(WGR 550) -- If the Buffalo Bills' defense follows Donte Whitner's example on the field, then one can only hope his words carry as much weight in the locker room.
One week after the Bills defense roughed up Seattle to the tune of five sacks, one interception and nine passes defended, Whitner and his mates head into Jacksonville with confidence in their abilities and vengeance on their minds after dropping a 34-16 decision in Florida last year.
"I remember allowing Fred Taylor to break out a 50-yard run, and then I remember playing good solid defense and letting it get away from us in the second half," Whitner said. "This year, it's a very different feeling going in there. Last year you didn't really know. You wanted to play hard for each other. You wanted to win, but you knew that you would have to play almost perfect to beat them."
The change will show up in the team's philosophy on Sunday, according to the third-year safety out of Ohio State.
"This year, we're going to be the aggressors and we're not going to allow those guys to dictate how we play the football game," Whitner said. "We've put the opener behind us. We expect to go out there and win now. We give our opponents respect, but we expect to outplay people. The past few years, you didn't really know, but this year we expect to win football games."
Whitner's rise through the Bills organization has him holding the title of captain in just his third year on the job. The safety's taken care of his younger teammates, hosting get-togethers at his house that've included a masseuse and chef. The one-time first-round pick and now veteran said his growth has come alongside his teammates, and their experience is giving Perry Fewell fuel.
"I think he's very excited," Whitner said. "It's almost like your playing chess and now you have different pieces. When he comes to us, we can take the information he gives us and tell him how we feel about it."
Whitner, who recorded his 200th career tackle against Seattle in Week One, said he's not the only one out for a measure of revenge against the Jaguars on Sunday. Marcus Stroud will look to prove his former team wrong, as Buffalo acquired the big defensive tackle from Jacksonville in the offseason.
"He's not going to say it, but I believe he is (pumped up," Whitner said of Stroud. "First off, because he felt that he was a franchise guy there. I think he'll be pumped up, especially after the way he played last week. They have to look on film and say, 'We let a good player go,' and we have him now."
Week Two's game between Buffalo and Jacksonville kicks off at 1 p.m. Sunday, with WGR's pregame coverage beginning at 8 a.m. with Jeremy White and Jerry Sullivan, followed at 10 a.m. by Howard Simon.
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