Eager to put behind his troubled past, receiver Da'Rick Rogers is grateful to the Buffalo Bills for providing him with what might be the only chance at a future in the NFL. "I cherish it like gold. This is it. This is my last opportunity,'' Rogers said shortly after joining his new teammates in opening the Bills three-day rookie minicamp this weekend. "I've got to make the best of it.'' Tapping the podium for emphasis, Rogers expressed confidence that he's "growing as a person,'' and capable overcoming a tarnished reputation. Suspended indefinitely by Tennessee last summer for failing numerous drug tests as a sophomore, Rogers transferred to Tennessee Tech shortly before the season began. "Everything in the past, I'm not here to defend those things at all,'' said Rogers said. "Those are things that are real. They happened. And I'm maturing.'' Marrone is both intrigued by Rogers, and concerned by the player's past. "It's a one-shot deal,'' Marrone said during a conference call with Bills season-ticket holders last week. "Either you've learned your lesson and you've grown up and you're going to go forward and mature, or you haven't learned your lesson and you're going to be out on the street. It's that simple.'' It's a message the coach has shared with Rogers. "It's all on you, and you have to make the right decisions,'' Marrone said following practice Friday. Source: The Redzone
