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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The game ended and James Hardy searched for the man he had been waiting to speak to.
The former Indiana and current Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver idolized Randy Moss growing up. Moss was one of the few elite football players the Elmhurst graduate watched as he rose to stardom as a basketball player.
Moss, a standout basketball player before becoming an All-Pro wide receiver with Minnesota and New England, had followed a similar career path. He played basketball in high school, but he became a star college not known for its football prowess before playing in the NFL.
Even though Moss was leaving the field, Hardy couldn’t let the chance slip by after Buffalo’s 20-10 loss to New England on Sunday.
“All he said was ‘Good catch, man, good catch,’ ” Hardy said, referring to his 14-yard touchdown. “I said ‘Listen, my name is James Hardy and I wanted to introduce myself because you’re going to be seeing me a lot and you’re the only real receiver that I really idolized since playing football and I’d love to work out with you to see what you do that I don’t.’
“He gave me his number and told me to call him. He said, ‘I’ll definitely help you because you got the potential.’ ”
Hardy figured he’d continue the success he had with the Hoosiers when he emerged as an All-Big Ten player despite being recruited more for basketball.
While confident, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is starting over learning a scheme and system different from what he had at IU. Of the routes he ran at Indiana, Hardy said he has “run none here. None.”
As he adjusts to being an NFL receiver, he’s learning more schemes, how to read defenses on the run and routes he never learned as a Hoosier.
“Certain universities you get taught exactly how to be a pro, you get taught from the scheme to the routes that you run, and at Indiana, we didn’t learn all that type of stuff so everything is really just a new beginning for me coming here,” Hardy said. “I’m just trying to get adjusted and catch up as fast as I can.
“It just seems like no matter how good I work, how hard I work, it just doesn’t show the way I think it should show.”
To fast-track a solution, Hardy surrounded himself with those who made the successful transition. Bills wide receiver Lee Evans comes to his house weekly and Hardy “pick(s) his brain apart as much as I can to see exactly what he did to put himself in the position that he did.”
Improvements are coming. The 22-year-old made his second touchdown catch of the season, beating New England cornerback Deltha O’Neal on a route to the front corner of the end zone for a 14-yard score. It was one of his two catches for 21 yards.
“(That’s) the kind of throw you want to throw to a 6-foot-6 receiver, really,” Buffalo coach Dick Jauron said.
Hardy made his third start Sunday in place of the injured Josh Reed. He used his time on the sideline Sunday to study Moss, trying to pick up pointers.
Along with improving as a receiver Hardy also wants to set a good example for the youth of Fort Wayne.
During Buffalo’s bye week, Hardy came back and spoke at Elmhurst. After the talk, students stayed and peppered him with questions.
“I honestly just look at it as God putting me in this sport to entertain the sports world, but it’s much more than sports,” Hardy said. “I just want to touch as many people as possible.
“Through my testimonies, ups and downs, you see it all and I have no problem showing that.”
