The days of Corey McIntyre being a forgotten man in the Buffalo Bills' offense might soon be coming to an end.

The organization showed its commitment to McIntyre on Monday, signing the affable fullback to a two-year contract extension worth $1.85 million. McIntyre confirmed the deal after practice.

"Hard work pays off," he said. "I'm ready to give my heart and soul to this organization."

Bills coach Chan Gailey is also committed to McIntyre. That's evidenced by the glowing terms in which Gailey described the fullback.

"You can't count in statistics what he brings to our football team. He's a true tough guy," Gailey said. "He loves to play the game. He's a hard-nosed football player."

The preseason is admittedly a small sample size, but McIntyre's statistics also show that he may become more of a presence when the Bills have the ball. He had three catches for 31 yards -- numbers that might not sound remarkable, until you compare them to his career stats with the Bills.

McIntyre has five carries for 34 yards and nine catches for 54 yards in 26 games with the Bills.

"I've had some touches [in the preseason], but I'm just trying to help the offense," he said.

Of course, McIntyre's primary role will be as a lead blocker for the running backs who line up behind him -- Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and Marshawn Lynch.

"I just hope to open up new holes for those horses behind me," McIntyre said.

That team-first attitude is part of what makes McIntyre important to the team, according to Gailey.

"He's excellent in the locker room and meeting rooms," the coach said. "He's a real positive for this football team, and an excellent special teams player on top of all that."

Getting to this point has been a long road for the sixth-year veteran. McIntyre, 31, originally entered the NFL in 2002 with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia. He didn't actually play a game, though, until 2005 with Cleveland.

His well-traveled career included a stint in NFL Europe and other stops in New Orleans and Atlanta.

"For a person who's traveled the road I've traveled, to actually have your first real contract, I can't even describe the feeling," McIntyre said.

He's found a home with the Bills as he prepares for his third season with the team. McIntyre originally joined Buffalo on Sept. 30, 2008.

The contract extension will keep him with the Bills through 2012. McIntyre said the team approached his agent about an extension last month.

"They went from there and the next thing, I get a call saying, 'You'll be a Bill for a couple of more years.'"

With just two healthy tight ends on the roster -- and question marks about the health and ability of the offensive line -- McIntyre's role as a blocker will be critical to the offense's success.

It's also a chance for him to show that fullback isn't quite extinct in the NFL just yet.

"Yeah, I won't let it die," he said. "Even the other fullbacks out there, we continue to not let that position die. We love it. That's why we play it. It's never going anywhere. We're going to keep it alive."

jskurski@buffnews.comnull