Is D.Bell the LT of the future?

[Thoner7]

My 2 cents is as follows:

 

Sure Bell looked liked crap vrs Jaren Allen, he makes everyone look like crap. Plus he is a stout, powerful guy who ran right through Bell. Bell is know for being very agile and athletic and not very strong. What a surprise! Yea, its really not. Yet the week before played great vrs another one of the NFLs best in Harrison. He didn’t allow much pressure at all (the flagged hit was an inside stunt, not pressure allow from Bell) Other guys he has faced, and done well against at least statistically are Suggs, Peppers, Mathews, and whoever the Pats and Jets had that week. He really has had one bad week trying to block Jared Allen 1 v1.

 

 

My thinking is that Bell is more than serviceable but he isn’t elite. That means if we want to rely on him as our LT moving forward we have to be able to give him help on 80% of the plays when we go against an elite DE or OLB. We cannot do that with our current crap at RT and the weaker interior OL we have. If we get a solid RT, like a Love or Carimi in the draft, and get stouter along the interior of our OL a bit, we culd then give Bell help when help is required. Leaving him 1 v 1 vrs Jared Allen is not going to work.

[PDaDdy]

Our first pick should address LB or pass rushing DE (goodbye Maybin).

 

Off topic but how can he be so bad? It is really galling that we drafted that guy when the runaway consensus best DE in that draft was Orakpo. IDIOTS!!!!

 

Maybin gets one more year. So far he hasn't displayed the ability to play the edge as a DE or an OLB. With enough beef on the interior defensive line could he play an inside LB position? That way he wouldn't be up against tackles who outweigh him by 80+ lbs. If the interior defensive line does their job he would just be responsible for filling gaps, tackling RBs and taking on fullbacks or avoiding pulling guards as blockers. He could still be used as a pass rusher as we have seen some success up the middle when we blitz our LBs.

 

In coverage he can't possibly be any worse than Poz trying to cover TE's. At one point Buffalo was by far giving up the most TDs and receptions to opposing TE's. Maybin has the speed to play sideline to sideline so maybe an inside LB position could take advantage of his natural abilities. Not saying this will get production out of him but nothing else has worked so far. It might be worth a shot to get something out of that bum.

 

That is a huge myth. RT's are definitely less athletic than LT's but that does not mean that an LT cannot succeed at RT. There is nothing required in most offenses that says RT must be bigger and slower and stronger. When they happen to be too slow to move well enough to be an LT they simply default to RT. There are plenty of big, strong LTs in the league, they just happen to be able to move quickly.

 

Bell is big enough to play either position.

 

I agree 100%. Would it work? Who knows but as I have said many average LTs have become great RTs.

Edited December 8, 2010 by PDaDdy

[ColdBlueNorth]

Coming off a major knee injury last year D. Bell has been solid. He's quick and moves well. Sonetimes he looks all pro leading a run block then other plays he looks pretty average. He's healing, learning and improving. He had a long day against Allen but who hasn't? It's way too early to say he's not the guy. I don't get the posters who blithely say move him to RT. He's not a power guy like an RT. He's a natural LT that I think will be damn good. See how long he'd last on the FA market.

I see those "move him to RT" posts too - baffling.

 

You take a guy who is athletic, moves well in space, appears to have the potential to be able to handle the outside speed rush, and has been groomed for playing LT and move him to RT (where you normally need a slightly slower and more easy to come by mauler) and then bring in a rookie to start at LT. It is thinking like that, that keeps our offensive line from ever coming together. I am all for picking up someone to provide some depth and to potentially groom for more work down the road, but that is a different discussion.

[Stl Bills]

I see those "move him to RT" posts too - baffling.

 

You take a guy who is athletic, moves well in space, appears to have the potential to be able to handle the outside speed rush, and has been groomed for playing LT and move him to RT (where you normally need a slightly slower and more easy to come by mauler) and then bring in a rookie to start at LT. It is thinking like that, that keeps our offensive line from ever coming together. I am all for picking up someone to provide some depth and to potentially groom for more work down the road, but that is a different discussion.

Thank You! He is much better suited for being a LT than a RT. The one attribute he lacks from an elite tackle is brute strength, but up until last week he did a great job making up for it with good feet and overall technique. Anyway, give me a big mauler type on the right side to match up with Wood, and leave Bell on the blindside to deal with the speed rushers. The kid is progressing very nicely and is far from a finished product. He had 1 really bad game against one of the leagues premier DEs inJared Allen, and it was hard to get him a lot of help when the rest of the line was decimated by injuries. Anyway, he's not a great tackle yet but I like what I see so far and believe he will be in the near future.

[Captain Caveman]

Wouldn't the LT of the future have some sort of lasers?

[PDaDdy]

Thank You! He is much better suited for being a LT than a RT. The one attribute he lacks from an elite tackle is brute strength, but up until last week he did a great job making up for it with good feet and overall technique. Anyway, give me a big mauler type on the right side to match up with Wood, and leave Bell on the blindside to deal with the speed rushers. The kid is progressing very nicely and is far from a finished product. He had 1 really bad game against one of the leagues premier DEs inJared Allen, and it was hard to get him a lot of help when the rest of the line was decimated by injuries. Anyway, he's not a great tackle yet but I like what I see so far and believe he will be in the near future.

 

If you really believe that he will become a "great" tackle then your philosophy makes sense. For those that don't see him developing into a "great" or dare I say it an "elite" LT, moving him to RT seems much more plausible.

 

Hasn't one of the Bills biggest problems been settling for mediocrity? Many of us as fans have also settled for mediocrity and average or serviceable, which is what Bell is becoming or has become. It's considered a victory or cause for overly optimistic celebration. I want for better. I just don't think you can take any big athletic guy and "make" him become a great pro LT. It is the rare exception where this happens.

 

I know he doesn't have much football experience so there is this perception of an incredible upside. I can't help but thinking that if this guy has what it takes to be a great LT wouldn't someone have seen it before he got picked up by a pro team? Do we really put that much faith in our previous GM and scouting team to be the geniuses that saw what nobody else saw?

 

It worked once with Peters now we are trying to hit the lottery again. Personally I don't like our odds but Bell so far has been serviceable.

 

PS. I do think it's really funny that people are using Bell's injuries as cause for optimism that he can get better but Peters injuries were not taken into consideration when evaluating his supposedly unacceptable probowl play.

Edited December 8, 2010 by PDaDdy

[John from Riverside]

The problem that nobody is talking about here is that elit Left Tackles are just too hard to find......when they do come along they tend to be top 5 picks in the NFL draft....and even then you might end up being the tackle that the raiders drafted a while back who was supposed to be the next Anthony Munoz

 

Suggs, Peppers, Mathews.....that is a heck of a list to be holding your own against....and keep in mind that Bell has probably NOT REACHED HIS CEILING.....he is still raw....still hasn't played a lot of football....and still improving.

 

What we should be doing is improving the Right Tackle position....moving Wood back to his natural position.......and putting a blocking TE on the field that can catch....that will go a long way into improving line play.

 

I still like Urbik even though he is done for the season

 

Bell

Levitre

Wood

Urbik

Love

[PDaDdy]

The problem that nobody is talking about here is that elit Left Tackles are just too hard to find......when they do come along they tend to be top 5 picks in the NFL draft....and even then you might end up being the tackle that the raiders drafted a while back who was supposed to be the next Anthony Munoz

 

Suggs, Peppers, Mathews.....that is a heck of a list to be holding your own against....and keep in mind that Bell has probably NOT REACHED HIS CEILING.....he is still raw....still hasn't played a lot of football....and still improving.

 

What we should be doing is improving the Right Tackle position....moving Wood back to his natural position.......and putting a blocking TE on the field that can catch....that will go a long way into improving line play.

 

I still like Urbik even though he is done for the season

 

Bell

Levitre

Wood

Urbik

Love

 

Absolutely correct. Elite LT ARE too hard to find. When you hit the lottery and get one you keep him unlike the Bills. That being said if you want an elite one you have to pay them to come to town OR likely draft them pretty high in the draft. As it so happens we may have a top 5 pick this year which could potentially be used for the best LT in the draft. Unless people believe that Bell will become a REALLY good to elite LT we should/could draft a guy that can be! I am tired of applauding mediocrity.

 

Yes there are occasional busts in the draft but don't think that the rest aren't really good to elite. There is a measure of risk involved in drafting any player. Many like to emphasize this to the point where they make it seem like a spin of the roulette wheel. Why bother drafting anybody early because they could be a bust?

 

The real story is that the earlier you draft a guy the "better" the chance you have of them being good. Unfortunately I feel the success or failure of drafting players early is often skewed because teams gamble on players with freakish athleticism, speed and size. Often these player turn out to be busts because they can't learn or dedicate to the pro game for whatever reason. In turn some use these gambles on "project players", like Maybin that become busts, to point out how unreliable drafting early is. For example drafting a DE in the first round isn't a huge risk. It's not a crap shoot. We were not at the mercy of cruel fate. We made a horrible decision.

Edited December 8, 2010 by PDaDdy

[John from Riverside]

Peters wasn't a elite left tackle.....put aside the fact that he didn't want to be here.......he is a very good run blocker and a pretty good pass blocker.....he is not ELITE. He gets beat too much for that.

 

Loved him when he was playing for us....but I just dont get the posters who put a blind eye to Peters weaknesses and then trash Bell for not being an elite left tackle.

[JStranger76]

Even if we pick the top LT in the draft we'll be picking him about 20 slots too high. So guess what folks..........IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! Carimi or Love in the 2nd and we'll be fine.

[Green Lightning]

I see those "move him to RT" posts too - baffling.

 

You take a guy who is athletic, moves well in space, appears to have the potential to be able to handle the outside speed rush, and has been groomed for playing LT and move him to RT (where you normally need a slightly slower and more easy to come by mauler) and then bring in a rookie to start at LT. It is thinking like that, that keeps our offensive line from ever coming together. I am all for picking up someone to provide some depth and to potentially groom for more work down the road, but that is a different discussion.

 

Man I agree. I see some usually solid posters on TSW repeatedly say move him to RT. That just shows a lack of understanding the differences in the two positions. You nailed it so I won't repeat it but I wish others would start looking at other teams an see the difference in the style of play, how much space each plays in and how the TE and other OL positions work with both. It's two different positions, each with a set of requirements that are not always interchangeable.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

The problem that nobody is talking about here is that elite Left Tackles are just too hard to find......when they do come along they tend to be top 5 picks in the NFL draft....and even then you might end up being the tackle that the raiders drafted a while back who was supposed to be the next Anthony Munoz

 

Suggs, Peppers, Mathews.....that is a heck of a list to be holding your own against....and keep in mind that Bell has probably NOT REACHED HIS CEILING.....he is still raw....still hasn't played a lot of football....and still improving.

 

What we should be doing is improving the Right Tackle position....moving Wood back to his natural position.......and putting a blocking TE on the field that can catch....that will go a long way into improving line play.

 

I still like Urbik even though he is done for the season

 

Bell

Levitre

Wood

Urbik

Love

 

I agree with everything you posted besides the statement in bold. I am not certain, but I suspect you would discover that the overwhelming majority of "elite left tackles" in the NFL (past and present) were not top 5 picks in the draft. The problem is...who do we include in this group of elite LT's?

 

I'm going to do some research....

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I agree with everything you posted besides the statement in bold. I am not certain, but I suspect you would discover that the overwhelming majority of "elite left tackles" in the NFL (past and present) were not top 5 picks in the draft. The problem is...who do we include in this group of elite LT's?

 

I'm going to do some research....

 

 

Joe Thomas - 3rd pick overall 2007

Ryan Clady - 12th pick overall 2008

Jake Long - 1st pick overall 2008

Michael Oher - 23rd pick overall 2009

D'Brickashaw Ferguson - 4th pick overall 2006

Jordan Gross - 8th pick overall 2003

Matt Light - 2nd round pick 2001

Marcus McNeill - 2nd round pick 2006

 

Going back a bit further...

 

Walter Jones - 6th pick overall 1997

Jonathan Ogden - 4th pick overall 1996

Orlando Pace - 1st pick overall 1997

Flozell Adams - 2nd round pick 1998

Jon Runyan - 4th round pick 1996

Tra Thomas - 11th overall pick 1998

 

Going way back...

 

Anthony Munoz - 3rd pick overall 1980

Art Shell - 3rd round pick 1968

Jackie Slater - 3rd round pick 1976

Ron Yary - 1st overall pick 1968

 

I guess you may have a legitimate argument that many elite LT's (especially within the past 10 years) have been top 5 picks. Otherwise, I think it's basically just luck of the draw. Certainly, elite left tackles have been drafted in the later rounds. You never know.

 

Even if we pick the top LT in the draft we'll be picking him about 20 slots too high. So guess what folks..........IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! Carimi or Love in the 2nd and we'll be fine.

 

God I hope one of those two slips to us in the 2nd round. With this weak OT draft class, does anyone think that Carimi or Love will fall this far? I don't really see it happening.

[Koufax]

I'm not completely sure, but I'm pretty happy with his performance this year and his upside. Even more than Fitz does for the QB position, he puts us in a position to get the best players available, and only get an LT if he is the best option at that pick. I can see that upgrading our front 7 based on the talent that is out there. I'm pretty happy with our line, just a matter of months after we were beaten up for not picking anybody before the 5th. Get good players unless you have a total and complete void. With Bell we don't have a void (and the same with Fitz), and that puts us in a better position to get better faster by not trying to patch needs.

 

I am an eternal optimist, but I think his upside is really impressive given his growth in his first years of organized football and the circumstances he had coming in to this year that everyone has mentioned.

[Doc]

A fair assessment of Bell can't be given until next season, when ideally he'll have had a full/healthy off-season and pre-season to improve himself. Considering how far he's come from the disaster he looked like last year, this despite missing playing/practice time from game 10 of last year until the 2nd pre-season game this year, he deserves to be afforded the opportunity to keep his job.

[John from Riverside]

Joe Thomas - 3rd pick overall 2007

Ryan Clady - 12th pick overall 2008

Jake Long - 1st pick overall 2008

Michael Oher - 23rd pick overall 2009

D'Brickashaw Ferguson - 4th pick overall 2006

Jordan Gross - 8th pick overall 2003

Matt Light - 2nd round pick 2001

Marcus McNeill - 2nd round pick 2006

 

Going back a bit further...

 

Walter Jones - 6th pick overall 1997

Jonathan Ogden - 4th pick overall 1996

Orlando Pace - 1st pick overall 1997

Flozell Adams - 2nd round pick 1998

Jon Runyan - 4th round pick 1996

Tra Thomas - 11th overall pick 1998

 

Going way back...

 

Anthony Munoz - 3rd pick overall 1980

Art Shell - 3rd round pick 1968

Jackie Slater - 3rd round pick 1976

Ron Yary - 1st overall pick 1968

 

I guess you may have a legitimate argument that many elite LT's (especially within the past 10 years) have been top 5 picks. Otherwise, I think it's basically just luck of the draw. Certainly, elite left tackles have been drafted in the later rounds. You never know.

 

 

 

God I hope one of those two slips to us in the 2nd round. With this weak OT draft class, does anyone think that Carimi or Love will fall this far? I don't really see it happening.

 

I didn't exactly do the research you did on it (good job by the way) it just makes football sense......they along with the defensive linemen are one of the most important positions on the field because the size, strength, everything in a human being is so rare AND they affect how so many others play on the field.....

 

To me its like this.....I think its easier to find a freaky fast wide receiver, or a monster linebacker, or a stud running back then it is to find the behemoths at these positions simply because people generally dont grow that huge......so it would make sense to me that a team would draft talent in the top picks in those areas.....

 

jmo

[Bob in STL]

Thank You! He is much better suited for being a LT than a RT. The one attribute he lacks from an elite tackle is brute strength, but up until last week he did a great job making up for it with good feet and overall technique. Anyway, give me a big mauler type on the right side to match up with Wood, and leave Bell on the blindside to deal with the speed rushers. The kid is progressing very nicely and is far from a finished product. He had 1 really bad game against one of the leagues premier DEs inJared Allen, and it was hard to get him a lot of help when the rest of the line was decimated by injuries. Anyway, he's not a great tackle yet but I like what I see so far and believe he will be in the near future.

 

 

If you draft a top OT out of college and he beats out Bell then you move Bell to RT. Not saying that happens his rookie season but I think to improve th overall talent on the line, and on the team, we need to draft a legitimate LT coming out of college ... not another project that could develop in 3 years.

 

That said, if Bell were beaten out by another LT he could certainly move to RT. This myth that you must be a "big mauler type" (whatever that really is?) is a stereotype for big tackles that are not athletic enough to play LT. It does not preclude Bell from moving to RT should be acquire a LT that is better.

 

I think Bell is improving (and adequate) but if am going to spend a premium draft choice on a OT I and not going to pick a RT only option. (See Mike Williams).

[Doc]

If you draft a top OT out of college and he beats out Bell then you move Bell to RT. Not saying that happens his rookie season but I think to improve th overall talent on the line, and on the team, we need to draft a legitimate LT coming out of college ... not another project that could develop in 3 years.

 

That said, if Bell were beaten out by another LT he could certainly move to RT. This myth that you must be a "big mauler type" (whatever that really is?) is a stereotype for big tackles that are not athletic enough to play LT. It does not preclude Bell from moving to RT should be acquire a LT that is better.

 

I think Bell is improving (and adequate) but if am going to spend a premium draft choice on a OT I and not going to pick a RT only option. (See Mike Williams).

Most definitely you take a LT with a high pick, over a RT. But a pass-rusher is a greater need so that should be the first pick.

[PDaDdy]

Peters wasn't a elite left tackle.....put aside the fact that he didn't want to be here.......he is a very good run blocker and a pretty good pass blocker.....he is not ELITE. He gets beat too much for that.

 

Loved him when he was playing for us....but I just dont get the posters who put a blind eye to Peters weaknesses and then trash Bell for not being an elite left tackle.

 

 

Uh..how many probowls has Peters been to in a row? Apparently the opinions of those who matter, coaches and players, think he is elite. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Please don't think poorly of having the same opinion as the people who would know best.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Joe Thomas - 3rd pick overall 2007

Ryan Clady - 12th pick overall 2008

Jake Long - 1st pick overall 2008

Michael Oher - 23rd pick overall 2009

D'Brickashaw Ferguson - 4th pick overall 2006

Jordan Gross - 8th pick overall 2003

Matt Light - 2nd round pick 2001

Marcus McNeill - 2nd round pick 2006

 

Going back a bit further...

 

Walter Jones - 6th pick overall 1997

Jonathan Ogden - 4th pick overall 1996

Orlando Pace - 1st pick overall 1997

Flozell Adams - 2nd round pick 1998

Jon Runyan - 4th round pick 1996

Tra Thomas - 11th overall pick 1998

 

Going way back...

 

Anthony Munoz - 3rd pick overall 1980

Art Shell - 3rd round pick 1968

Jackie Slater - 3rd round pick 1976

Ron Yary - 1st overall pick 1968

 

I guess you may have a legitimate argument that many elite LT's (especially within the past 10 years) have been top 5 picks. Otherwise, I think it's basically just luck of the draw. Certainly, elite left tackles have been drafted in the later rounds. You never know.

Same deal with QBs. Great QBs and LTs are just extremely hard to find. There have been many debates here that use Tom Brady as the key example of why one doesn't have to draft an elite QB high. But, the reality is that elite players tend to be taken at the very top of the draft. There are exceptions, obviously, but the chances of success in trying to find Hall-of-Famers in the later rounds goes down significantly. Scouts don't get every player right, but as a general trend, the best players go early.