UNIVERSITY PARK — This much is certain — the most popular Buffalo Bills replica jersey worn by fans in Ralph Wilson Stadium this fall will include the number 1.
The question is, will it be 81 — worn by new Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens — or 51, the digits of third-year linebacker Paul Posluszny?
One of those players, on hand Saturday for The Second Mile Golf Classic at the Penn State Blue and White courses, could not care less.
“The way the NFL is — and college, as well — they need to highlight certain guys for a lot of different reasons,” said Posluszny, the former Penn State All-American. “It’s part of the deal. But the way I feel, the way our game is, the importance of the team is so much more important than any individual.”
Posluszny, who bounced back from an injury-shortened rookie year in 2007 to become the Bills’ leading tackler last season, became an instant fan favorite in blue-collar Buffalo with his dogged play and unwavering humility.
Owens, one of the game’s most gifted players, tends to take the opposite approach with the media and was involved in highly visible squabbles with teammates in previous stints with San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas. He signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Bills in March. His new teammate said Owens has been a model citizen to date.
“He’s been absolutely great,” Posluszny said. “He’s actually been the exact opposite of what everyone had said before. He’s been a great teammate. He’s very quiet in the locker room and at practice, he just goes about his business. Works extremely hard at practice and does everything he can to help us. He’s going to help us win.”
To make the playoffs for the first time since 1999, however, the Bills are going to need more than acrobatic touchdown catches. With Posluszny firmly entrenched at middle linebacker — his 110 tackles ranked him 24th in the NFL — Buffalo climbed from next-to-last in the NFL in total defense in 2007 to 14th last year.
Looking to bolster an inconsistent pass rush, the Bills took Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin with the 11th overall pick of the 2009 draft.
“Last year we made some great strides defensively, but this year we’re looking to do more,” Posluszny said. “Make more big plays, score on defense, make some big things happen. We didn’t do that well last year, so we’re looking to add that to our game this year.”
A full year of game experience — Posluszny played in only three games in 2007 before breaking his left forearm — has Posluszny feeling confident heading into training camp, which begins July 25.
“There was a huge difference in the knowledge of the game, understanding our defense, and our type of scheme and being where you have to be,” he said. “All that comes with time and experience. I feel like each year I’ll continually develop and get better and better, but I feel much more comfortable than I did my rookie year and even more comfortable than last year. Even just going through OTAs and the minicamps, I have a better command of the defense and a better understanding of everything.”
Posluszny still talks regularly with protege Sean Lee — about overcoming injuries, the Nittany Lions and topics having nothing to do with football — and is currently training in Pittsburgh with Steve Saunders, who helped Maybin pack on nearly 20 pounds in less than three months this winter.
He spent Saturday palling around with Second Mile founder Jerry Sandusky — “Whatever Coach wants me to do, I’ll do,” he said — and visiting with golfers. He seems to have achieved at the professional level the same off-field comfort zone he found as a Nittany Lion.
“It’s very, very similar,” he said. “Penn State was a great proving ground for that just because of the amount of media attention and fan support. There’s such a great amount of that surrounding Penn State, so going through that experience for four years, it prepared me for the NFL.
“When you’re at work, and when you’re playing, you’re completely dedicated to the job at hand. But when you get an opportunity to help people out in the community or see fans in the offseason, then everything has its time and place and it seems to work out well.”
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