Bills Brass Thanks Lorenzo Alexander
At the Bills season ending press conference, head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane both gave a shout out to Lorenzo Alexander in their opening statements.
"I do want to take a moment before we get in the football part of it to express my respect for Lorenzo Alexander and his family and the job he has done as a leader on and off the field and in our community here in western New York," McDermott said. "That goes a long way and he has been a tremendous asset to me as a head coach in expressing our message to our locker room and so, I just wanted to take a moment to wish him well and thank him for everything he has done over the last couple of years."
"One player in particular that I want to talk about is Lorenzo Alexander," Beane remarked. "Many of you may not know when he came into the league in 2005 I was in Carolina and he was a 315 pound defensive tackle and to see him develop into a man and what he became...you talk about reinventing yourself...I don't know anyone who came in the league who have in as a defensive tackle and finished as a linebacker. And then off the field and what he did and what his family brought to this community is second to none."
Alexander's story in the NFL is rare and extremely impressive. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and spent seasons on practice squads before eventually establishing 15 seasons in the league. He played for the Panthers, Ravens, Redskins, Cardinals, Raiders and finally the Bills.
Alexander joined the Bills as a free agent contract in 2016 and had a breakout season. He finished third in the league in sacks with 12.5 with 76 tackles. He also caused three forced fumbles and hauled in his first career interception. He was nominated for the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career following the performance.
Alexander was also a star of the Bills off the field as McDermott and Beane mentioned. He was selected as the team's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for the past three seasons due to his work with his charity the ACES Foundation.
