Pittsford, N.Y. — Macky MacPherson has heard it all before.
He's too small, he's not strong enough, not talented enough. He's getting by on his legacy.
That's what everyone said about MacPherson back in 2009 when then Syracuse coach Doug Marrone offered him a scholarship to play for the Orange, who MacPherson's grandfather, Dick MacPherson, coaches for 10 seasons. Marrone was the one of the only coaches to give him a chance at Division I football, and now he's the one who is giving him a shot at the NFL with an invitation to Bills training camp. And MacPherson is hearing it all over again.
"I've been in this situation before at Syracuse," MacPherson said. "Everybody thought I was too small, too this, too whatever. You know, but that's their opinion, and that's not the reason I'm here."
Marrone is the reason he's here at St. John Fisher College with a chance to make the Bills roster or practice squad. Marrone, and the rest of the coaches on the Bills' staff who worked with MacPherson at Syracuse, saw something other NFL teams didn't, because they know things about MacPherson other coaches couldn't possibly know.
"I think that gives me a big edge on some people just because I know what he likes and I know what he's looking for," MacPherson said. "Partially it's because I'm the kind of guy that he likes when he brought me to Syracuse. That's probably the reason I'm here. I'm just the kind of guy to keep my mouth shut, put my head down and go to work every day, not ask too many questions I already know the answer to. Just a lunch pail, brown bag kind of guy."
Back at Syracuse, MacPherson went from a low-profile recruit to a player who started every game in his final three seasons with the Orange, earning a spot on the All-ACC second team in his senior year. Anyone who thought he got his scholarship because of his grandfather found out quickly that wasn't the case.
"Well, first I would say I didn’t take a shot on him the first time around," Marrone said. "He was a very good football player and it showed in the way he played. Macky is a very disciplined player, a smart player, knows our system and is very tough. He has an opportunity to (make the roster), and I feel fortunate that he was out there and we were able to bring him in."
The Bills don't feel nearly as fortunate as MacPherson. He had a minicamp tryout with the Eagles, but other than that, the Bills were the only team to call. MacPherson was relieved to hear Marrone's voice on the other end of the phone and to go to training camp just over an hour away from his hometown of Syracuse. His mom, brother and sister were able to attend the first Bills practice on Sunday night.
"They were able to watch me play in a professional uniform, despite it being just a practice," MacPherson said with a smile.
MacPherson can already tell how big of an adjustment it's going to be. He's not blocking ACC defensive linemen anymore, he's blocking Kyle Williams and the rest of the Bills' defensive line that helped set a franchise record for sacks in 2013. MacPherson says the biggest difference from college is that "everyone is good."
While he's still getting used to the level of play — MacPherson has been working mostly with the third-team offense during camp — he has appreciated how easy the transition has been off the field. He already knows the playbook and what to expect from Marrone.
When he first got to camp, MacPherson had a brief chat with his old offensive line coach Greg Adkins, who is now the Bills' tight ends coach. After that, he immediately sought out offensive line coach Pat Morris, who has never coached MacPherson. Some of the other coaches know MacPherson, and he wanted to make sure Morris found out quickly what he was all about.
"That's the bigger of portion of things that I'm more comfortable with," MacPherson said. "To know what a certain coach is looking for, to know who I can go up to and talk to."
MacPherson knows his work is cut out for him. The Bills brought in plenty of young talent on the offensive line and have the veteran depth to match. But he's not thinking about that. If MacPherson knows he's getting a strong look from his former coaches, and he just wants to repay their faith in him just like he did four years ago.
"I think I was able to repay him for giving me that shot," MacPherson said. "I was able to put in four good years of football there at Syracuse. I hope I was able to repay him that. That's what I'm trying to do again. He gave me another opportunity to come here and show my worth, and I'm forever grateful for this opportunity just to be here."