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S Donte Whitner (Official Thread)

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September 03, 2008

Thursdays with Donte

Safety Donte Whitner last season started having his fellow defensive backs over to his house every Thursday evening after work to watch film together. Whitner is serving as host again this year on Thursdays, and he's added some high-quality cooking to the get-together.

"They guys elected me captain today, so we have guys coming over," Whitner said. "We have a chef come over and prepare us some food, watch some film, have a couple desserts. So we?re going to have a good time tomorrow."

Asked about the importance of the study session, Whitner said:

"It is very important because you need camaraderie, you need to become a brotherhood around here to win. You can?t go to battle with guys that you barely know. The only time that you know them is when you?re here in the facility ? you can?t win like that. We want to win, we want to develop that friendship, that brotherhood, to where guys can be themselves, and we can go on the football field and win a lot of games together."


---Mark Gaughan
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BillBoard: Thursdays with Donte
 
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ONTE WHITNER: ?I?ll have opportunities for some interceptions and big hits and get guys lined up.?
ROAMING TIME
Improved pass rush will benefit Bills safety
By Allen Wilson NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 09/10/08

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James P. McCoy/Buffalo News
Donte Whitner has established himself as one of the top strong safeties in the NFL.

Donte Whitner looks at how Pro Bowl strong safeties like Bob Sanders of Indianapolis and Troy Polamalu of Pittsburgh are used to maximize their impact and wonders, ?Why can?t I do the same thing??

He?ll get his chance this season.

The new additions on the Buffalo Bills? defense will mean a new, expanded role for Whitner.

With proven run-stuffing defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, versatile defensive tackle Spencer Johnson and solid veteran linebacker Kawika Mitchell strengthening the front seven, Whitner will have more freedom to improvise than he?s ever had before.

?I?m excited,? said Whitner, who had six tackles and a pass breakup during the Bills? season-opening 34-10 rout of Seattle. ?My packages have expanded as far as me blitzing and showing one thing and doing another. I?ll have an opportunity to roam back there, have opportunities for some interceptions and big hits and get guys lined up. I?m enjoying it.?

Entering his third season, Whitner is already established as one of the top strong safeties in the NFL. He has been consistently productive, topping 100 tackles in each of his first two years.

What he hasn?t been is a big-time playmaker in the mold of Sanders and Polamalu, both of whom have the latitude to freelance and wreak havoc all over the field.

Whitner has only two interceptions, six pass breakups and no sacks in his brief career. Those numbers are expected to increase in his new role, where he?ll be near the line of scrimmage on one play and in deep center field on the next.

?When we initially drafted Donte, I wanted him to understand the fundamentals and principles of the defense,? defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. ?He?s been in this system for two years now, so as he grows I want to allow him to grow within our defensive system. He?s a very talented young man, so I can take advantage of his talents by moving him into multiple positions and doing different things that enhance our ability to be aggressive.?
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ROAMING TIME : Sports : The Buffalo News
 
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Posted: Friday, 12 September 2008
Whitner's talk follows walk
[email protected]

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(WGR 550) -- If the Buffalo Bills' defense follows Donte Whitner's example on the field, then one can only hope his words carry as much weight in the locker room.

One week after the Bills defense roughed up Seattle to the tune of five sacks, one interception and nine passes defended, Whitner and his mates head into Jacksonville with confidence in their abilities and vengeance on their minds after dropping a 34-16 decision in Florida last year.

"I remember allowing Fred Taylor to break out a 50-yard run, and then I remember playing good solid defense and letting it get away from us in the second half," Whitner said. "This year, it's a very different feeling going in there. Last year you didn't really know. You wanted to play hard for each other. You wanted to win, but you knew that you would have to play almost perfect to beat them."

The change will show up in the team's philosophy on Sunday, according to the third-year safety out of Ohio State.

"This year, we're going to be the aggressors and we're not going to allow those guys to dictate how we play the football game," Whitner said. "We've put the opener behind us. We expect to go out there and win now. We give our opponents respect, but we expect to outplay people. The past few years, you didn't really know, but this year we expect to win football games."

Whitner's rise through the Bills organization has him holding the title of captain in just his third year on the job. The safety's taken care of his younger teammates, hosting get-togethers at his house that've included a masseuse and chef. The one-time first-round pick and now veteran said his growth has come alongside his teammates, and their experience is giving Perry Fewell fuel.

"I think he's very excited," Whitner said. "It's almost like your playing chess and now you have different pieces. When he comes to us, we can take the information he gives us and tell him how we feel about it."
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WGR 550 SportsRadio - Home of the Buffalo Sabres - Whitner's talk follows walk
 
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Bills? Whitner reigns, with help from his secondary minions

The best thing about the Buffalo Bills' defense playing generally well is that it's given safety Donte Whitner the chance to play specifically well, as he's excelling this season at his style of vengeful football. Everyone else doing their jobs and holding their ground allows him to be on the prowl, creating nightmares on Sunday afternoons with his instinctual attacks against two offenses so far. The competence of this 2008 edition gives Whitner the freedom to forge a different path thanks to both his and the group?s respective maturity.

He?s managed six tackles in each of Buffalo?s games, but it?s the way he's been ending plays when he wants to and not when the ball carrier does that makes Whitner such a prize. More notably, he?s getting a chance to roam the field like a focused madman, allowing him to truly come into his own. That?s thanks to not only his own development but also because of the fact he has better talent playing alongside him than was deployed as recently as his rookie season. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is finally using Whitner as a wild card with his other face cards in place.

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BILLS NOTEBOOK: Whitner savors the taste of victory
By Jay Skurski
E-mail Jay
Niagara Gazette

ORCHARD PARK ? Donte Whitner was out for dinner the other night at the Buffalo Chophouse. A Bills fan, excited about the team?s 2-0 start, saw Whitner and offered him a drink.

Not just any drink, though, a $175 shot.

Safe to say, it?s good to be the Bills ? and Whitner ? right now. Peter King of Sports Illustrated has them in the Top 10 of his power rankings. Vegas oddsmakers have the team as a 9.5-point favorite for Sunday?s game against Oakland.

?People around town are excited,? Whitner said. ?That?s what happens when you win, and we want to continue to keep it going.?

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All this should have meant a loss. And Donte Whitner is the first to admit it would have in seasons past.

But like with Smith and Co. before them, there?s no lack of confidence in the Bills locker room these days.

When the Bills defense got beat for a big play, Whitner took exception to Higgins? downshifting on the 15-yard line.

He popped him deep in the end zone, drawing a flag in the process.

When asked about it after, Whitner shook his head and said he?d do it again.

?It?s all about respect. We expect them to respect us,? Whitner said. ?I wish I would have had an opportunity to hit him cleanly.?
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Whitner will be the honorary captain for the Purdue game............:oh:

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Whitner returning to Ohio State

Chris Brown, Lead Journalist
Posted Oct 9, 2008

A lot of Bills players have plans for their bye weekend. Some are returning to their hometowns to reunite with family. Others are taking a weekend vacation. Bills safety Donte Whitner is going back to school.
Buffalo’s defensive co-captain will be serving his alma mater as an honorary captain for the Ohio State-Purdue game at Ohio Stadium (the Horseshoe) in Columbus on Saturday.
“Coach Tressel asked me if I would like to be an honorary captain and I said, ‘Yes,’” said Whitner. “So I’m going to be there to toss the coin and watch the game.”
Whitner has always been big on college pride, but credits Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel with keeping the tradition alive at Ohio State.
“At some schools you go to they don’t pay much attention to tradition, but he keeps all the tradition going,” Whitner said. “They still sing the alma mater to the marching band after every win. That’s why guys love to come back.”
Tressel also has a former player serve as honorary captain each week. In addition to making the coin flip on game day at midfield, Whitner will have to address the team Saturday morning.
“The day before the home games we stay in the hotel and he’ll have one of the previous all-Americans from the 50’s or 60’s all the way up to his former players come to captain the breakfast and speak to the team after pre-game meal. Coach then gives him a coin with his face on it that he will flip for the game.”

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