Aug. 28, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - Most National Football League teams will play their third preseason game this weekend, and six former Patriot Leaguers are still in the hunt for an active NFL roster spot for the 2009 season.

The group includes three players who exhausted their eligibility last season, with Colgate's Nick Hennessey and Georgetown's Ataefiok Etukeren with the Buffalo Bills and Holy Cross' Brett McDermott with the Indianapolis Colts. Three other players with NFL experience are also vying to continue their careers. Lafayette's Blake Costanzo is with the Cleveland Browns after spending parts of the last two seasons with the Bills, Bucknell's Sean Conover is with the Detroit Lions after two active years with the Tennessee Titans in 2006 and 2007, and Georgetown's Alex Buzbee is in his third straight preseason with the Washington Redskins, who host the New England Patriots in a nationally-televised game on CBS on Friday at 8 p.m.

Hennessey and Etukeren both signed with the Bills as unrestricted free agents, with Hennessey coming on right after the NFL Draft and Etukeren signing just before the first preseason contest. Hennessey was a consensus All-American for the Patriot League champion Raiders in 2008, with first-team honors from three of the four major organizations. He also earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors while starting all 12 games at right tackle, helping the Raiders finish fifth in the nation with 267.7 rushing yards per game. Etukeren earned Second-Team All-Patriot League recognition at defensive end after recording 61 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2008.

Hennessey and Etukeren will get back on the field on Saturday when the Bills visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo is 1-2 in its first three presesason games, and Etukeren has totaled five tackles in those contests.

McDermott was a force at wide receiver and as a kickoff returner for an explosive Holy Cross offense in 2008. He caught 43 passes for 491 yards and five touchdowns, and led the Patriot League with a 26.4 kickoff return average while also notching a touchdown. He signed with the Colts in the spring. McDermott does not have a catch through the Colts first two preseason games, but Indianapolis will be back on the field at Detroit on Saturday.

Costanzo was the only former Patriot Leaguer that was active in the NFL during the 2008 season, as the linebacker and special teams performer recorded 15 tackles and two forced fumbles while playing all 16 games with the Bills. He notched 21 tackles in 19 games over the past two seasons in Buffalo. The former Lafayette linebacker earned All-Patriot League honors in 2004 and 2005, and went to camp with the New York Jets (2006 and 2007) before earning his shot on the field in Buffalo late in the 2007 season. Costanzo has three tackles in the Browns first two preseason games, and Cleveland hosts Tennessee on Saturday.

Conover made an impact with the Tennessee Titans as a rookie in 2006. He started two games at defensive end, including a career-high seven tackles in his debut against the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after being activated from the practice squad during the week. He totaled 21 tackles and a tackle for loss while playing six games for the season, then notched five tackles for the Titans during the 2007 campaign. Conover was on the practice squad of both the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens during the 2008 season. In Detroit, Conover reunites with his former defensive coordinator in Tennessee, Jim Schwartz, who is now the Lions head coach. Conover was a two-time All-Patriot League selection (2004-05) at defensive end for Bucknell, and was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2004. Conover has three tackles in Detroit's first two preseason games, and the Lions host McDermott and the Colts on Saturday.

A defensive end from Georgetown and three-time All-Patriot League selection (2004-06), Buzbee returns to the Washington Redskins after spending the 2008 season on the team's injured reserve list after suffering an Achilles injury in training camp. He spent 14 games on Washington's practice squad in 2007, and was promoted to the active roster but listed as inactive in the final two regular season contests and one postseason game. Buzbee tallied 27.5 sacks in his career at Georgetown, which ranks fifth in Patriot League history. Buzbee has two tackles in Washington's first two preseason games. The Redskins host the New England Patriots on Friday in a game shown on national television on CBS at 8 p.m.