Andre Roberts’ nearly 11 seasons in the NFL are defined by perpetual change.
The Buffalo Bills are his sixth team and the third on which he has spent more than one season.
Roberts, who turns 33 next month, has been in Buffalo long enough to rank the Bills at the top of his employers in the league, a list that includes Arizona (2010-2013), Washington (2014-15), Detroit (’16), Atlanta (’17), and the New York Jets (’18).
It helps, of course, that the Bills are the toast of the town after clinching their first AFC East championship in 25 years with last Saturday’s 48-18 victory against the Denver Broncos. It also helps that Roberts, who joined the Cardinals in 2010 as a third-round draft pick from The Citadel, learned this week that he was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl as a return specialist.
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“It's the best place I've played, and that's the honest truth,” he said by phone. “The fan experience, my teammates. Being productive also helps that. I will say my favorite place to live is Arizona. Love Arizona. I love the heat, I love being in that warm weather, the sun.
“But this is definitely my favorite place to actually play. The organization is top notch, from top to bottom. And my teammates are just awesome. You always want to be a part of a good team and we've been good for a couple years now, especially.
"Just being around the guys every single day, they're just good guys. Even if we weren't as good of a team, I think it would still be a good place to be just because of how this organization is run and the guys that are in the building.”
Roberts is second in the NFL in kickoff return average at 29.41 yards per return, barely trailing Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson, who is at 29.43. He is fourth in the league in punt return average with a 10.4-yard average.
In the latest edition of One-on-One Coverage, The Buffalo News spoke with Roberts about his Pro Bowl selection, heading to the playoffs on a division champion, the thinking part of returning kicks, being a leader, growing up in a military family and running a restaurant.
Buffalo News: How much sweeter is it to be a Pro Bowl selection at this stage of your career?
Andre Roberts: It's always nice to have that recognition. The individual recognitions are pretty sweet, especially at this time of year, just because you work so hard throughout the offseason and during the season to get to that spot. And special teams, you've got a lot of guys you depend on, as a returner especially. It's not done by yourself. You've got a lot of guys blocking for you, working hard for you. I know it's not a team thing, but those guys know that I couldn't have done it without them.
BN: You continue to defy your age with the speed and elusiveness needed to be an effective return man. But so much of what makes you one of the best returners in the game is what you have above your shoulder pads. Agree?
AR: For sure. I try to be smart back there, as much as I can. I try to be smart, aggressive. The coaches allow me to be more aggressive and take the opportunities when they present themselves, but at the same time, to understand that I want to do right for the team and give the offense better field position. It's just trying to be smart with that kind of thing and knowing when to return and when not to return and, unfortunately, when to fair catch and not to fair catch (a reference to his muff of an attempted fair catch that set up a Broncos touchdown).
We have our specific returns every week, but I think the biggest strategic thing is who we're trying to attack, what the opposing kicker or punter are trying to do to our return team, and just making the most of our opportunities.
BN: Setting up blocks is a major part of your success. How have you been able to consistently develop that feel for your blockers, despite them changing from year to year?
AR: It's just practice, working together, having a lot of conversations and communicating about what we want to do, what I'm trying to do, who I'm trying to set up, who their best players are. And definitely the situation in the game, as far as when to be more aggressive and when not to be. So, there's definitely a lot more that goes into it than just catching the ball and running it.
But we've got to get the right guys in a building and everyone's willing to learn from each other. I think that's the biggest thing. No matter if you're an 11-year veteran, like myself, or just coming into the league, or a second-year guy, everybody's willing to learn from each other and get better each and every week.
BN: How concerned were you that special teams would suffer because of the lack of offseason practice time and no preseason games due to the pandemic?
AR: I didn't have that much concern. A lot of guys were coming back, and we had the same special-teams coach (Heath Farwell), so we kind of understood what he was expecting of us and being in the same system helped. And then the guys that came in were more veteran players, like Taiwan Jones and Tyler Matakevich. They've played the game and they understand leverages and things of that nature with special teams. So, just adding those pieces helped us a lot and understanding the schemes that Coach Heath had us in last year, helps coming in this year.
BN: Right before the season, the Bills, like all teams, did some maneuvering to get down to the 53-man roster limit. And in order to carry certain players on the 53 before putting them on the injured-reserve list, they released you on Sept. 5 and re-signed you the next day. How did you handle that?
AR: We had a conversation about it before it happened. Coach (Sean) McDermott and I and (General Manager Brandon) Beane and I had a conversation about what they were trying to do. So, I wasn't really worried too much about what was going to happen.
From the outside looking in, most people didn't understand what was going on or what was happening, but I had a very clear understanding of being on the team and wanting to be here and just trying to get better this year and having a better year from last year.
BN: You realize, with your contract up after this season, you could be headed for a nice payday, whether it's in the form or a new contract with the Bills or another team.
AR: Most definitely. I'm looking forward to this next game coming up against the Patriots and then it's on into the future. So, let's get this done with the Patriots first.
BN: What's the story behind owning a restaurant in Virginia as part of the Zaxby's chain of chicken restaurants?
AR: My partner is Duran Lawson, who I've known since 2006. He's from Conway, S.C., I'm from Columbia, S.C., but we didn't know each other until we were both at The Citadel. He was my quarterback. We built a relationship while I was in college and we kept that relationship going after I left.
Duran was in the military, then worked in the trades and we were both wanting to get into the restaurant business. I was at his house one day after playing golf. We went to get something to eat, found a Zaxby's. I was actually playing at the Redskins at the time. I had thought about being in the restaurant business and next thing you know we were both partners and getting into Zaxby's in 2016.
We both are willing to work hard in any industry. He's the day-to-day guy and once I get done playing, I want to be in that day-to-day role as well, so I really look forward to that.
BN: What attracted you to Zaxby's in particular?
AR: Well, Zaxby's was fairly new. It was one of those good restaurants we knew about, and the quality of food that we knew about in South Carolina, and in the Southeast. And when we went to go talk to (Zaxby's CEO and president) Zach (McLeroy) about owning some restaurants, their core values were similar to ours and what they wanted to do, so that's kind of how we went with them.
BN: How would you define or describe your leadership role on this team?
AR: I don't say too much. I definitely add my feelings here and there, let guys know how I feel, but more in the return and special-teams game. Obviously, I can help out my young guy, Gabe, in the receiver room with some of the stuff. But special-teams-wise, I help out all the young guys and what they need to know, the techniques and what I'm looking for out of them. I'm hoping that they can look at me and see how hard I work and how hard I go in games and try to follow that. I try to be that guy.
BN: How much of what you are as a person, a player and was formed by growing up in a military family and at The Citadel?
AR: A lot of that is from growing up in a military family, I think, and going to The Citadel after high school helped me grow as a man and kind of hardened me a little bit to the reality of life and what's expected out of a professional. That was a tough experience early on, and it got a little bit easier as you go through it.
But that's life. There's ups and downs, there's tough times, there's some good times. But I think that's helped me get through life and go through these changes that I've been through in my career.
BN: How does what you're experiencing now with the Bills compare with what you've previously experienced in your career?
AR: I was in two games in the playoffs when I was with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2017, we won the first round and lost to Philly in the second round, the year they won the Super Bowl. That's the most success I've had on a football team in the NFL.
I was a division champ once, when I was at the Redskins. The team was not nearly as good as what we have now. But, yeah, just being division champs, taking that first step, getting into the playoffs ... And when we get there, we've got to continue working hard and try to get to that AFC championship and get to the Super Bowl. We've got a good team. We've just got to keep working hard, keep our heads down and look at just the next game in front of us.
