Best Player Available Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 A little more about Kenneth Davis with these excerpts from my book about the Bills: “Then Levy Said to Kelly…”. Plan B was K.D. Elijah Pitts was a standout player, a terrific coach, and when Kenneth Davis showed up at Rich Stadium during the 1989 Plan B free-agency period, he proved to be an outstanding recruiter as well. His candor attracted and impressed the fourth-year running back. "I think coming in and talking with him, he was being real honest with me and frank about what was going on and where the organization was trying to go with their athletes," said Davis, who had spent the previous three seasons with Green Bay. "And letting me know that he did have other guys that were ahead of me [on the depth chart]. He would give me an opportunity to compete, but also an opportunity to contribute to a team that he felt was going to do a lot of great things. "He didn’t mention any specific role [i would have with the Bills]. He just told me that he felt that we had a good, young team that was going to be successful and that I could be an integral part of that success. He didn’t know how much or how little. That’s something that he couldn’t promise me. He said that those opportunities would be left up to me." Davis accepted Buffalo’s offer and joined the team, which had just made it to the AFC Championship Game and had a solid running back in Thurman Thomas, who would be entering only his second season. Certainly, he knew he would be second string, but with his attitude, that did not bother him. "To be able to have an individual come off the bench and go in there and make some plays and make some things happen, that’s part of being successful," Davis said. "You’ve got to be able to do what it takes to win by being a starter or a backup. I came off the bench, but I always prepared as a starter. I didn’t look at it any other way because I felt that when it was my time to go into the game, I was the starter! That’s the only way to look at it. You have to go in there and give your best because you don’t know what play is going to be the key play to win or lose the ballgame." Role Player Rolled Out the Door For six seasons, Bills running back Kenneth Davis was as reliable as duct tape. A backup to Thurman Thomas, he would have likely been a starter on many other NFL clubs. Yet he was happy with his role and was a sound contributor to the team’s four consecutive AFC championship titles. And while he had many fine moments on the field during the regular seasons, Davis seemingly glowed during the playoffs: scoring three touchdowns against the Raiders in the 1990 AFC Championship Game; totaling 319 rushing yards during the four-game 1992 postseason; starting in Super Bowl XXVI when Thomas was temporarily helmetless; and leading the Bills in rushing in the following two Super Bowls. But during the 1995 off-season, Davis was reminded that professional football was not just about Xs and Os; it was at times a somewhat brutal business. "I think one of the hardest things in my life was when the Bills told me they didn’t want me back. I felt I wasn’t through playing," said Davis, who originally signed with Buffalo as a Plan B free agent in 1989. "It was a decision that they made that they didn’t need me back or want me back or whatever. I went in to talk about the situation. What were we going to do about the season coming up? Were we going to start working on my contract now or later? John Butler said, ‘We’re not going to re-sign you.’ "When I left, John Butler pretty much knew that I really didn’t want to go play anywhere else. Maybe it was selfish or stupidity on my behalf, but that’s just how much I cared about the organization and playing under Coach Levy. I could have gone to a couple other teams; the Carolina Panthers offered me a contract. I didn’t take it. I just felt confined to Buffalo. It was where I wanted to be, where I had been. I didn’t want to be a player that just bounced all around the league. So I just got out. It was time to accept that and move on. Buffalo is a very special city to me. And it was a very special team." That's what many fans including myself liked about KD. He knew his role and embraced it. Not once can I remember him complain about anything. His work ethic, his mindset, and attitude was something that seems to be lacking in the new NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsrcursed Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I've emailed him before at the high school he works at. He's always been kind enough to respond. He runs a top notch program in Dallas. If you still have his email, perhaps you could send him a link of this thread. I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing what some of his fans thought of and still think of him. He was a class act. Absolutely could have started on a number of other teams during his time with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomcat Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 LOVED me some Kenny D! Nice to hear hes doing it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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