"He goes 100 miles per hour on every snap, and always gives 110%."
That's what Bills' head coach Chan Gailey said about linebacker Danny Batten during training camp.
Knowing this ahead of getting the chance to sit down with Batten and his fiancé, I was expecting to have a pretty intense lunch with #57.
As I sat down with Batten and Liz, his college sweetheart from South Dakota State, I was immediately impressed by how down-to-earth and laid back this guy who plays with ferocious intensity really was.
It was the day Batten got the news that he'd be making his first NFL start...against Michael Vick and the Eagles nonetheless. I joked with him that I fully expected a Ray Lewis dance during player introductions.
What does he do when his name gets announced and he runs out onto the field? He puts his head down and jogs out to join his team. It's time to get to work. No theatrics, just a fully focused vision on the task at hand.
When I asked him about his nerves, he plainly and genuinely stated, "Don't get me wrong, I love this. But I know there are guys in Afghanistan and overseas putting their lives on the line for their country. It means a lot to me to go out there, and I know it means a lot to the fans, but you have to keep this all in perspective."
And with that, Batten summed up the spirit of this enitre team of cast-offs. The Goon Squad, Bills Mafia, whatever you want to call this Island of Misfit Toys the Bills have assembled, it's all about throwing everything you have on the field but keeping your mind right when those 60 minutes are over.
Like most of his teammates, Batten's road to the NFL has been long and winding. But, it has been paved with at least one brick...not sure if it was yellow.
Prodded by Liz, his fiancé, I had to ask Batten about a story I knew about ahead of time, but was a little bit afraid to ask.
Danny blushingly told the story of being stranded somewhere in the pan handle of Florida, in the dead middle of the night. He had to stop to get gas, and locked his keys in the rental car that he had.
"Here it is, 4:30 in the morning, nobody's answering their phones. I have a flight to catch. I had to get to the Texas vs. The Nation College All-Star game. I didn't know what to do. I was going to miss the flight, so I found a brick, and smashed it through the window so I could get on the road and catch the flight."
And it was there the nickname "Brick" or "D-Brick" was born.
And in the story of the long and winding road, it was at that Texas vs. The Nation game that Batten feels he clicked with a scout in the Bills' organization thay may have helped in his ending up in Buffalo.
"He really helped me a lot that week. Felt like he kind of took me under his wing. I mean, you never know, you hear so much during the whole process that you can't ever really know" Batten said.
How ever he got here, we're glad to have him. This city is in love with this team because most of the players embody the spirit of Buffalo. Nobody expected Danny Batten to be a starting outside linebacker in the NFL when he was drafted.
You could say that Batten didn't even expect it. He just put his head down, caught a couple of breaks, worked his ass off and good things have happened.
I think we can all identify with that.
Follow Kevin on Twitter, and LIKE Danny's Facebook Fan Page. You can also customize a Danny Batten #57 jersey, or a jersey of any other members of the Bills Mafia/The Goon Squad at The Buffalo Bills official online store.
Comments