ORCHARD PARK — Greg Rousseau was nervous going into his redshirt season as a college freshman in 2019, not knowing what to do when then-Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Blake Baker started calling him. “Groot.”
The reference to the tree-like Marvel Comics character with spiky hair and long limbs was foreign to the then-19-year-old defensive end, but the similarities are clear to this day.
The Bills edge rusher maintains his spiked hairstyle and plays with a fairly long wingspan that suits his 6-foot-6, 266-pound build.
“I’ve never really cared about my body shape. I just hadn’t seen the movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ so I didn’t know what it was about.” “We’re not going to let it go,” Rousseau said Tuesday as Buffalo prepares to play at Miami on Thursday night. “And then I watched it. It was a pretty good movie, and I liked the character. He’s pretty cool.”
He quickly became familiar with the nickname as teammates and fans began chanting. “Groot!!” He recorded an ACC-leading 15.5 sacks on the season.
Rousseau was the 30th pick in the 2021 draft after opting out of the previous year’s draft due to COVID-19 and showed potential in his first three seasons with Buffalo but was criticized for being inconsistent, totaling 17 sacks in 46 games.
Then on Sunday, Rousseau had a breakout performance, recording a career-high three sacks and forcing a crucial fumble, the last of which led Buffalo to a 34-28 win over Arizona.
“We were all inspired by his energy and vibe.” “It’s a great feeling,” defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said. “Seeing him step out on the court and his confidence grow, I can honestly say he’s energized our defense.”
Rousseau’s first sack came when he chased Kyler Murray out of bounds for no gain in the first half after Arizona had scored on its first three attempts to take a 17-3 lead.
Rousseau took control of the game in the third quarter.
Arizona’s first attempt ended in failure when Rousseau sacked Murray for an eight-yard loss, marking their third consecutive attempt to fail.
On the second play of the Cardinals’ next possession, Rousseau circled the pocket and used his long reach to hit Murray behind the ball, flicking it away from the field, and the fumble was recovered by linebacker Dorian Williams at the Arizona 21. Five plays later, Josh Allen completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir to give Buffalo the lead.
While excited to make an impact, Rousseau downplayed his role, saying his teammates and coaching staff were the ones who led him to success and that in the next game he might be the one helping others make a difference.
This is an example of Rousseau’s calm attitude even when his unproductiveness was being questioned.
“He manages his mental health well, which is hard to do in this league.” Jones said. “People are telling him things like, ‘Greg, you’ve got to try harder,’ and for him to sit there and stick to his guns and go out there and be himself is huge.”
The challenge now is to build on that season-opening performance and, as coach Sean McDermott jokingly said, how unrealistic it is to expect three sacks every weekend.
“I’m no math major, but I think 17 games x 3 sacks is a record, right?” McDermott said with a wink.
“Sometimes the game will go in his favor, like it did the other day, and sometimes he’ll play a really strong opponent and they’ll win.” He added: “I think he’s mature in that sense and he understands that and he understands that he’s always striving to grow and get better every week.”
Rousseau has directly benefited from the presence of Von Miller, the NFL’s current sacks leader, who mentored Rousseau immediately upon his arrival in Buffalo in 2022.
That spring, Miller saw Rousseau’s potential. “Polishing a Diamond” After Rousseau got into a fight with a teammate at training camp that summer, Miller was impressed with the youngster’s intensity, saying: “I’ve been giving you gunpowder and gasoline for lunch and breakfast.”
On Tuesday, Miller proudly praised Rousseau’s performance in the season opener.
“We’ve always known he’s one of the best defensive ends in the league. They only have five and he’s one of them.” Miller said.
“I think that’s a huge confidence boost. And it’s not just words anymore. Words are powerful, but they’re not just words, they’re real.” He added: “And you can see it every time Groot charges. … He’s starting to bud.”
NOTES: Allen practiced wearing a glove on his non-throwing left hand, which was injured when he landed awkwardly in the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown run Sunday. He said his hand felt fine but dodged the question about whether it was causing any discomfort, saying: “No, I don’t know.” “We try to make it as comfortable as possible.” Allen said he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll wear a glove Thursday. … McDermott didn’t rule out cornerback Taron Johnson (right forearm) being placed on injured reserve, saying more testing is needed.
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