Lothar Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Talk about Johnson or Jackson all you want but to me the reason we are becoming a tough out on offense - besides the Chan-Fitzmagic genius is the play of the line. Freddie is Freddie and on of my all time favorite Bills but have you seen the size of some of the holes he's been getting? And the way they dominated the big bad Raider DL? There was an interesting article written before the second game that alluded to our line being one of the biggest in the league. And holy smoke, they can play! I know our schemes tend to be based on shorter drops and multiple receivers but there's no denying how teams are having trouble getting to Fitz or choking off our run-game. After all the gnashing and gnawing about losing Hangardner, Chan obviously realized - better than all of us - that center was the weak link. Now with Wood and Levitre in the middle, we're actually getting 2nd and 3rd level blocking instead of just holding our ground. If the resident O-line experts on the board had their way, we'd have run these guys out of town after the preseason. Instead, I'd argue that we have one of the more solid lines in all the league - especially after watching contenders like Pittsburgh & Philly struggle up front. Props to the front office for finding some diamonds in the scrap heap (Pears, Urbik and Rinehart) to augment our higher round picks. Who knew we'd now be clamoring to draft DBs and pass-rushers after the preseason we had. I used to think our team's achilles heel was depth, and it probably is at several key positions. But if we can keep the primary 7 guys up front reasonably healthy, I like the odds of Fitz surviving the year and as long as he's up, Chan can continue to work magic with this offense. I really do think the talent infusion on defense will show up as the season progresses and when that happens, look out. Belief and confidence goes a long way in a parity-filled league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 After all the gnashing and gnawing about losing Hangardner, Chan obviously realized - better than all of us - that center was the weak link. Not me. I was tired of watching Handy doing his best "Sonic the Hedgehog" impression. My faith in the OLine is growing but I'm also wary because everything we're seeing is so new. The second quarter of the season will tell us a lot because teams will have much more film of our scheme and will make better adjustments. So far we've done a better job than they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Agreed. Nix-Gailey built from the middle out by moving Wood to center, drafting Levitre and picking up Urbik/Rinehart from the waiver wire. Then allowing Bell a chance to grow, and picking up Pears were other good moves. This line is big, nasty and pretty mobile. I like it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Not me. I was tired of watching Handy doing his best "Sonic the Hedgehog" impression. My faith in the OLine is growing but I'm also wary because everything we're seeing is so new. The second quarter of the season will tell us a lot because teams will have much more film of our scheme and will make better adjustments. So far we've done a better job than they have. I'm not sure the scheme is any different from last year. I think the playbook my be a bit deeper but now we just have guys that can actually play and know what they're doing on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Not me. I was tired of watching Handy doing his best "Sonic the Hedgehog" impression. My faith in the OLine is growing but I'm also wary because everything we're seeing is so new. The second quarter of the season will tell us a lot because teams will have much more film of our scheme and will make better adjustments. So far we've done a better job than they have. The Bills haven't unveiled their full offense yet. And as I said before the season started, the O-line IS better (much better actually) than last year. Ha ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 The Bills haven't unveiled their full offense yet. And as I said before the season started, the O-line IS better (much better actually) than last year. Ha ha. Yeah, we need a thread for all of the "I told you so(s)"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoretalk Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Yeah, we need a thread for all of the "I told you so(s)"! So many critics of the line ... so many wanting to rip apart Bell or Pears or Urbik ... It's early but watching this line play conjurs up memories of some of our past glory lines ... we had one in the mid-60's, the early 70's, and obviously the mid-80's to mid-90's and it's about time the Bills have a line for the 21st century! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts