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PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Of all the things that ailed the Buffalo Bills last season, nothing was as frustrating as their inability to cash in chances in the red zone.
Which is exactly why the NFL club used its second-round selection in the draft in April to take a player who made that his specialty in college.
James Hardy stands out if for no other reason than he's 6 foot 6 on a team where most receivers are less than six feet tall. It is that dynamic the Bills were looking for when they made him the 41st-overall selection and the fourth receiver taken in the draft.
"I give them a big presence, a big target, someone who is going to give them his all and someone who will stay here all day until they figure it out," said Hardy, who will be on the field on Thursday when the Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in an exhibition game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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"It's hard for rookie receivers to make a dominant impact, but I'll show them in the long run that they made the best decision."
Hardy's exhibition debut last Saturday against the Washington Redskins may have left plenty of room for improvement, which is typical of rookies. But his 16-yard touchdown catch — Buffalo's only major of the game — was exactly the kind of thing the Bills hope to get from him this season.
"He's got to learn NFL corners, it's a lot different than college," offensive co-ordinator Turk Schonert said. "He was just big and got away with his athleticism and his size in college. It isn't that easy in this league, because defensive backs figure it out. They're going to know your weaknesses and try to expose them."
The biggest knock against Hardy going into the draft was his background, which included a tough upbringing, a two-game suspension while in college and a domestic incident involving his girlfriend and child.
But when he met with Bills executives before the draft, Hardy was open about his upbringing, which included his father being incarcerated while Hardy was a child and his moving out when he 13, bouncing from relative to relative, depending on what the situation dictated.
"I just went out and talked straight from my heart and told the truth," Hardy said. "There was nothing I was worried to talk about. Every man has been in situations and it's how you handle it. Only God can judge you, and the only ones who now what really went on is me and him.
"No one raised me because no one could take care of me. Now, I'm happy to be here and not go back to that lifestyle."
Hardy decided early in life that sports would be his way out and he focused much of his time and attention toward that goal. But his sport was basketball, in which he became a prized high-school recruit, eventually deciding to attend the University of Indiana.
"I came out of high school for basketball, but I signed for football just to try it out," he said. "I had a 120 basketball scholarships and three for football. I know the number because me and my cousin counted all the letters they sent."
But Hardy's NBA dreams were curtailed when he decided to play both football and basketball in college, a decision the basketball team did not endorse. Instead of being the star of the basketball court for the Hoosiers, Hardy found himself on the end of the bench.
"By the time I got over there after participating in both sports, things weren't happening the way they said it would happen," he said.
Meanwhile, his football status soared as he averaged a touchdown a game in his 36-game college career.
Now, Hardy believes getting a late start on football means he has more room to improve than other rookie receivers.
"I've only played football five years and most of these guys have been doing it since they were six or seven years old," he said. "I feel my potential is huge and I know as far as the red zone goes, that's going to be taken care of."
The fact that Hardy is still raw as a football player doesn't diminish the degree to which the Bills will be counting on him this coming season.
Buffalo had a franchise-low 20 offensive touchdowns last season, of which only 12 were through the air.
