BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shane Conlan has a message for Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State coach who recently compared him to current Nittany Lions linebacker Paul Posluszny.

"I think he's a little bit better than I was," said Conlan, who played at Penn State under Paterno in the mid-1980s.

Conlan made the comment before being one of 11 inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Conlan was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of three consecutive AFC title-winning teams during six seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Posluszny, the Nittany Lions leading tackler, is a driving force behind Penn State's impressive turnaround this season and was recently selected as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. Penn State has won seven of their first eight games overall, and are tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten standings with a 4-1 conference mark.

Conlan has talked to Posluszny a number of times since the junior linebacker lives near his Pittsburgh home and works out at the same gym. He can't help but see some of himself in the young defender, but refrains from giving any pointers.

"He's a quiet, humble kid," Conlan said. "Very similar to how I was. But the way he's playing, I don't think he needs much advice."