Editor’s Note: Next in line for the THN new player profiles, is offensive lineman Mike Pucillo.
Mike Pucillo
College: Auburn
Height: 6-4
Position: G
Weight: 311
Born: 07/14/1979
Draft: 2002 – 7th round (4th pick) by the Buffalo Bills
Number: 61
After three years in Buffalo and one in Cleveland, Mike Pucillo has landed with the Skins in Washington DC. His versatility in being able to play the position of guard and center makes him a valuable asset to the team.
The past two seasons have shown just how valuable depth is at any position. The main reason Mike Pucillo was brought in is to sure up the offensive line in case of injury. In 2004, Jon Jansen missed the entire season with a ruptured left Achilles. At the end of the 2005 regular season, Randy Thomas went down with a broken leg. Needless to say, both seasons were drastically impacted by the loss of just one lineman due to the lack of an adequate backup.
His one-year in Cleveland only landed Pucillo 6 starts in the 10 games he participated in. He only had major stat in 2005, which was against Pittsburgh when he made one fumble recovery.
In 2004, Mike only played in two games, the first being against Arizona, the second against Pittsburgh. Although he only played in two games, Mike dressed for an additional four games but was inactive for the rest.
2003 was a very successful year for Travis Henry as he ran for plenty of yards and multiple scores behind Mike Pucillo. In October of 2003, Mike aided in Henry’s banner game against none other than the Washington Redskins. Henry ran for 167 yards with Mike at the right guard position – a position Pucillo started at in 10 games. Pucillo suffered a foot injury that placed him back in a reserve role, but in December, Mike started another game at right guard, before being moved to the left guard position to supplant an injured Ruben Brown.
The 2002 season was uneventful for Mike. He was active for only two games. One game was against Miami and the other being San Diego, he did not play in either game. Mike remained inactive for the rest of the season while being on the Bills 53-man roster.
Pucillo was nothing short of versatile for Auburn, providing them with an experienced player at guard and center. In addition, Pucillo showed his durability by starting 25 consecutive games for the Tigers.
Brandon High is where Mike was honored with being a Prep Star All-American. In addition to that, he was listed as being one of the top 50 players in Tampa by the Tampa Tribune and was named to Florida’s “Super 24. Mike also won the Jimbo Kynes award for being the best lineman in the country and was elected to play in the Florida vs. Georgia All-Star game.
Mike Pucillo majored in Health Promotion and participated in activities to uplift his community. In his first year with the Bills, Mike visited the Buffalo Zoo with his fellow Tops Rookie Club members to the delight of many children. In November, he aided in the serving of dinner at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center and appeared at the annual holiday children’s party at the stadium.
– Chris Allen
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Christopher Allen