Trevor Scott may not be very talkative, but don't let it fool you. The senior defensive end is certainly a leader. He just expresses his leadership in other ways.
"I've never been the most vocal person, but I've really tried to throw in my sentences here and there," Scott said. "I really just try to lead by example. I try to be the hardest working one on the field and in the weight room. I put it upon myself to make plays on the field, because if I'm making plays, hopefully other players will see that and step their games up too."
Making plays is something Scott knows how to do. Coming off a season where he led the Bulls with nine sacks, Scott has a total of seven tackles and two sacks in the Bulls first two games this year. These are pretty solid numbers for a player from Potsdam, who was once considered too small for Division I football.
"I always wanted to (play Division I), but I thought it was a little farfetched," Scott said. "Back when I was a freshman in high school, I was so small and I wasn't very strong. I wanted to play Division I, but a lot of people told me there is a small percentage of high school players that go Division I. I didn't really care, and also had other thoughts of joining the service and stuff like that. So if football didn't work out I was just going to enlist."
Luckily for the Bulls and Scott, football was his calling. That being said, Scott had to deal with a good amount of adversity prior to becoming the player he is now.
Before he was able to become the star defender for the Bulls, he was a tight end. In a game against the Ohio Bobcats, Scott sustained a back injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the year. The road to recovery was a long one. The injury left him relatively inactive, and he found himself in a situation where he needed the support of the ones closest to him.
"It was a painful process to go through, because I couldn't do anything about it." Scott said. "I just had to sit back and wait because it was a broken bone. I had to wait until it healed. Thank God I had a good support staff around me. My family and friends were there willing to help me out whenever I needed anything."
While Scott was recuperating from his back injury, the Bulls announced Turner Gill as their new head coach. Attempting to change the face of a losing program, Gill implemented many changes. One of the changes was moving Scott from tight end to defensive end. Scott welcomed the challenge of switching from offense to defense.
"It was crazy at first because I hadn't played defense in a few years," Scott said. "I was playing tight end for three years here, so I just had to get that defensive mindset back. Overall, I think it was a lot better for me just because I feel like I'm more of a defensive player. I like to tackle people and make hits as opposed to playing offense and blocking people."
It is evident that Scott is pretty skilled at tackling. He earned many preseason accolades and is getting looks from NFL teams. For someone that has a chance to make a ton of money playing professional football in the future, Scott has his sights focused on his season with the Bulls.
"It definitely crossed my mind," Scott said. "That's every kid's dream, to play in the NFL. It has definitely pushed me to work harder. I just want a shot. Everyone wants a shot. So it's certainly in the back of my mind, but I'm just trying to focus on having a good season, because if I don't have a good season, all of that goes out the window."
The fact that former Bulls linebacker Ramon Guzman made the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent has made Scott more optimistic about his chances next year.
"It's kind of funny because Ramon and I were really good friends," Scott said. "He was practically living with me for like 3 years. He called me last night and just told me to keep working hard. If he can make it, anyone can make it. He's a great guy and a hard worker. It just goes to show that hard work pays off."
When asked how he wanted to be remembered after his last game as a Buffalo Bull, two words came out of his mouth.
"Sack leader," Scott said. "That's what I want to be remembered as."
If Scott continues to work hard, he might not only accomplish his goal for the season play, but also may be able to play with Guzman on Sundays.
As long as Scott keeps on getting to the quarterback with consistency, he may be holding the title of "sack leader" pretty soon. Who said leaders always had to be talkative?
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
