Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau is entering his fourth season in the NFL after being the 30th overall selection in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Through his first three years with the Bills, Rousseau has been developing himself into a force on the edge as a solid pass rusher and run stopper. The 24-year-old has accumulated 129 total tackles, 30 of which for a loss, 42 quarterback hits, 17 sacks, 12 passes defended, three forced fumbles and an interception in 46 career games.
As Rousseau enters a big fourth year in Buffalo, the expectations surrounding the team continue to remain large. The Bills have won the AFC East title for four-straight seasons, and many are picking the Bills to continue riding hot, even with the large amount of turnover on both sides of the ball this offseason.
And despite the disappointments in the playoffs over the last few seasons, Rousseau knows it's all about taking things one day at a time to ensure the team is ready for what lies ahead in a given week.
"You can't play the regular season without playing the preseason. You can't play in the playoffs without winning a certain amount of games in the regular season. So you can never really put the carriage in front of the horse. You've gotta take it day-by-day, and it might be boring or monotonous, but you've gotta break it down," said Rousseau on Wednesday during an appearance on "Schopp and the Bulldog" on WGR. "If I'm practicing on a Friday, how can I have the best practice to help me play the best game Sunday? Or if I have a Saturday walk-through, how can I walk-through the right way on Saturday to get my mind right mentally so I can go out there and produce and play good, and play high level football? When you break it down, it's easier. When you look at that big picture, man, it's convoluted, there's a lot of moving pieces. It's just too much to focus on. You only have one day that's promised, and that's the day that you woke up on. The only day promised to me right now is today. So that's the way I look at, and I know a lot of my teammates kind of have the same vibe towards it."
Rousseau was able to get in some game action during the preseason, and performed very well in about a quarter of action against the Pittsburgh Steelers with two sacks of quarterback Russell Wilson.
However, injuries to the lineup prevented Rousseau and a number of other starters from playing the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. It was one last opportunity to get some game reps in before the start of the season on Sunday, Sept. 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
While injuries piled up at training camp and in the preseason, Rousseau is optimistic for the group getting healthy right before kickoff 11 days from now.
"It's part of the game. Whatever the time of year it is - training camp, preseason, regular season - injuries come up here and there, and it's all about dudes just stepping up. And also just dudes working hard to get back healthy, just like I know all the dudes here do. Even I've done it before," Rousseau said with Mike Schopp.
As Rousseau gets ready to take the field for the regular season opener, he understands that his role on the defense is transforming more from being the youngster of the group to being a leader that other teammates look up to. He says he's already feeling that leadership, and a lot of it goes with leading by example.
"It's good to talk, but also at the same time, making sure you're about your stuff and you're doing everything in your power to play ball at a high level," Rousseau explained. "I feel like when you see that as a younger guy, I know me personally, it's inspiring. So coming in and seeing dudes like Josh [Allen] and just the way they work and the way they approach it, I've got to be on point, I've got to be on my stuff, because I'm in the locker room with him. And stepping up as a leader comes with time, and also just your reputation and what you can do out there on Sundays."
Be sure to catch every Bills game this upcoming season on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
