May 15, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Like most college seniors, Georgetown University senior Alex Buzbee (Chester, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) went through a series of job interviews. His interviews were just a bit different than most.
Rather than wearing a shirt and tie and putting a portfolio together, Buzbee hit the weights and ran sprints in an effort to impress coaches from the National Football League. He attended "pro" days at Georgetown and Villanova University and worked out in front of scouts, all in an attempt to just get invited for a tryout.
He, along with senior teammate Derek Franks (Austin, Texas/Reagan) got that invitation, participating in a tryout camp with the Washington Redskins during the weekend of May 4.
Just a few days after the camp, Buzbee was told he had made it. He had to wait for the official announcement - which came on Tuesday afternoon - but the Hoyas' senior defensive captain was signed to a free agent contract. And now, when people want to know what he's doing after graduation, he can tell them to look at the Redskins roster. Buzbee is #90, on the Washington roster after quarterback Mark Brunell and before quarterback Jason Campbell.
"I couldn't believe it at first and then going into this week, just thinking that I actually made the roster," Buzbee said, "but when I sat in the meeting rooms with the guys on the team, some of these guy who are 10-year veterans, it finally hit me and it was more like, `Okay, Alex, it's time to get down to business and show these guys what you can do."
Buzbee earned All-Patriot League honors for the third-straight season in 2006, taking a spot on the first team after two-straight seasons in which he earned second team honors. He finished tied for second on the team, and was 11th in the Patriot League, with 75 tackles. The 75 tackles were a career-high for Buzbee, who finished his four years on the Hilltop with 176 stops.
In addition, Buzbee was tied for the team and Patriot League lead in tackles-for-loss with 13.0 (for 53 yards) and was second in the conference with 5.5 sacks. He finished his career with 45.5 tackles-for-loss and 27.5 sacks, which ranks third in Georgetown history. Buzbee, one of Georgetown's co-captains, was the recipient of the prestigious No. 35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey this season, presented annually to the most exemplary member of the team in honor of a former player killed in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Buzbee first showed the Redskins and Head Coach Joe Gibbs what he could do during pre-draft workouts and then the team's rookie tryout camp on May 4-5. Something Gibbs said that weekend to the assembled 64 rookies - I don't care how you got here, I care if you can play. - stuck with him.
So after showing foes in the Patriot League and in the Bowl Championship Subdvision level that he could play, evidently Buzbee showed Gibbs and his staff that he could play as well. The 6-4, 246-pound defensive end was one of eight players signed to free agent contracts that were announced on Tuesday.
Like many of his classmates, Buzbee could have hung up his cleats and gone down another avenue for work, but he wanted to pursue football before really giving it up. "I took a big chance by going this route," Buzbee said over the phone after practice. "Coach (Kevin) Kelly and the staff at Georgetown were a big help and I couldn't have done it without Augie (Augie Maurelli, strength and conditioning coach). I'm just really glad this actually worked out."
Buzbee knows this is just the start and that there is quite a bit of work ahead of him. He knows that when people think of Georgetown, basketball comes to mind first. With his hard work and play in training camp, he hopes that people will recognize Georgetown football a little bit more. "One of the coaches told me today that every day is an interview, it's a chance to show you can play," Buzbee said. "I wanted to go 100 percent football."
He started 100 percent of football earlier this week, getting ready for practice and settling into an apartment with two of his rookie teammates, Wisconsin-Whitewater fullback Pete Schmitt and University of Alabama-Birmingham offensive lineman Cornelius Rogers.
"As long as I stay healthy and I keep doing my thing, I think I'll have a chance," Buzbee said. "I'll probably play in a couple of exhibition games and we'll see where it goes from there. I don't know how many guys they'll keep at each position, so it's hard to say, but I'm enjoying it and having a blast so far."
Buzbee has his chance now and while he is a rookie, he is confident in his abilities.
"I'm not going to act like I'm star-struck," he said. "I know being a rookie you have to keep your mouth shut, bust your butt and hope for the best."
