Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler wanted to make sure he worked out with his teammates this week. Unfortunately for him, the journey to Buffalo wasn't an easy or short one.
Chandler was acquired off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys in December. The tight end is hoping to establish himself with the Bills after two separate stints with the Cowboys (and with an off-season on the New York Giants' practice squad sandwiched in between). He was originally drafted in 2007 by the San Diego Chargers, spending two years out west with Buddy Nix's old team. When his flight from Iowa to Buffalo was grounded on Sunday, Chandler did what he had to do.
"I was supposed to fly in on Sunday but there was tornadoes and stuff in Iowa, so all my flights got canceled," Chandler told the Buffalo News. "They couldn't get me out here 'till Wednesday. So I just packed up the car and drove."
"It’s probably 10 and a half (hours), but they’re doing all these construction projects on Interstate 80 and Interstate 90 right now, so I caught quite a bit of that," said Chandler about his 12-hour trip.
Chandler is working on building a rapport with the offense, and especially starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, in an attempt to gain a leg up on the competition.
"Any chance I can get to get some camaraderie going with these guys is good," Chandler said. "I was only here a month last year so I'm still getting to know guys. Throwing with Fitz is something that's vital. Usually we'd be doing that this time of year. so any chance I can get to get together with him and throw is something I'm going to take advantage of. ... I just want these guys to know that I'm all in here."
It will certainly go a long way for Chandler as he battles for a starting spot in Buffalo's offense.
After his long drive on Monday, he was able to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. He had to turn around and drive back Wednesday afternoon to be home for his daughter's birthday.