Nick Hennessey of the Buffalo Bills is a bit puzzled.
The offensive lineman out of Danvers read all the controversial stuff about Terrell Owens when the club acquired a big-time pass catcher — someone who is being counted on to make a huge difference in a Bills' offense that has ranked 26th or lower in the last six years of the NFL.
"I've met him and had lunch with him one day. T.O's quiet around the dressing room, nothing like he's perceived to be," Hennessey, a free-agent rookie tackle out of Colgate, said. "He has a reputation and all that stuff, but I haven't seen any of that. He just goes about his business like any other guy in the room."
Everyone, of course, sees T.O. as one of the best wide receivers ever — and also one of the mouthiest and most colorful. But the Bills haven't seen the celebrity side of T.O. yet. "To me and probably everyone else he seems like a regular guy," Hennessey said.
It's been an interesting camp for the much-decorated left tackle, who ranges between 295 and 300 pounds, depending on the heat at the club's training camp at St. John's Fisher in Rochester, N.Y. So far, so good for Hennessey.
Of course it's still early, although there has been one positive sign: Hennessey got on the field for one series, the final one, in the team's first preseason game vs. Tennessee, then played the entire fourth quarter of a 27-20 victory over Chicago in the Bills' most recent exhibition.
It's hard to measure his success, he said, but the coaches' evaluation after the Chicago game was on the positive side in his case. What's more, he got the call in that contest while the score was still tied, 20-20.
"I knew I'd play close to (a whole quarter), but you never know how much guys up front (of you) will play. Most of the time it depends on the game," Hennessey said. "It worked out well, made me feel good and there were no sacks against me. As the game went on I felt I'd be out there for a good chunk of time.
"How would I grade myself?," Hennessey said, then paused. "I'd probably give myself a B."
What do you think the coaches would give you?
Another pause.
"Probably around a B ... no, no, no, just joking," Hennessey laughed.
There is no way to know where he stands among the coaching staff at this point. "All I can do is do my best, give my best effort, and hope it's good enough," Hennessey said.
The Bills know he's very intelligent and doesn't take a play off, as they were told by the Colgate coaching staff. The fact the Red Raiders were one of the top rushing teams in the nation also speaks well of him, since much of the gains were behind his blocking at right tackle.
Hennessey showed his versatility by performing at guard in a showcase all-star game in El Paso, Texas. He hasn't been asked to operate at guard so far in the Bills' camp, but it's there for the asking.
"The offensive linemen join the coaches on Monday night after the weekend game in the film room, and I heard some favorable comments. Each play is reviewed; you hear the good stuff and bad stuff you did. No matter how good you execute, they'll say you could have competed better and hear 'you can do it better.'"
There are still 13 O-linemen around the Bills' camp, and Hennessey figured that seven or eight will be retained on the active roster. Surely at least one will be kept on the practice squad.
The first wave of cuts come Sept. 1.
He is the third string left tackle and said "there are a lot of good players ahead of me," like No. 1 Langston Walker and backup Demetrius Bell, a second-year pro.
"I definitely feel I've made constant improvement, like I'm getting better with easy passing day," he said.
Obviously, Hennessey's not tossing and turning in bed every night. He had a nice tone of confidence on the phone.
"I'm excited to play at Lambeau Field (vs. Green Bay) next weekend," he said.
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It's a given that Austin Batchelor of Peabody West will eventually attend Austin Prep. Not only is his father, Dave, an assistant baseball coach there, but Austin has three brothers who also attended the Reading parochial school.
It's probably a safe bet that Matt Hosman, another Peabody West standout, will wear St. John's Prep colors. His father, John, is a consultant for the West all-stars, helping in practice. The Peabody Fire Deptarment captain also works part time security at the Prep, serves as a supervisor at Camp Christopher on the campus and runs the 30-second clock for the basketball team. John ran 12 seasons of track for legendary Prep coach Ray Carey and captained the Eagles' cross country and spring track teams, where he contributed in the long distances.
He also coaches basketball at The Higgins Middle School in Peabody and will have seven of the 12 Peabody West Little League all-stars on the court next season, including Mike Petrosino, Matt Correale, A.J. DiFillipo, Traverse Briana, Matt Gonick, Batchelor and his son.
"I'm not sure where Matt is headed; he's only in the sixth grade," grandfather Tom Hosman said. "All I know is that I'm starting to feel like a rock star. I went to lunch at the Wardhurst and Peter (the proprietor) introduced me to everyone in the restaurant."
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Bill Kipouras is a staff reporter at The Salem News. He can be reached at 978-338-2615 or by e-mail: bkipouras@salemnews.com.
