Jim Gehman Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Congratulations to former defensive end Phil Hansen, the latest Bills Wall of Famer, who will be enshrined at halftime of Buffalo’s home opener against the Raiders on Sunday. Introducing Dependability If a rookie can play, it really does not matter whether he arrives in Buffalo from a college football powerhouse such as USC, Ohio State or Texas. Or in the case of Phil Hansen, from defending Division II champion North Dakota State. After being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft, Hansen found himself filling in for an injured Bruce Smith in the Bills’ starting lineup in only his second game, against Pittsburgh on September 8. "I’m sure I was nervous, but I was up for the challenge. I was finding my way, I guess you’d say. I was finding what would work for me and what wouldn’t," said Hansen, who would make 10 starts as a rookie and total 40 tackles and two sacks. "I had a great supporting cast. When they talked amongst themselves, I’m sure they said, ‘Aw jeez, we’ve got to cover for him.’ Which they pretty much did, but they never made me feel that way. They always accepted me and made me feel like I was a part of their unit. And once we got out there and the bullets were flying for real on the field, it didn’t matter. It was us against them. And I was improving. They could see improvement week to week." Week to week became year to year. And in 11 seasons, Hansen – who became the starting left defensive end, played in 156 games and had 876 total tackles, 133 quarterback pressures, 61.5 sacks, and one touchdown – scored against the Raiders in 1998 on a 13-yard fumble recovery. Although admired and consistent in the eyes of Buffalo’s coaches, players, and fans, because Smith was at the other end of the line, Hansen may not have received the national recognition he deserved. "No, I’m very happy with my career," said Hansen. "You know, you could look at that several different ways. When people looked at our defense and looked at our defensive line, Bruce Smith was the first thing that came to mind. So maybe I got lost in the numbers and they didn’t account for me as much. I don’t think that was a bad thing. Do I think I got overshadowed? I got a lot of good publicity. I would have loved to go to a Pro Bowl, which I never got to do. But was that because of Bruce Smith? No, that was because I didn’t play well enough to go to a Pro Bowl. "I was never the greatest player on the field, but what I gave to the Bills, I want to be remembered as a consistent, dependable, and accountable football player. Someone who the coaches always knew where I was and what they’d get out of me week in and week out. I had an 86-game, five-year starting streak. I’m proud of that! Eighty-six games over the span of five years! A lot of those things, they followed me from youth, and they’ll follow me for the rest of my life. I’m dependable. I’m accountable. I’ll stand up if I make a mistake. You won’t have to worry about me shifting the blame. It’s my mistake and I’ll fix it. I was always consistent. A lot of coaches were very happy with, ‘Well, he may not be the best player in the world, but at least we know what we get with Phil Hansen. He may not be in the line of Bruce Smith, but he’s not going to let us down. He’s going to give us everything he has.’" Excerpt from “Then Levy Said to Kelly…” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Congratulations to former defensive end Phil Hansen, the latest Bills Wall of Famer, who will be enshrined at halftime of Buffalo’s home opener against the Raiders on Sunday. Introducing Dependability If a rookie can play, it really does not matter whether he arrives in Buffalo from a college football powerhouse such as USC, Ohio State or Texas. Or in the case of Phil Hansen, from defending Division II champion North Dakota State. After being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft, Hansen found himself filling in for an injured Bruce Smith in the Bills’ starting lineup in only his second game, against Pittsburgh on September 8. "I’m sure I was nervous, but I was up for the challenge. I was finding my way, I guess you’d say. I was finding what would work for me and what wouldn’t," said Hansen, who would make 10 starts as a rookie and total 40 tackles and two sacks. "I had a great supporting cast. When they talked amongst themselves, I’m sure they said, ‘Aw jeez, we’ve got to cover for him.’ Which they pretty much did, but they never made me feel that way. They always accepted me and made me feel like I was a part of their unit. And once we got out there and the bullets were flying for real on the field, it didn’t matter. It was us against them. And I was improving. They could see improvement week to week." Week to week became year to year. And in 11 seasons, Hansen – who became the starting left defensive end, played in 156 games and had 876 total tackles, 133 quarterback pressures, 61.5 sacks, and one touchdown – scored against the Raiders in 1998 on a 13-yard fumble recovery. Although admired and consistent in the eyes of Buffalo’s coaches, players, and fans, because Smith was at the other end of the line, Hansen may not have received the national recognition he deserved. "No, I’m very happy with my career," said Hansen. "You know, you could look at that several different ways. When people looked at our defense and looked at our defensive line, Bruce Smith was the first thing that came to mind. So maybe I got lost in the numbers and they didn’t account for me as much. I don’t think that was a bad thing. Do I think I got overshadowed? I got a lot of good publicity. I would have loved to go to a Pro Bowl, which I never got to do. But was that because of Bruce Smith? No, that was because I didn’t play well enough to go to a Pro Bowl. "I was never the greatest player on the field, but what I gave to the Bills, I want to be remembered as a consistent, dependable, and accountable football player. Someone who the coaches always knew where I was and what they’d get out of me week in and week out. I had an 86-game, five-year starting streak. I’m proud of that! Eighty-six games over the span of five years! A lot of those things, they followed me from youth, and they’ll follow me for the rest of my life. I’m dependable. I’m accountable. I’ll stand up if I make a mistake. You won’t have to worry about me shifting the blame. It’s my mistake and I’ll fix it. I was always consistent. A lot of coaches were very happy with, ‘Well, he may not be the best player in the world, but at least we know what we get with Phil Hansen. He may not be in the line of Bruce Smith, but he’s not going to let us down. He’s going to give us everything he has.’" Excerpt from “Then Levy Said to Kelly…” Nice Not that I'm half as good a writer but here are my thoughts on Phil (One of my favs) http://evonsports.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/the-guy-in-the-shadow/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Hansen Forever Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I was lucky enough to watch him play in Grand Forks, against the Sioux back in the late 80's. He was a holy terror on the field then, but again it was only Division II. I was so surprised to see he got selected in the draft from tiny NDSU, but at the time Bill Polian enjoyed picking from the small schools for outstanding people with big hearts. Later in life, I had the privilege of meeting him and was very impressed with his humbleness and honesty; especially in light of the arrogance of the right side DE. He said he never felt good enough to play in the NFL, which surprised me at the time. I'm thrilled to see him go up the wall. If you remember when retired, they said he knew the names of ever member of the Bills maintenance staff, and their families too. He would come in on days off and chat with the facility staff. He is a real blue collar kind of guy from a no name town in North Dakota. A great state with wonderful people, just some really harsh weather. I suppose for him, working and playing in Buffalo was like getting a pass to FL. He earned it, and I'm someone recognized him for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Blizzard Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Good to see Phil getting recognition. He belongs on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Any idea on how someone could get in touch with Phil Hansen? I spoke with him for quite some time when he was a rookie, wearing a Bill Jersey. He asked what it would take for me to wear HIS Jersey. I told him he had to make the Hall or Wall of Fame! I am wearing a Hansen Jersey to the game today. Should be at TBD tailgate at Hammer's by 7AM..... Life is GOOD! GO BILLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 ".. I would have loved to go to a Pro Bowl, which I never got to do. But was that because of Bruce Smith? No, that was because I didn’t play well enough to go to a Pro Bowl." Wrong, Phil. Congrats on your place On The Wall! Well deserved! Thank you for the memories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Hansen Forever Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 (edited) Any idea on how someone could get in touch with Phil Hansen? I spoke with him for quite some time when he was a rookie, wearing a Bill Jersey. He asked what it would take for me to wear HIS Jersey. I told him he had to make the Hall or Wall of Fame! I am wearing a Hansen Jersey to the game today. Should be at TBD tailgate at Hammer's by 7AM..... Life is GOOD! GO BILLS! He lives in Detroit Lakes, MN, so I suppose looking it up on whitepages.com would be helpful. He also is the color analyst for the Bison in Fargo. Here ya go: Philip A Hansen (218) 846-0820 Edited September 18, 2011 by Phil Hansen Forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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