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This morning, Buffalo Rumblings conducts its fifth interview in relation to the Bills' 2007 draft picks; today we skip a couple of selections to interview Crimson and Cream Machine, SB Nation's outstanding Oklahoma Sooner blog. CCMachine was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about former Sooner defensive end C.J. Ah You. Here's the interview in its entirety:
Buffalo Rumblings: Buffalo likes to rotate defensive linemen, and our Cover-2 scheme puts QB pressure at a premium. How does Oklahoma rotate its linemen, and does Ah You have a shot at being a threat as a pass-rusher in the NFL?
Crimson and Cream Machine: The Sooners rotate their defensive linemen regularly to keep them fresh and Ah You, all the d-linemen for that fact, would have produced better stats had it not been for sharing the field with Larry Birdine, Alonzo Dotson, Calvin Thibodeaux, and John Williams at the DE spot.
CJ is very quick off the ball but doesn't really have the speed to go wide at the quarterback but must instead take a direct angle using upper body strength to overpower a blocker. I do think that he can and will be a successful pass rusher in the NFL. He registered 11 sacks in his two seasons at Oklahoma.
BR: The Bills like to use their defensive ends inside at tackle on passing downs. Did Ah You ever play inside at Oklahoma? Is he stout enough against the run to handle inside responsibilities that he could receive in Buffalo?
CaCM: OU has moved a defensive end inside before with success but I can't specifically remember Ah You doing it. He has good upper body strength but will have to learn to stay lower to keep blockers from getting underneath him to have any success inside. He is a solid run stopper (43 total tackles last season) but I'm not sure he can go head to head with NFL offensive linemen every down.
BR: With a Pro Bowl end in Aaron Schobel and three other stellar ends in Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney and Anthony Hargrove, the Bills are deep at defensive end. What traits do you think Ah You possesses that will allow him to earn a roster spot in the NFL?
CaCM: CJ is going to make is mark in the NFL as a pass rusher. I'm not saying that he'll be the second coming of Bruce Smith but he will have the ability to get to the quarterback as well as defend the corner against the run.
BR: Ah You switched schools a lot and reportedly has "character concerns". Did you ever witness any problems with Ah You in his time at Oklahoma? How do you think he will fit into a "team-first" atmosphere in Buffalo?
CaCM: I don't really think either one of those descriptions are fair to Ah You. He did run into some trouble at BYU and decided to take the JUCO rout back to Division I. He went to Snow Junior College from BYU and then on to Oklahoma. He experienced no problems either at OU or Snow JC and was an anchor for a defense that preached team first.
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Thanks again to Crimson and Cream Machine for stopping by to answer these questions about C.J. Ah You! If you'd like to read the interview in which the OU blog asked questions of Buffalo Rumblings, click here.