCKELVIN UNCOMMON: After Donte revealed to me that he was planning to put Leodis McKelvin up at his house to help him learn the defense faster, I was very impressed. Whitner began to show some leadership characteristics last season. But this really shows some foresight for a young player. I think it also shows how badly he wants to win. He knows that McKelvin's abilities can help the Bills right away and is doing what he can to make it happen as soon as possible. As McKelvin said himself, you don't see that kind of an offer put out there every day.
I asked Donte how McKelvin reacted when he first asked him if he'd be interested in staying with him.
?His reaction was he was thankful. He said, ?Thanks man I appreciate it,?" said Whitner.
I also asked McKelvin if he has a way of paying Whitner back, perhaps by cooking up a good meal one night or something.
?I cook pretty good," said McKelvin. "Enough to hold up my end. But I?m expecting sooner or later to take all the DBs out.?

Sounds like McKelvin knows there are other "expectations" that come with being a top pick rookie.
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Here is the official story about Donte letting McKelvin stay with him until he finds a place.

Whitner Housing McKelvin - Buffalo Bills
 
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Chat with Buffalo Bills CB Donte Whitner

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Whitner has two career INTs.

Welcome to The Show! On Monday, Buffalo Bills defensive back Donte Whitner will stop by to chat.
Whitner just finished up his second season in the NFL. In 2007, he finished third on the team in tackles with 89. In his rookie season, he finished second. He has grabbed one interception in each of his first two seasons.

This weekend, Whitner will be hosting the second annual Donte Whitner's Charity Cancer Strike Bowling Tournament, which is run through his foundation. The tournament helps raise cancer awareness as well as shows healthy habits for kids.

Send in your questions now and then join Whitner at 1 p.m. ET on Monday!

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Previous chat guests | SportsNation index

Buzzmaster: Hey everyone we have Donte!
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SG - NYC: Ohio State going to break through this year? Do you get to catch many of their games or even return back to Cbus?

Donte Whitner: With the recruiting class that they've had come in the last two years and with the majority of the starters back I think that this may be the year they win another title.
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Charlotte, NC: After playing for such a great college program, what do you see as the main differences between college fans (at the stadium) and NFL fans (at the stadium)?

Donte Whitner: I really do not see a difference, they all get drunk the same a night or two before the game, they all cheer real loud, and every now and then you get a streaker.
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ESPN: Chat with Buffalo Bills CB Donte Whitner - SportsNation
 
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