Donte Whitner – My Favorite Bills Player

I really like Donte Whitner. It started early, as soon as the Bills drafted him, really. Pundits and detractors thought he was a ‘reach’, and I wanted him to prove them wrong. He looked to me like exactly what the team needed, someone to lay waste to receivers over the middle and support the run defense. He’s done exactly that.

ESPN has long piece up on Whitner, showing how his childhood helped shape him into the driven individual he is today. He spent 3 months in a cast at 4 years old, after being hit by a car. His father was also jailed for 6 years when Donte turned 12. He’s channelled all of this into being a leader on and off the field for the Bills.

Last year, he played host to Thursday-night film sessions in the basement of his Hamburg, N.Y. home. He brings in a chef and a masseuse. The turnout’s always strong.

Not many 23-year-olds would take it upon themselves to do something like that.

There’s also his charity, Team 20, helping out people in Cleveland, Buffalo, and elsewhere.

“We’re going to make the playoffs,” Whitner reiterated. “I’m not backing down from that guarantee. I feel even stronger about it now than when I made it.

On the field, Whitner mentions that the coaches have been looking to bring more pressure with the upgraded personnel helping out. I’m sure Chad Johnson, er, Ocho Cinco could tell AFC Quarterbacks about what happens when Donte Whitner gets a bead on you. Very good article from Tim Graham, so read it if you haven’t already.