Published: May 03, 2008 09:23 pm      

BILLS: Viti's signing sparks debate

Not much about Mike Viti says professional football player. Not his height (he’s listed at a debatable 5-foot-10). Not his college of choice (Army). And certainly not his dealings with the media.

Regardless of the question, Viti’s answer inevitably begins with “sir” (or ma’am, we’re assuming, when appropriate). Manners like that don’t seem to belong in a league where two weeks between arrests is cause for celebration.

But Viti does possess one strength that made him appealing to the Buffalo Bills. And that is, well ... his strength. The 242-pound rock of a fullback benched 470 pounds at Army, an Academy record.

“Obviously, (he’s) very powerful in a compact body, which is an asset in that position,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said of Viti.

With the fullback depth chart consisting of just Darian Barnes and Jonathan Evans, Buffalo had a need for competition at the position.

“It’s hard to find a true fullback any more. Not a lot of guys do it,” Bills running backs coach Eric Studesville said. “We wanted to get a guy who we felt the position ... and he certainly fit that.”

That explains why the Bills offered a two-year contract, which was accepted, shortly after last weekend’s NFL Draft concluded. But Viti’s story is different than that of other undrafted free agents chasing down NFL dreams. Because if he doesn’t land a roster spot in Buffalo, the next stop could be Baghdad.

Implemented in 2005, the Army’s Alternative Service Option allows athletes a chance to play professionally and serve their two years of active service working as recruiters. If Viti’s on the team in the fall, he’ll work on Tuesdays — the Bills’ off day — at a local recruiting office. If he stays on the team for two years, his remaining three years of active duty can be exchanged for six years of reserves time. If not, he could be sent to combat.

“I have to serve the United States Army and I have to serve the Buffalo Bills,” Viti said Friday as the team opened rookie minicamp. “And I think being cognizant of that going into it is being fair to myself and the organization.”

Viti’s signing and the drafting of Army safety Caleb Campbell by the Detroit Lions has sparked a national debate this week about the merits of the program. The Army hopes the pair provide positive press. Instead of getting two good officers, the hope is 200 more become interested in military academies after learning about Campbell, Viti and those who follow them.

Both Navy and Air Force, however, don’t have similar policies, so athletes there have to serve two years of active duty before having the option of exchanging the remaining three years for six years of reserves time. Some feel that could give Army a recruiting advantage.

There’s also the notion that serving as a recruiter is different, and somewhat less important, than serving overseas.

That’s an issue Viti took exception to in an interview with the Associated Press this week.

“I think a lot of people have the misconception that if you’re not getting bullets slung by your head, that you’re not serving your nation in a time of war,” he said. “There are service support branches in the Army for a reason. Combat arms is what I decided to do, but that doesn’t mean my service is going to be any less, because when you start to split hairs on it, you start to demean some of the other branches of the U.S. Army.”

Contact reporter Jay Skurski at 693-1000, ext. 117.