Greg Rousseau felt uncertain as he entered his redshirt freshman college season in 2019 because he was unsure about why then-Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Blake Baker began calling him “Groot.”
The nickname, referring to the Marvel Comics character with spiky hair and long arms, was unfamiliar to the 19-year-old defensive end at the time, even though the similarity is still clear today.
Rousseau, now a Bills edge rusher, keeps his spiky hairstyle and has a significant wingspan to match his 6-foot-6, 266-pound build.
“I was never self-conscious about my size. I just hadn’t seen the movie, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ so I didn’t know what that was,” Rousseau said on Tuesday as the Bills get ready to play at Miami on Thursday night. “Then I watched it. It’s a good movie, and I liked the character. He’s pretty cool.”
He quickly embraced the nickname when teammates and fans began chanting “Grooooooooot!” during a season in which he led the ACC with 15 1/2 sacks.
Drafted 30th in 2021 after missing the previous year due to COVID-19, Rousseau spent his first three seasons with the Bills showing his potential, but was criticized for inconsistency, totaling 17 sacks in 46 games.
Then, on Sunday, Rousseau had what might be a breakout performance, recording a career-high three sacks, with the last one forcing a key fumble, helping Buffalo win 34-28 in their season opener against Arizona.
“We all kind of fed off his energy and the vibe,” defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said. “Seeing him out there with growing confidence, I’d say he really energized our defense.”
Rousseau’s first sack occurred when he chased Kyler Murray out of bounds for no gain during the first half, in which Arizona took a 17-3 lead by scoring on each of its first three drives.
