Here's the Bills news of note for March 6th.
**1 - Darby filling mentor role for Marquez White
**Ronald Darby had former college teammates who were mentors for him like Xavier Rhodes, LaMarcus Joyner and Terrence Brooks. Now Darby, who is set to enter his third NFL season with the Bills is paying it forward.
Darby has been serving as a mentor for former college teammate Marquez White. The Florida State cornerback is forecast as a fourth-round pick in what is a deep cornerback class this year. Following his 2015 season when he was a junior, White sought counsel from Darby knowing he left school early for the NFL. But after talking with Darby, White chose to do the opposite.
"I don't think I was ready to be a pro yet and all the things that go with it," said White. "Darby was actually one of the guys who convinced me to go back to school. He was telling me the ins and outs, the real side that other people weren't telling me. I think I made the right decision by going back."
White doesn't have any eye-popping defensive statistics because opponents rarely threw at the receivers he was covering. He had just four interceptions in his four years with the Seminoles.
Darby and White are two different corners. Buffalo's cover man has a more compact build and can run and chase. White is a longer corner, who matches up well with taller receivers thanks to his reach.
"I feel like with my length that I can compete for any ball with anybody as long as I'm in the right position and playing my technique," White told Buffalobills.com.
And as for the advice Darby has provided him, White is grateful for the insight his former teammate has provided through the pre-draft process.
"He's told me to take every day to get better," White said. "Nothing is promised and that nothing gets easier at the next level. That's the main thing he's told me. He's always good about giving a helping hand or listening in whenever I need him. He's like a big brother to me."
**2 - McDermott sees McCoy as a great fit for Bills offensive scheme
**There had been speculation in the media that LeSean McCoy's running style might not be an ideal fit for Buffalo's new offensive scheme under coordinator Rick Dennison. They're likely the same pundits who saw McCoy as a potential cap casualty of the club.
Not surprisingly, McDermott disagreed with that line of thinking when asked about it on an appearance with ESPN NFL Insiders.
"Well I think if you ask most defensive coordinators, LeSean's probably a fit for most offenses and ours is no different," said McDermott. "I'm excited about seeing LeSean in our offense, in Rick's system, that balanced attack and I think that they'll feed off each other really, with LeSean's skill set and the system with the play-action game off of that. Should be dynamic."
How one could think that multiple holes and options in a stretch zone scheme like Dennison's wouldn't be good for McCoy is hard to fathom. McCoy should flourish in a scheme like Dennison's.
3 - Boulware explains title game Watkins shout-outAs Clemson Defensive MVP and co-captain Ben Boulware was accepting the College National Football Championship trophy with his teammates after the Tigers dramatic comeback win over defending champion Alabama, he made a point to mention several alumni who came before them including Bills WR Sammy Watkins. Boulware said it was important for them to recognize the players who came before them that helped push the program to the top.
"Everybody was a piece of the puzzle," said Boulware at the NFL Combine. "Obviously our team was the one that brought the trophy back home, but there's so many guys that laid the foundation and laid a brick on the wall to build our Clemson house. All we really did was put the roof on it. Along with saying that, I think there's definitely not a ceiling. I thought there's so much more that our teams could do and I feel like it's up the leadership of each new team to want to accomplish that. So our senior class did that but hopefully there's going to be more to come."
Boulware felt even though the players that came before him weren't on the national title team, they were a part of what they accomplished because they were instrumental in showing him the ropes of what it takes to be championship caliber.
"All those guys who took part in shaping me into who I am today," he said. "With their leadership qualities and the way they went about their business and how they worked every day, I had to give credit where credit was due. They made a huge impact on my life. They told me how to watch film, told me how to take care of business in the weight room. I had to show respect where respect's been earned."
