"The Kid" was down.

And the contrast on this particular August 2004 afternoon couldn't have been any greater.

On this glorious summer afternoon, the hopes and dreams of every Buffalo Bills fan vaporized.

The future of the Bills franchise -- 2004 first-round pick J.P. Losman, a confident, shaggy-looking quarterback out of Tulane -- lay on the ground after an awkward collision with cornerback Troy Vincent.

The silence on the field at St. John Fisher College was deafening. But Chris Fischetti didn't have time to reflect on the ramifications of the incident, or the future of the franchise.

Now it was time to get to work.

Fischetti, a Penn State alumnus, is currently in his fifth year as a full-time athletic trainer with the Bills. But by no means was it an easy road to the big leagues for this State College native.

Fischetti is a "little person." But even though he works everyday with hulking giants, Fischetti is where he is today is because he has never let the size difference become an issue -- nor has anyone else.

It is obvious that this is one example where size doesn't matter.

"By me not worrying about it ... and that's something I've kind of done all along and throughout my life ... that's worked," Fischetti said. "Even dating back to when I started as a student ... all of the people that I've worked with, they never excluded me or made a special situation. I've never seen that as an issue. I think part of that is, I love what I do. So I don't worry about it.

"I just do it."

Born in Floral Park, N.Y., on Oct. 5, 1961, Chris was taught at an early age by his parents to look on the bright side and make the best out of any situation.

"We would always tell him to be affirmative, never negative," said Chris's mother, Marion Fischetti. "We were always behind him. He never let it get him down."

Like many other young boys, Chris instantly fell in love with sports. He liked the competition and the excitement. Sports also helped him make plenty of new friends as well.

But it wasn't always easy. By the time Chris got to high school, there was a noticeable difference between his size and that of his fellow athletes; a fact that oftentimes became an issue.

"There were times where he was frowned upon in certain sports, especially wrestling," Marion said. "It's never easy sitting in the stands, hearing other parents say things about him. But he always has managed."

While Chris knew he would eventually have to quit wrestling, it didn't stop him from playing other sports. His high school soccer team nearly won the state championship. He also played baseball, ice hockey, softball and golf.

After spending part of his childhood in State College (the family moved there for four years when Chris was 11), he was sold on coming to Penn State for college.

"Going back was like going home," he said. "It's a unique place, as a lot of people say and experience."

But what would he study? While Chris obviously couldn't aspire to be a professional athlete, he decided to try the next best thing to him: becoming an athletic trainer.

At Penn State, he worked with all of the major sports: men's basketball, women's volleyball, men's lacrosse and last but not least, the football team.

"To have the opportunity and the experience to work with football and all of the things that go along with being a part of Penn State football was really special," he said.

And the other sports had their own perks as well.

"When he was with the women's volleyball team, he was with all of these women all of the time," said Chris' father, Frank Fischetti. "They used to take him shopping, he was like their connoisseur. It was wild."

Chris was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be an athletic trainer with the U.S. Olympic Development soccer team in 1983-84. He traveled all over the globe, from South Korea, to Scandinavia and even Venezuela for the Pan American Games.

Soon afterward, Chris attended New York University and got a second degree, this time for physical therapy.

For the next 14 years, he would hold various jobs in the two fields, moving up the ladder each and every time. But all the while, Chris always had one goal: to make it to the NFL.

"As I did other things, in the back of my mind was the drive to always get here," he said.

His break first came in 1997. Greg McMillan, who had become an assistant athletic trainer with the Bills, had formerly worked with Chris in Liverpool. With the Bills needing part-time assistance at training camp, McMillan knew whom to call.

"That was tremendous," Chris said. "It just kind of started that way and then each year it built more and more of a solid relationship up until when the Bills were adding a person to their staff ... and here we are."

Chris became a full-time staff member with the Bills in 2002 -- and the Bills are glad to have him on board.

"Chris really adds another dimension to us," said Bud Carpenter, the Bills' head athletic trainer. "We've always wanted to have a [physical therapist] on board with us, and now we have a [physical therapist/athletic trainer].

It didn't take Chris long to have a major impact on the team either.

Enter Willis McGahee. The Bills took what many thought to be a gamble by selecting the injured University of Miami running back in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. But with Chris' assistance, McGahee proved his doubters wrong in 2004, rushing for a remarkable 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns, all while only starting 11 games.

"I worked with him primarily everyday," Chris said. "Our job was to work on getting all of his strength back, his endurance, his agility, in isolated fashion, and then incorporating it into football activity. We would run patterns, we would do plays, he and I on the field. Not that I'm a professional football player, obviously. ... It was a tremendous experience, he was great to work with."

And for the future? Chris would like to someday be a head athletic trainer for an NFL team. But if that doesn't happen, considering the path he's taken to Buffalo, he's pretty happy where he is right now.

"I love what I do," he said. "Being in the NFL and being a part of the Buffalo Bills is a wonderful experience. This is a unique organization from [Owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr.] on down, similar to Penn State. Everybody has a true passion and love for what we do here and what we're trying to achieve. It's great to be a part of it."