"It's going to be a long winter for Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Torell Troup. He's a weight-room fanatic, but because of back surgery last month he can't touch a weight until spring.

"I like to work out, so 12 weeks is a long time," Troup said last week as the Bills packed up for the offseason. "I think last year I only took off two weeks before I got to work."

While he doesn't like the layoff, Troup is optimistic about his long-term prognosis. He had surgery Dec. 16 to repair a small spinal fracture in his lower back and to clean up a disk problem in the same area. That's a big deal for a 335-pound NFL defensive tackle."