Ed Thompson: Coming out of Wisconsin you had 21 career interceptions
and you were the only undrafted free agent to make the Bills' 53-man roster in
2005. Why do you think you made it when so many others came up short?
Jim Leonhard: That's hard to say. I think I got into a great
situation where the Bills didn't have a ton of safeties and I was able to come
in and play well and get an opportunity to make the team that year.
ET: In the opener against Denver, Ko Simpson is injured and you step
in and make 13 tackles and your first NFL interception. What was going through
your mind out there?
JL: I was definitely ready for that moment. I feel like the last
couple of years I've picked up on the game at this level and how to be
successful. Unfortunately, Ko got hurt, but it was my opportunity to step up and
show that I was ready.
ET: Thirteen tackles in that opening performance. Were you concerned
at all that you had set the bar pretty high for yourself?
JL: No, I wasn't afraid that I set the bar too high, but I also
wasn't happy that I had to make that many [laughs]. As a safety, it's not
necessarily a bad thing that you've had that many tackles, but you'd like it to
come in a winning effort. That was the only thing that was a little
disappointing about that was that we just fell a bit short.
ET: You got your first NFL interception against Denver, killing a
drive. Tell us about the play as I'm sure it's still ingrained in your memory
since it was your first one.
JL: It felt great. It's one of those plays where you look back at it
and Jay Cutler made a mistake. He kind of overthrew a ball a bit and I was in
the right place at the right time and I had an opportunity to get that first
interception. I had a little bit of an opportunity to get out and run with it a
little bit which always feels good.
ET: You picked up your second career interception the following week
against the Steelers -- talk a little big about that play.
JL: That's was a play where you realize that (QB Ben) Roethlisberger
likes to take shots early in the game -- especially with Santonio Holmes, he's
their big deep threat. I diagnosed the play, and they tried clearing me
out, but I made a play on the ball and got that second one.
ET: While the games haven't turned out the way you would have liked,
how do you feel you're progressing?
JL: I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable. Just being out
there with Donte Whitner and all the rest of the guys on defense, the
communication is getting better every week. You feel a lot more comfortable just
knowing where guys are going to be. Unfortunately, we kind of have a revolving
door on our defense right now with all the injuries we have, but I think guys
are getting a lot more comfortable with each other the more we get to play.
Jim Leonhard teams up to make a tackle
Chris Graythen/Getty Images |
ET: The injury situation in Buffalo has not only been horrendous,
it's also had to have been gut-wrenching at times for you guys with the number
and severity of injuries you guys have had. How is the team handling it?
JL: You've got to stay focused, because you know there are still 13
games left. Obviously, the season hasn't started the way we want in the wins
column or the injury column. It's a long season, and you never know what could
happen. So we're just trying to get better every week and hopefully we can go
out and get a win this week.
ET: New England is obviously playing some great ball right now. What
impressed you the most about them after you got to see them up close in
Week 3?
JL: They really don't have that many weaknesses is the first
thing that jumps out at you. On top of that, they don't force a whole lot
of things. They have all those great weapons, so they're willing to take what
you're willing to give them. A lot of teams like that, when they have all that
talent, if you make them dink-and-dunk their way down the field and make them
sustain drives, they'll get impatient. But the Patriots don't do that, which is
hard to defend.
ET: What are you seeing as some of the positive developments on this team
despite the 0-3 start? Because obviously there are still some good things
happening in Buffalo.
JL: One good thing is that we're getting a lot of young guys some
experience. And everyone that is stepping out onto that field is putting forth
the effort that is needed to be successful in this league. That's the most
positive thing. You're just kind of hoping that guys will eventually get healthy
and we'll get on a roll. You can get some bounces that go your way and hopefully
we'll get some of those in the coming weeks.
ET: At Wisconsin, you were an accomplished punt returner, the
all-time punt returns yardage leader in the Big Ten until last year. But you
haven't gotten many opportunities to do that at the pro level.
JL: I've had a few opportunities here, especially later in the season
when the weather gets a little worse. We use two-returner sets in the punt
returner game at that point, so I've had some opportunities that way. But we've
got Roscoe Parrish, and he's a guy that we believe to be one of the top
returners in the NFL. So I'm not too upset that I'm not back there too often.
ET: It's one of those positions that takes a unique personality,
knowing you're going to be looking up in the air while all those opposing
players are flying down the field at you.
JL: I'll agree with that. I think you've got to be a little nuts to
do that job. Not too many people are willing to put that much trust in the rest
of the guys around them. That's the biggest thing with punt returning is that
you've got to trust those ten guys in front of you who are blocking for you. And
you've got to believe that you're going to make a play when you've got that ball
in your hands.
ET: Anything you'd like to pass on to the Bills fans?
JL: Just stick with us. We're going through some hard times right
now, and we're definitely going to get this thing turned around. We
believe we have some of the greatest fans and we know they're not going to turn
on us, but we're definitely going through a rough time right now and hopefully
we're going to turn that around this week.
Ed Thompson's player interviews and NFL features
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