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Friday, August 22, 2008 7:18 PM EDT
POLLOCK: Posluszny can’t wait for season to get started
He had NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year written all over him.
Paul Posluszny, the Penn State star the Bills had moved up to draft in 2007’s second round, was everything he was supposed to be.
He followed PSU alumnus Shane Conlan (1987) and Jim Haslett (1979) as the only rookies ever to start the season opener at middle linebacker for Buffalo.
Posluszny led the team in tackles the first two games, logging 11 against Denver and 12 at Pittsburgh.
Bright and good looking, the 6-1, 238-pound native of Aliquippa, Pa. immediately became a major commercial presence in Western New York.
But in Game 3 at New England, he had three stops in the first quarter before he crumpled to the Gillette Stadium turf with a shattered forearm.
So ended Posluszny’s rookie season ... vast promise followed by supreme disappointment.
But he began rehabbing as soon as he got the OK and chafed to get back in action, starting with the Organized Team Activities (OTAs) last spring.
And while training camp, which ended Wednesday morning at St. John Fisher College, can be a drag for some players, it wasn’t for Posluszny.
“It was great to be back out there and to be in training camp,” he said. “OTAs are one thing but when you’re at training camp and you know the season is literally right around the corner, it’s a great feeling to be out there and be with the guys, running around again.
“There are a lot of good feelings right now ... I’m really looking forward to getting ready for the season.”
Posluszny admitted, “I thought we had a good camp We improved on a lot of things that we really wanted to focus on ... we really got better as the weeks went on.
“The good thing is that camp is just the start. We still have a couple of preseason games left and some more time to get ready for the regular season ... but we got off to a good start.”
POSLUSZNY likes what he’s observed so far.
“Seeing some of our new guys in action, actually seeing them live as opposed to during OTAs with just helmets ,” he said, “to see those guys out there, to see the talent that we have, and those guys being able to display their skills, I think we’re really excited about what we have and what we can do this year.
“We know that as long as we play up to our ability, and do all of the right things - everything that we’re supposed to do - we should be in good shape.”
ONE THING that puts Posluszny in better shape is the presence of 6-foot-6, 310-pound former Jacksonville Jaguar Marcus Stroud lining up in front of him at defensive tackle.
“It’s two different worlds having Marcus in front of you,” he said. “What he was able to do, just in the Pittsburgh game and the Washington game, the few amount of snaps that we had, he still made a huge difference in there, stopping the run.
“You know he’s always going to get pressure on the quarterback, so to have him it’s really going to help us out.”
What Posluszny likes most, though, is the buzz about this year’s Bills.
“We definitely know people are excited,” he said. “They come up and say good luck this year. They want us to be in the playoffs and they’re exactly right. We want to get to the postseason and go from there.”
(Chuck Pollock, sports editor of the Times Herald, may be reached at cpollock@oleantimes herald.com)
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