April 23, 2010
TORELL TROUP GOES HIGH IN THE SECOND ROUND TO BUFFALO BILLS
JOHN DENTON'S KNIGHTS INSIDER: TORELL TROUP DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE 716 AT FIRST BUT HE DOES NOW
TORELL TROUP BUFFALO MEDIA TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
BUFFALO BILLS FRONT OFFICE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
CHRONICLING TROUP'S PATH TO THE NFL
KNIGHTS IN THE NFL DRAFT ALL-TIME
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - After a full night of drafting, Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix addressed the western New York media as did Bills Vice President of College Scouting Tom Modrak who had attended UCF's Pro Day on March 25. Here are their comments on Torell Troup and Buffalo's third round pick , defensive end Alex Carrington of Arkansas State.
On drafting big and focusing on the defensive line:
Buddy Nix: "We felt fortunate that we got some guys that will fit our defense and hopefully we won't be knocked back four or five yards every time they run the ball. Maybe we can stop the run and then we'll work on getting a little pressure on the passer."
On the importance of adding 3-4 type players to the defense:
Nix: "You know I think it's important. We try not to be dictated completely by need but obviously you want to take guys that fit too. And Tom and I have both talked about it and if you're going to get big, you just about have to get big within the first three picks."
On passing on some of the more publicized tackles such as East Carolina DT Linval Joseph and Alabama DT Terrence Cody:
Tom Modrak: "There were a lot of good players and you know them, those guys were in a bunch I guess and I can see that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We like Troup the best of the bunch, although that doesn't mean those guys weren't in the mix, it was a good group in that area."
On Torell Troup's greatest strengths:
Modrak: "He is a classic nose (tackle). He plays a lot of snaps, he plays a lot of snaps every game, he's strong, he can beat the double team and you know what those guys do, those are the guys who have to defeat double teams, or at least hold up so your linebackers have a chance. That's what he's been doing, he hustles to the ball and he's a great kid. When you get to talk to him and know him he's one of those guys who wants to be good, he plays like he wants to be good and he's got good strength."
On Troup's weight:
Modrak: "He's a little bigger than (310) actually. He's more like 320, and I wish I could have had it in front of me, 316-318 last trip down there, but he's that kind of size. He carries a lot of weight in the lower (body), which, the way it's distributed makes a difference in those positions, and he's got the thick lower which you want to be standing in the middle of that line."
On the progress Troup made from his freshman year to his senior year:
Modrak: "Every year he's gotten better down there. He came in very big, but he's worked himself into really good playing weight and I think that is a testament to him wanting to be as good as he can. I mean the number of snaps played a game is amazing to me for a big man. Usually it's a quick rotation in most guys you watch. He plays all the time and he plays hard almost all the time. It's hard to do that all the time, but he's as close as you get to that. So he's put himself in a position from a stamina standpoint, he certainly learned the process down there, and we still think he has room to grow and get better."
On whether or not USC OT Charles Brown had a medical issue that caused the Bills to shy away from picking him:
Modrak: "No he did not have a medical issue for us. Our medical issue is this: either you pass, fail or there is something in-between, and he was not a fail. It's easier for me because we'll identify guys that have problems, nicks that kind of thing, but they don't fail. He did not fail."
On why Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen wasn't chosen at pick # 41 overall when many had him listed much earlier on:
Nix: "How come they didn't take him? He was there and he was there at 42 and 43, absolutely. Yea I mean we did. We've got a lot of needs guys. We've got three quarterbacks that have talent that we don't know (about). All the physical stuff you see, they can play. Now they have to prove to us whether they can or not, not what they have done. I keep saying that and we have positions where we don't have three that we can count on. In the draft you can only take one each pick and we are in a position where they should give us about three, but they won't do that. And you say well, we haven't addressed the offensive line yet, but again we want to take a guy we know can come in and help us. And if they can't then we're going to go to another guy. Again, I'll say this again, if you take a guy who can't play then you've compounded the problem, then you've got two who can't play."
On if Troup is ready to be put on the defensive line:
Nix: "Well we leave that up to the coaches. But here's how I see it: Don't think this eliminates or takes away from Kyle Williams. We love Kyle Williams, he plays as hard as anybody we got. We put one in there with him and he does the same thing, plays hard every snap. But Kyle Williams can't hold up in there playing 60-to-65 plays a game. He can't do that, and neither can anybody else, you're going to lose him somewhere during the year. So we think that Troup can play 30 plays a game and now we're good in the middle and the center is going to pay his dues every snap. There won't be anybody taking a play off. It's like what we said from the start, you can't put too many good players out there."
On Arkansas State DL Alex Carrington:
Modrak: "Just to add to what he said about Troup. Those positions, you have to have a rotation. You just can't play against some and everybody's 330 pounds and they're leaning on you for 60 plays in the hot, you just can't do it, no matter who you are. We think Alex has a chance to come in here and play behind two good players and spot in, play now and continue to get better. He's a 6-5, 280 pounds, 5-0 kind of guy, really, who plays the game hard. Five technique, you have to have length, he's got length, he can give you that run-stop bit of an obstacle in there. He's a good kid who can work hard at it and for me, it's a great set-up. We get some depth, we get a guy that can continue to develop and get better. He has some room to grow yet in that defense."
On what sold them on Carrington and Troup:
Modrak: "It helped me, I don't know if it sold you, but Carrington was very good at the Senior Bowl. His practice sessions were good. They play some good competition, just not all the time. But seeing them in a different setting, maybe as much as anything, seeing them outside their element and seeing them handling that well, gives you some assurance."
On if they plan on adding a fourth quarterback in the draft:
Nix: "It means we're going to get one somewhere in the rest of the draft or we're going to get a free agent. We will get a fourth."
On Aaron Schobel's status:
Nix: "Our stance hasn't changed. We want him back, he's a good player and we'd like to have him. We're just waiting until he makes a decision. He hasn't made it and the ball is in his court."
On their strategy for getting the right nose tackle:
Nix: "It really kind of worked out that way. We're not that much move anyways. To move just to be moving- I mean some of those guys, I don't know how they know where they're going to draft. If we know we're going to gain an advantage, we'll do it. But otherwise, we'll just stay there and try to get us a good player."
On if they think Troup and Carrington having a "chip" on their shoulder will help them:
Modrak: "Absolutely. I like for a guy to have something to prove. We think these guys have that. And not so much something to prove, but we thought they had the right makeup to try and want to get better. But if that adds to it, then that's great."
Nix: "If you read the background on Torell Troup, and see where he came from, how he got there. We both went down there and got to know him a little bit. You want to bring him home with you whether he can play or not. And then for him to turn out what he is as a player, then that's a double bonus. He's a guy where adversity won't bother him, he's had it."