ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Quintin Morris is the undrafted underdog.
For a year, the Buffalo Bills tight end’s nameplate was spelled incorrectly, as “Quinton” for a year after Morris made the practice squad for the 2021 season.
"Being a practice squad guy, they're not really expecting me to come in here and make any impact,” Morris said. "For me, it was just really showing the coaches, showing the team that I can be a guy you trust to go out there and perform."
The odds were against Morris to make a stacked Bills 53-man roster, but there’s no quit in the Morris family, a lesson Quintin learned from his big brother Evan.
"He gave Quintin motivation because watching his brother overcome so many obstacles, he had no excuse. So he made it work,” Quintin’s father Eddie Morris said about his sons.
"It was very disheartening when Evan was born. He was born a preemie. He was unheard of. He was a pound and six ounces."
The boys’ mother Vanessa Morris said Evan’s brain matter wasn’t fully developed when he was born premature.
“He started out in the hospital the first six months of his life. ... They didn't expect him to make it, but here he is,” Vanessa said.
Here is Evan, at 26 years old, highly functional and a Special Olympics star.
"This one is for the pentathlon, so this is basically everything like the 100, 400, high jump, long jump,” Evan explained to 2 On Your Side’s Julianne Pelusi while showing off his medals at the Bills’ seasonally warm late October home game against the Green Bay Packers.
"It kind of reminds me of just being an underdog. Evan's a guy that pushed through everything and he had odds against him even as a kid. They said he wouldn't be able to walk or run and I mean, look at him now. He's probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest in the Special Olympics,” Quintin said.
Eddie said Evan competes just like his brother and finds great joy in the Special Olympics. He’s also a lifelong competitor for his big NFL little brother.
Evan told Julianne he thinks he’s the better athlete, but Quintin said “I got him now."
"Behind the scenes, sibling rivalry, all that good stuff, but you can't find one without the other. They're always watching out for each other,” Vanessa said.
Their companionship was palpable watching Evan take in one of his brother’s games.
"He's got my back, I got his back. He helps me, I help him. That's what brothers do,” Evan said.
Eddie said he felt his sons have a twin-like relationship.
“I think they feel each other's emotions, and so forth. So having him present (at games), I think gives Quintin an added boost and much like when Quintin comes home, and Evan sees him in the stands or sees him on the field, it just raises his level of competition,” Eddie said.
Evan has been Quintin’s lifelong inspiration that the underdog can always come out on top.
"I'm going to support him and he's gonna support me,” Quintin said.
“He's definitely pushing me and helping me become who I am, and I like to think I've pushed him helping him become who he is."