Kevin Oklobzija - Marcus Easley had already gone through the Buffalo Bills’ spring
workouts and then mini camp in June, but Thursday’s opening of training
camp was the real milestone.
When he ran routes at St. John Fisher College and caught passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick and Vince Young, he knew he was back.
The designation following his name on the team roster is again WR instead of IR.
A wide receiver chosen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft out of the University of Connecticut, Easley has yet to show the Bills what he can do.
Not that it’s his fault. His body has betrayed him.
As a rookie in 2010, he suffered a season-ending knee injury three days into training camp. He fell awkwardly and, not long after, was undergoing surgery on his left knee. He spent the entire 2010 season on injured reserve.
Then last season in September, his season again came to an end before it began, this time due to a heart ailment.
So you can understand just how excited he was on Thursday to simply take part in the afternoon opener of camp.
“You never really know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” he said.
He is back at the best possible time. Besides Stevie Johnson, there really aren’t any spots at wide receiver that are guaranteed. Donald Jones is No. 2 on the depth chart, partly out of merit and partly because someone must be listed second.
“Donald will start there but still we are looking at everybody,” coach Chan Gailey said. “Just because a guy starts the first day does not mean anything.
“There are some spots that we understand there is competition and we are going to try and make sure we make it as equal as possible going into the season.”
Easley, a 24-year-old native of Stratford, Conn., is eager to show the Bills what he can do. He has never played in an NFL regular-season game.
“There are 11, 12 guys out here competing,” Easley said. “Steve’s the No. 1 guy and it’s an open competition after that.”
He at least can say he’ll have a say in what happens. And that the Bills opted to keep him probably says they want to see what he can do. Season-ending injuries in back-to-back years by an unproven, middle-round draft pick is often a sure-fire way to the NFL’s unemployment line.
“My job is always in jeopardy,” he said. “You have to kind of have a chip on your shoulder because you’ve got more to prove.”
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound Easley went on injured reserve in September, two days after the season opener at Kansas City.
He had felt something wasn’t right in terms of his heart rate and alerted team medical personnel. He still won’t discuss what doctors found but he said the problem has been corrected.
“Even elite athletes can have heart problems,” he said. “It was serious enough that I couldn’t play football.
“Who wouldn’t be shocked by that? It’s definitely an eye-opener.”
He’d like any new shocks to come because of what he does on the field.
“I think everybody is anxious to see what I can do,” he said. “I’m just as anxious as everyone else. My family is too.”
When he ran routes at St. John Fisher College and caught passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick and Vince Young, he knew he was back.
The designation following his name on the team roster is again WR instead of IR.
A wide receiver chosen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft out of the University of Connecticut, Easley has yet to show the Bills what he can do.
Not that it’s his fault. His body has betrayed him.
As a rookie in 2010, he suffered a season-ending knee injury three days into training camp. He fell awkwardly and, not long after, was undergoing surgery on his left knee. He spent the entire 2010 season on injured reserve.
Then last season in September, his season again came to an end before it began, this time due to a heart ailment.
So you can understand just how excited he was on Thursday to simply take part in the afternoon opener of camp.
“You never really know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” he said.
He is back at the best possible time. Besides Stevie Johnson, there really aren’t any spots at wide receiver that are guaranteed. Donald Jones is No. 2 on the depth chart, partly out of merit and partly because someone must be listed second.
“Donald will start there but still we are looking at everybody,” coach Chan Gailey said. “Just because a guy starts the first day does not mean anything.
“There are some spots that we understand there is competition and we are going to try and make sure we make it as equal as possible going into the season.”
Easley, a 24-year-old native of Stratford, Conn., is eager to show the Bills what he can do. He has never played in an NFL regular-season game.
“There are 11, 12 guys out here competing,” Easley said. “Steve’s the No. 1 guy and it’s an open competition after that.”
He at least can say he’ll have a say in what happens. And that the Bills opted to keep him probably says they want to see what he can do. Season-ending injuries in back-to-back years by an unproven, middle-round draft pick is often a sure-fire way to the NFL’s unemployment line.
“My job is always in jeopardy,” he said. “You have to kind of have a chip on your shoulder because you’ve got more to prove.”
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound Easley went on injured reserve in September, two days after the season opener at Kansas City.
He had felt something wasn’t right in terms of his heart rate and alerted team medical personnel. He still won’t discuss what doctors found but he said the problem has been corrected.
“Even elite athletes can have heart problems,” he said. “It was serious enough that I couldn’t play football.
“Who wouldn’t be shocked by that? It’s definitely an eye-opener.”
He’d like any new shocks to come because of what he does on the field.
“I think everybody is anxious to see what I can do,” he said. “I’m just as anxious as everyone else. My family is too.”
No comments:
Post a Comment