subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Published: September 20, 2006 11:50 pm    print this story  

BILLS: Draft doubters motivate Whitner

By John Wawrow
Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK Donte Whitner hasn’t forgotten how the NFL draft gurus — and that includes you, Mel Kiper — criticized the Buffalo Bills for selecting the strong safety too early last spring.

“You just kind of store that,” Whitner said, referring specifically to Kiper, ESPN’s longtime draft analyst. “You want to prove those guys wrong.”

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Selected eighth overall out of Ohio State, Whitner has made a habit of overcoming low expectations ever since he was a 4-year-old growing up in Cleveland. That’s when doctors told him he would likely never walk again and, at the very best, spend most of his life partially paralyzed after Whitner was struck by a car while chasing a ball into the street.

“Yeah, they said all of those things,” Whitner said. “But being a kid, you don’t really think about what somebody tells you, that you’re not supposed to walk again. You just do it.”

Whitner was walking shortly after spending three months in a body cast, was playing football before high school and emerged as a hard-hitting and speedy two-year starter at Ohio State before entering the draft as a junior.

Two games and two starts into his first NFL season, Whitner has not looked out of place in a young defensive unit that had seven sacks and keyed Buffalo’s 16-6 win at Miami last weekend. Rushed into a starting role after veteran Matt Bowen was hurt in training camp, Whitner has 14 tackles and one interception heading into Buffalo’s home-opener against the New York Jets on Sunday.

“He’s talented. He’s fast. He likes to play the game, and he’ll hit you,” coach Dick Jauron said. “Those are all things that translate to our sport.”

While Jauron cautioned that Whitner is still learning, what’s impressive is how quickly the youngest player on the team’s roster — he turned 21 in July — has picked up the Bills defensive scheme in a relatively short period of time.

Besides missing most of Buffalo’s spring minicamps because of Ohio State’s relatively late graduation schedule, he also missed the first eight days of training camp because of stalled contract talks.

And Whitner’s development wasn’t affected after he missed another day of training camp to attend to the birth of his son, Donte Jr., last month.

“Coming from Ohio State and playing in a lot of big games has really prepared me for this level,” he said. “I don’t really get rattled.”

Whitner speaks with a matter-of-fact, look-you-dead-in-the-eye confidence that most rookies lack. What he’s not is overconfident, rarely drawing attention to himself on or off the field.

“With Donte, he’s a very mature player. He’s young, but he’s mature,” veteran linebacker London Fletcher said.

Added defensive coordinator Perry Fewell: “The thing about Donte is, once he gets it, he’s got it.”

Whitner credited two of his former coaches for playing key roles in his development. First there was Ted Ginn Sr. in high school, followed by Mel Tucker, the former Ohio State assistant, who’s now the Cleveland Browns defensive backs coach.

Referring to Tucker, Whitner said: “He used to call down from the (coach’s) box and tell me, ‘Go out there and make plays because you’re the best player on this field.’ He always believed in me before anybody else did.”

Now it’s making believers out of everyone else who projected Whitner of being a mid-range first-round pick.

Count Ralph Wilson among the impressed. Following the Miami game, the Bills owner approached Whitner at his locker to inform the player the team made the right decision in taking him in the draft.

“He said, ‘You showed them today,”’ Whitner said. “I’m not saying I’m better than anyone or anything. But for those guys to say I was a reach, I want to go out and prove myself. And at the end of the season we’ll compare and we’ll see.”

print this story  

Photos


Buffalo Bills top draft pick, safety Donte Whitner, participates in his first full day of football training camp, Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. Jamie Germano/Associated Press (Click for larger image)



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Featured Jobs

Medical Associate
MEDICAL ASSOCIATE
Busy local Niagara Falls practice, strong computer skills, billing background helpful, $13-$14/ho
...>MORE

Youth Job Training
Niagara County YOUTH ages 18-21. Out of School? Looking for Work?
We may have the program for YOU! Call Liz for fur
...>MORE

Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts (Baking and Pastry Instructor) NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE is seeking applications for part-time inst...>MORE

Cashiers
CASHIERS 
Looking for dependable people with great customer service skills to work in APlus Convenience store in Le
...>MORE

RN Supervisor
RN SUPERVISORS/LPN Charge Nurse/CNA’s
Full and Part Time
Positions available.
Apply in person
Fa
...>MORE

FLOOR MAINTENANCE
Floor Maintenance, 3rd shift, exp. in stripping & waxing need only apply, f/t & p/t, 632-2259 ...>MORE

Certified Pharmacy Technician & Medication Technician
Certified Pharmacy Tech’s, Certified
Medication Tech’s & PCA’s Competitive wages. Call Lisa McKensie Ransomville
...>MORE

Production
Reliable persons. Permanent Full Time Position. Must be willing to learn production skills in book binding, DAYS $8.00/...>MORE

School Bus Drivers
SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
We will train you to be a School Bus Driver. Classes starting now. Must have a clean drivers lic
...>MORE

Cleaner
CLEANER for fleet of vehicles, seasonal,
driver’s license required.
583-9982
...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Ford 1999 Escort ZX2
FORD 1999 ESCORT, ZX2 Coupe, runs great, NYS inspected, exc. cond. $1650. 694-0441...>MORE

1986 Ford Mustang
FORD 1986 Mustang convertible, 5.0 body kit, 3.8L V6, 40k on new motor, runs but needs work. $700 or BO. 417-1611...>MORE

1998 Dodge Dakota Sport
DODGE 1998 Dakota Sport 3.9 V6, regular cab, exc in & out, no rust, real sharp, $2750. 523-7102...>MORE

1993 Chevy Silverado
CHEVY Silverado 4x4 1993 new alt, starter, exhaust, rebuilt trans., etc. Reliable. Call 282-0465....>MORE

1991 Lincoln Executive Town Car
LINCOLN 1991 Executive Town Car, 42k miles, no rust, runs, needs work, $600. 990-8895....>MORE

Dodge 2001 Neon
DODGE 2001Neon, 4 dr, 4 cyl, auto, 58k mi. am/fm CD player, n o rust, like new, $3950. 525-7796...>MORE

Ford 1997 TAURUS
FORD 1997 taurus, runs exc. fully loaded, must see $1400 or best offer. 205-7711...>MORE

Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI
Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI, 4 door, one owner, exc. condition, power windows, power steering, power locks, $5000 or best ...>MORE

Pontiac 2000 Grand Prix XL
PONTIAC 2000 Grand Prix XL, black,
good condition
531-2669
...>MORE

1999 Chevy Malibu
CHEVY 1999 Malibu, needs fuel pump, $700. 282-6141 or 990-6026....>MORE

See all ads



 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index