BILLS: Stroud strives for a better season
New Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud is the first to say that last season was one to forget. Now in a new city and playing on a new team, Stroud is anxious to begin putting together a more memorable campaign.
“This team is headed in the right direction and I’m just happy to be a part of it,”
he said. “You’ve got guys who have been working toward getting better every year, and right now I think they’re right on the edge. Hopefully I can help push them over.”
That’s exactly what the Bills were thinking when they acquired the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Stroud from Jacksonville in March in exchange for a couple of draft picks. Buffalo’s porous defense was next to last in yards allowed last year, and hasn’t been in the top half of the league since ranking second in 2004.
“He can change a game,”
second-year middle linebacker Paul Posluszny said. “When we have a guy like that who is able to control the line of scrimmage the way that he’s going to be able to, especially the inside, it’s really going to help us out. It’s going to be like two different worlds, having a guy like him up front.”
Stroud is coming off a troubled season in which he finished on injured reserve. He missed the final three games after re-injuring his surgically repaired right ankle, an injury that hobbled him at the end of the 2006 season.
Stroud also served a four-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s steroids and related substances policy. He acknowledged taking supplements to help recover from the ankle operation.
He’s been limited in the first three days of Buffalo’s voluntary practices this week, and says his ankle is not quite 100 percent. His desire to get back to playing at a level that made him one of the premier defensive tackles in the league over the past few years, though, has never been stronger. Coupled with fellow mammoth defensive tackle John Henderson, Stroud played an integral part on a stingy Jaguars defense ever since he was drafted in the first round in 2001.
“I hold myself to high standards,”
said Stroud, who had three sacks this past season, and 22 overall in 100 career NFL games. “So I really don’t have to prove nothing to nobody but myself. That’s what I want to do right now. I want to see if I can take it back to how I was playing, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
Notes: Backup quarterback J.P. Losman, starting left tackle Jason Peters and top wideout Lee Evans all missed Wednesday’s voluntary team practice. Peters has been absent all three days this week, while it was the first day that Evans missed. Losman was present on Monday, but has missed the past two days ... The Bills will conclude the four scheduled days of workouts on Thursday. They will have another three days of voluntary practices next week. ... Cornerback Jabari Greer and safety Donte Whitner each came up with nice interceptions during the team drills . ... Tight end Robert Royal continues to watch from the sidelines after undergoing offseason knee surgery. ... All three of the practices have been held indoors this week.
