By Patrick Janssen (http://www.anewspaper.net/) - Football players talk about hearing footsteps. If a receiver drops a ball in fear of being hit, it's not uncommon to hear a sideline shouting "He heard footsteps!"
By Patrick Janssen (http://www.anewspaper.net/) - Football players talk about hearing footsteps. If a receiver drops a ball in fear of being hit, it's not uncommon to hear a sideline shouting "He heard footsteps!"
Following footsteps can be just as painful. The path blazed by former NFL gridder and Auburn alum Chad Kelsay placed high expectations upon his brother, Chris.
Especially with a larger frame and physical tools that football fanatics drool over, the footsteps that his All-Big 12 caliber brother left appeared to be daunting.
But Chris Kelsay has silenced the comparisons to his brother's high performance level by making noise of his own in the NFL. After finishing his rookie year second on the Buffalo Bills' depth chart, Kelsay looks to jump returning starter Ryan Denney to become a starter in his second year.
An all-state performer at Auburn High School, the younger Kelsay followed his older brother's footsteps, excelling in three sports and eventually signing with Nebraska to play football. Kelsay cracked the starting lineup at Nebraska in the 2000 season, his sophomore campaign, before reaching all-conference status his junior season.
Team records for futility and a hamstring injury that kept him from the field for five games marred Kelsay's final season at Nebraska.
"That was frustrating," Kelsay said of his senior season at Nebraska. "It's difficult when you're not used to losing, especially when you've got to watch from the sideline and can't help."
Despite the frustrations of losing and being kept from the field, Kelsay was named academic all-American for the second straight year.
After rehabilitating his injury, Kelsay impressed scouts enough to be projected as a first round pick in the 2003 NFL draft. However, the waiting game lasted longer than Kelsay expected. Kelsay lasted until the second round when the Buffalo Bills selected him with the 48th overall pick.
Rookie Adjustments
Kelsay spent most of his rookie season behind starting left defensive end Denney, recording 18 tackles, including a season-high five versus Super Bowl champion New England in the season finale.
Kelsay recognized certain differences between his previous playing days and the NFL early.
"In high school and college, you get positive reinforcement if you do something good and negative reinforcement if you don't. It's really only negative reinforcement in the NFL. Your teammates will pat you on the back if you do well, but the coaching staff expects you to do your job because this is what you're getting paid for."
Unfortunately for Kelsay, the losing that marred his senior season at Nebraska did not vanish in his rookie season in Buffalo. Despite the additions of Pro Bowl defenders Lawyer Milloy, Takeo Spikes and Sam Adams, as well as the return of All-Pro quarterback Drew Bledsoe, Buffalo stumbled to a 6-10 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
"In the NFL, it's tough to win," Kelsay said. "Any week, anybody can win. There is so much talent on the field."
Coaching Change
Following the Bills' fourth consecutive season without a winning record, Buffalo fired head coach Gregg Williams and hired Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator Mike Mularky, a coach with ties to the Kelsay family.
Mularky was the tight ends coach at Pittsburgh when Chad Kelsay was a linebacker for the Steelers in 1998 and 1999.
"They developed a good relationship," Chris said of his brother and his new head coach. Chris Kelsay said he looks forward to working Mularky in Buffalo.
"He's a younger head coach and a very intense guy," Kelsay said. Mularky, 42, starts his first tenure as an NFL head coach with ten years of NFL experience as an assistant coach after a nine-year playing career as a tight end with Pittsburgh and Minnesota. In two of Mularky's three years of leading Pittsburgh's offense, the Steelers offense finished in the top five of the NFL in total offense twice.
Not new to the Buffalo coaching staff is Kelsay's position coach, defensive line coach Tim Krumrie. Krumrie, who was retained by Mularky, is in his second year of coaching with the Bills, his tenth overall. Prior to coaching, Krumrie played twelve years with the Cincinnati Bengals and started in Super Bowl XXIII versus San Francisco.
"Coach Krumrie is one of my top two favorite coaches I've ever had," Kelsay said. "He could play right now. He stays in shape. He's a real players coach. He wouldn't have us do anything he wouldn't have himself do. He's been through battle, so it's real easy to listen to what he has to say."
New Support
Along with many coaching changes, Kelsay has undergone another change prior to his second season of the NFL. After a March marriage, Kelsay enters his second campaign as a married man.
"It's nice having her up here," Kelsay said of his wife Natalie. "She's been a tremendous support to me. A lot of guys in the league are married, and it's nice to have someone to come home to to take your mind off football."
Coming from supportive atmospheres in Auburn and the University of Nebraska, Kelsay notices similarities in the football fanaticism of the home fans in Buffalo.
"Buffalo is a very supportive city. Lincoln just has Nebraska football. We have the Sabres (NHL) and a Triple A baseball team (Buffalo Bisons). But the city really thrives on Buffalo Bills football. It's great to go out every Sunday and see all that red and blue," Kelsay said.
Kelsay has spent most of his offseason preparing for training camp, looking to earn a spot on the starting defensive unit.
After spending time in Auburn, Kelsay headed back to Buffalo for organized team activities, or OTAs.
OTAs consist of three weekend mini-camps taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Two practices are held during the Friday and Saturday sessions, while just one workout is held on Sundays.
The morning sessions are dedicated to film work, while the afternoon workouts include running, lifting, and working through plays.
Kelsay feels his offseason work will pay off for him this season.
"Coach Krumrie was up front with us before workouts. (Aaron) Schobel pretty much has the right side locked up. The left side is up for grabs. Coach Krumrie said its ours to fight over," Kelsay said of his effort to unseat Denney as the starting left defensive end.
"I'm in contention to start. Whoever produces and plays the best will get to start. I'm going into pre-season like it's mine to lose. You've got to have that mentality."
Asked whether he sees himself as Buffalo Bill for the remainder of his career, Kelsay said, "We're going to play out through this first contract. I'd love to stay. It's going to depend on my productivity."
Looking at the 2004 season, Kelsay is cautiously optimistic.
"On paper we look to do very well," Kelsay said. "We have a lot of All-Pro talent with Drew (Bledsoe), (Eric) Moulds, Takeo Spikes, and Schobel. We look good, but I said the same thing last year. We're potential playoff contenders, but in the NFL, it's tough to win games."