Fine-tuning of new role is rookie tight end’s focus
By Allen Wilson
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 05/05/08 6:38 AM
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- Derek Fine was overshadowed by some of the Big XII’s other tight ends, something the Bills believe worked to their advantage.
Derek Fine’s receiving numbers at the University of Kansas weren’t jaw-dropping last season. But his 46 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns weren’t that bad for a tight end playing in a spread offense that used multiple wide receivers and moved him all over the field.
Even though Kansas won a school-record 12 games, Fine was overshadowed in the Big XII Conference, where Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M, Martin Rucker of Missouri and Jermichael Finley of Texas got more attention and were drafted earlier.
But the Buffalo Bills believe they benefited from the lack of hype surrounding Fine. The way they have talked up the fifth-year senior, the Bills must think they’ve found a steal in the fourth round.
“This is why we never listen to the media or what the experts might say,” Bills tight end coach Charlie Coiner said. “Sometimes a guy can get on a roll publicitywise and all of a sudden they’ve got six or seven names that keep coming up over and over. Maybe a guy like Derek slips through the cracks. But we’re very happy to have him. I think we’ve got a really good football player.”
Fine will contribute right away on special teams (he was Kansas’ special teams co-MVP), but Coiner wouldn’t stop there.
Desperate for a tight end with receiving skills, the Bills expect Fine to make an early impact in the passing game.
“I think if you’re a tight end and you make the team you’re a guy who is going to be involved immediately in a lot of things,” Coiner said. “I see him as a guy who will come in and contribute in different positions in our offense. He can line up next to the tackle; he can line up as a wing or line up as the second tight end. I think he is going to be a good intermediate and short pass catcher early and I think he’s got the ability to stretch the field when we need to.”
During the Bills’ three-day rookie minicamp, which concluded Sunday, Fine got a jump-start on familiarizing himself with the offense and his role in it.
As the only tight end in attendance, he got all the work he could handle.
“I’m trying to learn two different positions right now, so there’s a lot more coming at me,” Fine said after a workout inside the Bills’ practice facility. “Overall, I’m coming around. It’s a long, slow process because it’s all new. But I’m doing pretty well.”
Coiner said Fine has already exceeded his expectations as far as route-running and catching the ball. His blocking won’t be tested until the pads go on, but they thought he was the best receiver-blocker combination at his position.
He was the third-leading receiver at Kansas last season, as his 46 receptions set a school record for tight ends. He had 98 catches for 1,009 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career while starting 33 games in 49 appearances.
Although the Jayhawks were predominantly a passing team, Fine showed he can be a physical run blocker. He paved the way for two of KU’s most memorable plays last season.
Against Toledo on Sept. 15, Fine leveled a defensive back to spring Aqib Talib for a touchdown on a 58- yard pass play. In a win at Colorado on Oct. 20, Fine drove a defender 20 yards downfield (and out of the play) to clear a path for quarterback Todd Reesing’s 53-yard scramble.
“I feel my versatility is my best attribute,” Fine said. “I can split out wide, line up in the slot or the backfield and line up on the line of scrimmage. I think I can handle any role I’m given.”
Fine has decent size (6-foot-3, 251 pounds) and speed (4.84-second 40- yard dash at the combine). But he has good strength as evidenced by his 24 225-pound bench-press repetitions at the combine, which tied for third among tight ends. He also posted the best three-cone drill (6.8 seconds), the second-best 20-yard shuttle (4.19 seconds) and third-best 60-yard shuttle (11.59 seconds). Those drills test lateral agility and quickness.
“From what I’ve seen so far, he’s who we thought he was,” Coiner said. “He’s a big, strong, athletic kid and a tough guy, too, so he’ll block. He’s a hard worker. . . . He’s got a long way to go, but he’s going to have some successful days here.”
Robert Royal is safe as the starting tight end this year, so Fine will compete with free-agent pickups Teyo Johnson and Courtney Anderson as well as second-year pro Derek Schouman for playing time.
The Bills certainly didn’t draft Fine to put him on the bench. They want him to earn a key role this season. But Fine is ignoring the expectations and focusing on learning the offense and maintaining the kind of low profile befitting his unheralded draft status.
“Ever since I’ve been at Kansas, I was always in the shadows doing the hard work like blocking and special teams,” he said. “If that’s how it’s going to be here, that’s fine. I’m not looking for glory or any kind of fame like that. I just want to come and play football and contribute to this team as best I can.
“Of course as a competitor, anytime you come to a new team you want to play. Nobody wants to stay on the sideline. But at the same time I know that I have to earn my way. I’m just here trying to learn from the vets and learn how everybody does things in this organization and everything will take care of itself. I just want to fit in and do my rookie thing right now.”
