BY JEFF SIMMONS
SPORTSNET.CA
TORONTO — In a year where tight end was supposed to be an afterthought for the Buffalo Bills’ offence, Scott Chandler continues to make the most of his opportunities.
The six-foot-seven tight end continued to turn heads Sunday with two catches for 35 yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo’s 23-0 lopsided victory over the Washington Redskins at the Rogers Centre.
“It’s just exciting. It’s exciting to be able to contribute,” Chandler after helping the Bills improve to a 5-2 record. “It’s exciting to help the team. We have so many guys who command a lot of attention. It’s hard to guard us all.”
After entering training camp as third-string on the depth chart, Chandler has quickly developed into a favourite target of Bills’ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick this season in the red zone.
“He’s been great,” commented Fitpatrick. “He can catch two every week. He has that ability.”
Through six games, the unheralded Chandler is undoubtedly making an impact as he leads the Bills with six receiving touchdowns. After his two-touchdown performance on Sunday, Chandler entered the Bills’ record books as he tied Pete Metzelaars’ and Jay Riemersma’s franchise-record for touchdowns by a tight end in a season. Amazingly, it took only six games for Chandler to reach the milestone.
“It’s always exciting. Records are always good things. That’s something that’s very fun to hear,” Chandler explained.
The former Iowa standout appears to be the team’s answer at tight end, a position the Bills have struggled to fill since Metzelaars departed in 1994. The last time a Bills’ tight end caught four or more touchdowns in a season was Riemersma in 2000.
Against the Redskins, Chandler proved his value with a strong display of route running, showing his excellent hands and size in the process.
“We had two good patterns. Fitz read both of them perfectly,” Bills head coach Chan Gailey said after the game. “And Scott (Chandler)’s the one that came open and he did a great job of getting to him.”
Chandler’s teammates have recognized the impact the humble tight end has made on the offence, as the surprising Bills sit atop of the AFC East standings with a 5-2 record.
“I love that guy. He just catches touchdowns. He’s a big part of our offence,” said Bills receiver David Nelson. “Any time you can have a tight end that is physical as he is in the running game and catch passes in the pass game, it just adds a different element to our offence. He’s a big reason why our offence is explosive.”
If anyone deserves credit for the Chandler signing, it has to be Bills’ general manager Buddy Nix, who claimed the tight end off waivers last December. Nix was the assistant GM of the San Diego Chargers when the team drafted him in the fourth round in 2007.
“You know I’m just really appreciative of the opportunity the Bills organization has given me,” Chandler said back in September. “Buddy Nix bringing me in and coach Gailey and the offensive staff and just giving me an opportunity to get out there and play and show what I can do.”
Chandler played one game in 2007 and spent the entire 2008 on injured reserve before being released by San Diego. In 2009, he was signed by Dallas and was active for nine weeks in 2010 before being waived again. Chandler credits a large part of his development to playing behind All-Pro tight ends such as Jason Witten and Antonio Gates.
“(Witten) is a guy who is pushing guys out of the way so he can get in another rep,” Chandler said last spring. “He’s focusing on his technique. Just the work ethic he has, I saw that and it made me want to get better.”
Like many of his Bills teammates, Chandler enjoyed playing in front of an energetic Toronto crowd, something that has been highly criticized in the past games.
“I thought the fans were pretty good today. The fans did a great job getting into it and hopefully we can continue to build a good fan base here (in Toronto). It felt like a home game.”
On a team that’s made up of unknowns and unheralded stars, Chandler’s story continues to grow. He’s making an impact on the NFL and especially the Bills’ fan base. His time as a journeyman player is undoubtedly coming to an end.
Chandler won’t be going away any time soon.
