Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) celebrates his sack against the Arizona Cardinals as Buffalo Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa (57) looks on during the second half Sunday in Orchard Park.
AP Photo
ORCHARD PARK — Greg Rousseau was apprehensive entering his redshirt freshman college season in 2019, because he didn’t know what to make of hearing then-Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Blake Baker start calling him “Groot.”
The reference to the Marvel Comics tree-like character with spikey hair and long-limbed arms was foreign to the then-19-year-old defensive end, even though the resemblance remains apparent to this day.
The Bills edge rusher has maintained his spikey hairstyle, and carries himself with a substantial wingspan to accompany his 6-foot-6, 266-pound frame.
“I was never self-conscious about my size. I just hadn’t watched the movie, ‘The Guardians of The Galaxy,’ so I didn’t know what that was,” Rousseau said on Tuesday as Buffalo prepares to play at Miami on Thursday night. “And then I watched it. Pretty good movie and I liked the character. He’s pretty cool.”
He quickly warmed to the nickname when teammates and fans started chanting “Grooooooooot!” during a season he finished with an ACC-leading 15 1/2 sacks.
Selected 30th in the 2021 draft after opting out the previous year for COVID-19 reasons, Rousseau spent his first three seasons in Buffalo flashing his potential — but he was knocked for lacking consistency — in combining for 17 sacks in 46 games.
Then came Sunday, when Rousseau produced what might represent a breakout performance with a career-best three sacks, the last one forcing a pivotal fumble, in helping rally Buffalo to a 34-28 season-opening win over Arizona.
“We all kind of fed off his energy and the vibe,” defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said. “To see him go out there and to see his confidence keep growing, I honestly would say he sparked our defense.”
Rousseau’s first sack came when chasing Kyler Murray out of bounds for no gain during an opening half in which Arizona built a 17-3 lead by scoring on each of its first three possessions.
Rousseau took over the game in the third quarter.
Arizona’s opening drive ended with a three-and-out when Rousseau sacked Murray for an 8-yard loss.
Two plays into the Cardinals’ next possession, Rousseau worked his way around the pocket and used his long reach to strike Murray from behind and tap the ball loose, with the fumble recovered by linebacker Dorian Williams at the Arizona 21. Five plays later, Josh Allen completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir to put Buffalo ahead for good.
Though excited to make an impactful play, Rousseau played down his role by crediting teammates and coaches for putting him in a position to succeed, while saying in the next game he might be the one helping others make a difference.
This is an example of the even-keeled approach Rousseau has sustained even when his lack of production was being questioned.
“He does a good job of self-policing his mental state, and that’s hard to do in this league,” Jones said. “People are telling him, ‘Greg, you got to step up and all this other stuff.’ For him to sit there and to have the fortitude of his own belief and to go out there and continue to be himself, it’s huge.”
The challenge now is building off the season-opening performance while knowing, as coach Sean McDermott joked, how unrealistic it might be to expect a three-sack outing every weekend.
“I’m not a math major, but I think 17 (games) times 3 (sacks) would be like a record maybe, right?” McDermott said, with a wink.
“Look, the game’s going to come to him at times like it did the other day, and then sometimes you’re going to go up against some really good competition, and they’re going to win some,” he added. “I think he’s mature like that, and he understands that, and he knows he’s always trying to grow each and every week and improve.”
Rousseau has benefitted directly from Von Miller’s presence. The NFL’s active sacks leader took Rousseau under his wing immediately upon arriving in Buffalo in 2022.
That spring, Miller compared Rousseau’s potential to “polishing a diamond.” By that summer, after Rousseau got into a training camp scuffle with a teammate, Miller was impressed to see the youngster show intensity, by saying: “I’ve been feeding him gunpowder and gasoline at lunch and breakfast.”
On Tuesday, Miller was proudly praising Rousseau for his season-opening outing.
“I always knew that he was one of the best defensive ends in the league. There’s only about five for them, and he’s one of them,” Miller said.
“I think that is a huge confidence-booster. And it’s not just words anymore. Even though words are powerful, it’s not just words, it’s the real deal,” he added. “And you can see it in ‘Groot’ every time he rushes. … He’s starting to sprout.”
NOTES: Allen practiced with a glove on his left, non-throwing hand, which he hurt landing awkwardly in the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown run Sunday. While saying the hand felt good, he sidestepped a question when asked if there was any discomfort by responding: “It’s as comfortable as we can make it.” Allen said he hasn’t determined whether he’ll wear the glove on Thursday. … In saying further tests are required, McDermott declined to rule out the possibility of CB Taron Johnson (right forearm) being placed on IR.