Comprehensive Bills O line evaluation thread

[San Jose Bills Fan]

add: I generally think it's a good idea to draft tackles more highly than guards. Depending on the individual athlete, some of them (Ruben Brown and Andy Levitre for instance) can transition to guard. Some of them can't. However how many guards have transitioned to tackle? Branden Albert played guard in college but largely because D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Eugene Monroe were ahead of him.

 

Tackles are much more highly-drafted than guards for other reasons.

 

Guards can be developed but tackles have to have the greater athletic talent the position demands.

Edited January 7, 2014 by San Jose Bills Fan

[TakeYouToTasker]

.Buddy Nix...err Doug Marrone....is that you

 

 

In regards to Bill, and why I don't much care for Erik Pears at RT. While Pears has so many attributes that you want in a top tackle like long arms, he also has some flaws. At 6'8" 316 lbs he is very tall and this is somewhat of a liability because he just doesn't always get low enough. He can be slow to react and adjust to counter moves, as he can kick step out to pick up rushers but then struggles to recover, and move back to the inside. He is also not that quick when firing out of his stance.

 

Don't get me wrong as i like the guy to a degree, as a back up. He is an adequate starter on an average team. but should the team want to win playoff games on the road the RT position will need a definite upgrade. JMHO

Pears has a slow first step , and regardless of his long arms, doesn't use his hands particularly well in pass protection. He's a bit of a "lunger" as well. If Pears doesn't fit into 2014's plans as a starter, given both his salary and his inability to work as a swing tackle, he won't be kept around as a backup.

 

Urbik is a solid, middle of the road option at guard who benefited greatly from Levitre being on this team last year as he received much more help from Wood. He found himself alone in many blocking schemes this year given our black hole at LG, which exposed him a bit. Still, as I said earlier, he's solid and offers some versatility at center. Assuming none of the kids really shines and takes a major step forward this offseason, I believed Urbik will be holding down the fort at RG to start the year.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Pears has a slow first step , and regardless of his long arms, doesn't use his hands particularly well in pass protection. He's a bit of a "lunger" as well.

 

Pears is a lunger and like former Bill Langston Walker he usually connects on his shoves.

 

Sometimes he doesn't.

 

Good stuff TYTT.

[Doug Flutie Band]

here is the O-line breakdown:

 

Cordy Glenn and Eric Wood - these guys are fine solid starters all set here

Erik Pears and Kraig Urbik - these guys are passable NFL starters but drafting some late round talent to push them would be great

Doug Legursky - he fared a bit better than Colin Brown, but he is still very much the weak link and in desperate need of replacement

 

If they can get a new starter at guard via free agency or the draft and then get another late round body in the mix to develop the offensive line will be a very solid part of this football team.

[RuntheDamnBall]

In this record long playoff drought, the Bills have always scrimped on the OL. In the SB years they always had a top 5 OL. Maybe there is a connection.

For three of those years they had two first rounders (Wolford and Jim Ritcher, who had been around since 1980 and was there for all 4). Hull was a UDFA and came up thru the USFL. Davis and Ballard were 11th rounders. Equivalent to UDFAs today.

 

That's 3 UDFAs and 2 first rounders, one of them a 10 year veteran. Sort of wild by today's standards.

 

I think with Glenn and Wood they have two terrific pieces. Pears can be solid for awhile, but needs backup and we need to know if Hairston can play again or not. Urbik turned himself into a question mark this year, and we all know that what we had at LG this season didn't cut it. It has to be addressed. The good thing is that we know you can find interior OL talent in a lot of places. They need to figure out what kind of player they need and bring in two of them to compete with Unga, Urbik and Asper. Legursky can be in the mix but should never be a starter again.

[OCinBuffalo]

Well, now that's I'm done with Ze Germans....

I kinda disagree on both Wood and Glenn....IMHO[, etc].

Ah...but it is a reasoned opinion. Signed up.

It doesn't take an O-line coach to see that the Bills have 2 legitimate NFL O-lineman, Wood and Glenn. Urbik and Pears do well in spurts and cannot be counted on in the 4th quarter to get a 3rd and 1. MAYBE they are good enough to be backups. The street FAs installed at LG were a complete disaster are not worthy of being mentioned by name.

 

The Bills cannot plan on 'Unga or any of the other Jokers to develop into a starter. So you have 2. That's it. The rest should not be in the NFL or certainly should not be starting.

Barely signed up. Back it up with more fact. For example, what specifically did you see that tells you the FAs installed at LG were a disaster? Not saying you are wrong. Am saying: we need a more than "because I said so".

Up until recent years, there has been a theory prevalent among those who stock talent for NFL teams, that you don't need to draft guards high.

Well, now we know why San Jose wanted you here. Signed up. As Bills says, excellent work, especially since this post in no way resembles #humblebrag. (I have a feeling you will be joining the Bill side of things when it comes to the draft...well, then be warned: I am Bill's nemesis...or something. )

 

However.....of course I have high standards, and, of course I want more info than you can possibly have. Too bad. Do whatever it takes to get the job done. What do you think this is? Gangreen dot com?

 

No! This is TSW. That means: put out, and don't whine about it. You've were invited to get the job done, and you took it, so get it done, and don't come crying to me about not having 40 times. I don't wanna hear it, and nobody else does either. Which of our line are capable of getting into position for a screen play, and making that block in space, every time, and which aren't?

 

See? No 40 times required. Christ...it's like herding cats around here some days.

 

And the worst is: without me here organizing this mess, we'd be talking about Peters/Bell, wouldn't we?

 

(Now, that's joking....just imagine what I can do when we are talking DB vs. O line for real. Fair warning )

I"m not an expert, but I've watched a fair amount of tape with focus on the O-line and it seems to me Urbik was inconsistent this year....

Signed up.

Otoh, the value of corners seems to be decreasing before our eyes in this new NFL. Aside from TB, who stupidly guaranteed Revis 16 million dollars, were there any big bucks contracts extended to free agent corners? There were none that I recall.

See how Bill is? He knows, because it's me...that he can get away with breaking the rules, so he barks it out like a drunk pirate.

 

I however, will not break my own rules. Bill: Just know that there's a whole bag of response, backed up by stats and fact...with your name on it.

It'll be interesting to see how many fewer penalties Wood takes next year with at least 1 upgraded guard next to him.

Signed up.

Until last year the Bills had 1 1st round pick and 2 2nd round picks as starters. The Bills are on par with most teams in the league as far as investing high picks on O-linemen.

Signed up. Partially because you brought some good data, and partially because, like me, it appears you've been baited. Far be it from me to stand in the way of that dynamic.

Pears has a slow first step , and regardless of his long arms, doesn't use his hands particularly well in pass protection.

Signed up. Good one.

here is the O-line breakdown:

Perhaps, but, we are still in the analysis phase. We'll move on to design once we can all agree on the requirements. Signed up, but, let's see what everybody has to say first...there may be something we are missing.

For three of those years they had two first rounders (Wolford and Jim Ritcher, who had been around since 1980 and was there for all 4).

Good historical context, good analysis. Signed up.

 

OK then. So far:

Cheddar's Dad

Jboyst62

Big Blitz

BillinNYC

bobobonators

Lofton80

sjjr

FeartheLosing

JPS

Rob's House

Taro T

San Jose Bills Fan

TakeYouToTasker

Noodle

RuntheDamnBall

 

have all provided cogent analysis of the existing Bills O line. If I was them? I'd bookmark this thread, so that they can use it later...exactly like San Jose did above.

 

We'll wait for BillsVet, and Jboyst to complete their efforts and/or anybody else to have a say.

 

At some point, I'm gonna summarize this thread, ask if all of you agree with that summary, and our work here will be complete. Then, we can all just link to the summary, and save ourselves time(and hopefully not have to go thread to thread saying the same things over and over)

 

Yes, I fully recognize that this summary may in fact be used to counter my own future posts about drafting DBs high.

 

Like I said: this year is a bizarro draft for me.

[QCity]

The OL is hardly the train-wreck that many posters are making it out to be. There is no desperation to find an OL in this year's draft or in FA. Yes, Colin Brown was a disaster. And yes, the line mailed it in for the Tampa Bay game, but truthfully the entire team didn't show up for that game.

 

Wood is a top 5 center (too many penalties this year however), Glenn is probably in the 5-8 range and he's only getting better. IMO Urbik is underrated as a pass blocker, and I love the power run blocking game that he brings. I'm with Bill on Pears, I don't understand the hate. Pears will never make a Pro Bowl, but we could do far, far worse. There's at least 16 teams in this league that I wouldn't swap RT's with. He's a tall man with a high center of gravity, so you occasionally see him get beat when someone gets underneath him. Legursky is only passable, I'd like to see someone brought in from FA.

 

The one factor I have yet to see anyone mention is the person playing under center, you know, the QB. We fielded a rookie, a 3rd stringer, and an UDFA with the combined experience of 1 NFL game. I don't think the average fan realizes how much the QB affects OL play. For 16 weeks we have been every defensive coordinator's wet dream. Thad, EJ, and Tuel do not exactly strike fear into opponents hearts.

 

And it's not just 1 inexperienced QB - it's 3, which makes it all the more difficult to adapt to each QB's subtle nuances in the pocket. You know, nuances like EJ's "I Feel Phantom Pressure Let's Spin Clockwise In The Pocket For No Reason" and Thad's "F*ck It I'm Gonna Take Off And Try Running Between The Tackles" move. The 1992 Dallas Cowboys OL would've had difficulty pass blocking under these conditions.

 

Want stats? Consider Colin Brown, rookie QBs, and all the 8-man fronts we faced and we're still 2nd in the league in rushing. I know what you're going to say next - "But QCity, we allowed 48 sacks and that ranks us as 28th in the league!!!" Honestly ask yourself how many sacks allowed this year were due to our QB's and the shaky play of Brown at the start of the year. Go ahead and estimate a number. I would say at least 12, and I think I am being very generous with that figure. With solid QB play you are probably looking at a year with around 32-36 sacks, which is top 10 in the league. Even adjusted sacks would vault us up from 28th to around 12-13.

 

In summary - all the caterwauling about the OL is a little ridiculous. I highly doubt we will take an OL in the first 3 rounds, and if we pickup an OG in FA it probably won't be a big name. I don't know what's wrong with Hairston, but if he is able to comeback that would be another plus, as he was an excellent swing tackle and could even challenge Pears for the starting job.

[thewildrabbit]

Did i happen to mention how happy I am that Buddy Nix is no longer in control of this team. Bigger is not always better, and tackles don't always make good guards. Nix was excellent at band-aiding positions all over the team, and yet not so hot at evaluating the talent for several positions.

 

The Buffalo Bills organizational philosophy the last decade (at times) is that they can develop mid to late round O line prospects into viable starters. How has that worked out for them in terms of wins? Its a team sport, and every position on the team is important in my view.

 

Someone explain to me why an OG is not just as important as the DT on a team. I think they are as important, and perhaps even more so because that O line needs stability and continuity. With all five players knowing what to do in every situation so there are no unexplained sacks, hurries or hits on the QB.

 

You can have two all pro tackles on the team and what will it matter if the guards are bad? If you have bad OG's then its almost impossible to run to control the LoS or clock. The QB can't step up in the pocket to throw deep.

 

Now my hopes are dashed for an OG in free agency or with this years #2 draft pick http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Marrone-sees-promise-in-young-guard-prospects/eba6f00d-58f9-4daf-8dfe-6de9ab15ab16

 

The OL is hardly the train-wreck that many posters are making it out to be. There is no desperation to find an OL in this year's draft or in FA. Yes, Colin Brown was a disaster. And yes, the line mailed it in for the Tampa Bay game, but truthfully the entire team didn't show up for that game.

 

Wood is a top 5 center (too many penalties this year however), Glenn is probably in the 5-8 range and he's only getting better. IMO Urbik is underrated as a pass blocker, and I love the power run blocking game that he brings. I'm with Bill on Pears, I don't understand the hate. Pears will never make a Pro Bowl, but we could do far, far worse. There's at least 16 teams in this league that I wouldn't swap RT's with. He's a tall man with a high center of gravity, so you occasionally see him get beat when someone gets underneath him. Legursky is only passable, I'd like to see someone brought in from FA.

 

The one factor I have yet to see anyone mention is the person playing under center, you know, the QB. We fielded a rookie, a 3rd stringer, and an UDFA with the combined experience of 1 NFL game. I don't think the average fan realizes how much the QB affects OL play. For 16 weeks we have been every defensive coordinator's wet dream. Thad, EJ, and Tuel do not exactly strike fear into opponents hearts.

 

And it's not just 1 inexperienced QB - it's 3, which makes it all the more difficult to adapt to each QB's subtle nuances in the pocket. You know, nuances like EJ's "I Feel Phantom Pressure Let's Spin Clockwise In The Pocket For No Reason" and Thad's "F*ck It I'm Gonna Take Off And Try Running Between The Tackles" move. The 1992 Dallas Cowboys OL would've had difficulty pass blocking under these conditions.

 

Want stats? Consider Colin Brown, rookie QBs, and all the 8-man fronts we faced and we're still 2nd in the league in rushing. I know what you're going to say next - "But QCity, we allowed 48 sacks and that ranks us as 28th in the league!!!" Honestly ask yourself how many sacks allowed this year were due to our QB's and the shaky play of Brown at the start of the year. Go ahead and estimate a number. I would say at least 12, and I think I am being very generous with that figure. With solid QB play you are probably looking at a year with around 32-36 sacks, which is top 10 in the league. Even adjusted sacks would vault us up from 28th to around 12-13.

 

In summary - all the caterwauling about the OL is a little ridiculous. I highly doubt we will take an OL in the first 3 rounds, and if we pickup an OG in FA it probably won't be a big name. I don't know what's wrong with Hairston, but if he is able to comeback that would be another plus, as he was an excellent swing tackle and could even challenge Pears for the starting job.

and I say to you.... be prepared for another losing season.

 

 

As for Pears, no poison here, as Hairston was penciled in as the starter until he suffered a leg injury, and then an undisclosed illness that knocked him out for the season. " He was originally pegged as a starter. Mon, Aug 26, 2013 03:58:00 PM"

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/nfl/6643/chris-hairston

[juno999]

My off-season play to address the line

 

1. If Graham is not tagged pay him 120% of the highest TE contract and bring him in to play TE.

2. Assuming Graham is tagged, address TE in the draft as no other TE in FA is worth a large contract.

3. Draft an OT in the first round, preferably after trading down.

4. The rookie, Pears, and Hairston compete for the RT spot. Either Pears or Hairston is cut.

5. Sign one mid to high level guard in FA to take the LG spot.

6. Draft a center in round 4-5.

7. Go to mini-camp with the group we have now plus these additions and start the best two at LG/RG.

 

That leaves the rest of the draft for LB's, a back-up RB, and another DB.

6. draft a center in round 4-5. Didn't the Bills extend Woods contract at the beginning of the season? Or is this pick to be a backup center?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

http://www.buffalobi...fe-6de9ab15ab16

 

“We’re in a league that’s based on a salary cap and there are certain positions you need to develop and spend your money in other areas,” he said. “My background as an offensive line coach I realize that you’re not going to be able to spend top dollar for five offensive linemen across the board.”

 

What some of us have been saying all along.

 

You can only invest so much in terms of high draft picks and free agents.

 

As recently as last year the Bills had a first rounder and two second rounders on the O-line.

 

If they took one tackle within the first two rounds, I'd be fine with that depending on the player and who else was available.

 

Or draft a guard in rounds 3 or 4.

Edited January 8, 2014 by San Jose Bills Fan

[Bill from NYC]

http://www.buffalobi...fe-6de9ab15ab16

 

“We’re in a league that’s based on a salary cap and there are certain positions you need to develop and spend your money in other areas,” he said. “My background as an offensive line coach I realize that you’re not going to be able to spend top dollar for five offensive linemen across the board.”

 

What some of us have been saying all along.

 

You can only invest so much in terms of high draft picks and free agents.

 

As recently as last year the Bills had a first rounder and two second rounders on the O-line.

 

If they took one tackle within the first two rounds, I'd be fine with that depending on the player and who else was available.

 

Or draft a guard in rounds 3 or 4.

>>>>>Asper (6-7, 325) was the first to join the club when he was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1st after he was released by Jacksonville at the end of the preseason. A former sixth-round pick of the Bills in 2012, it’s his second go round with Buffalo. He was promoted to the active roster in mid-October following the release of Colin Brown.

 

The 28-year old saw action on field goals and extra points in six games this season for a total of 26 plays. He’s worked mainly at guard in his time with Buffalo.<<<<<

 

26 plays at age 28? Yeah, he sounds great.

 

 

[RuntheDamnBall]

Good historical context, good analysis. Signed up.

Well shucks. Because I posted in the wee small hours of the morning, I sort of forgot to add what turned out to be a bigger point for me - continuity. Four of the five same starters are there for all of the SB seasons. Look outside those SB years and Hull and Ritcher are there in the playoff seasons leading up to them.

 

A healthy Wood and Glenn could be our pair like that. It seems unavoidable to add more talent that will help take this unit to another level. Like Bill in NYC, I think Pears can play well. He can be upgraded upon, but he can play well. Urbik is a bit of a wild card for me. He could really go either way into oblivion or into a resurgence phase. I still think that at least one interior lineman and one tackle are needed to upgrade. Adding three guys better than our starters would really be like a kind of Christmas and seems unlikely.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

>>>>>Asper (6-7, 325) was the first to join the club when he was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1st after he was released by Jacksonville at the end of the preseason. A former sixth-round pick of the Bills in 2012, it’s his second go round with Buffalo. He was promoted to the active roster in mid-October following the release of Colin Brown.

 

The 28-year old saw action on field goals and extra points in six games this season for a total of 26 plays. He’s worked mainly at guard in his time with Buffalo.<<<<<

 

26 plays at age 28? Yeah, he sounds great.

 

I never said Asper is gonna be great.

 

I'm saying that most NFL teams don't spend a lot of resources for offensive guards and that there's sound rational for that conventional thinking in the NFL.

 

Again, the All Pro guards this year were a pair of 3rd rounders, a pair of 4th rounders, and 1 first rounder.

[Cheddar's Dad]

 

 

I don't think your characterization of my beliefs is fully accurate.

 

I'm against dogmatically picking offensive line at #9.

 

I'm in favor of drafting the best player available.

 

If that player happens to be an O-lineman, so be it.

 

So, you're ok with drafting a guard at #9?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

So, you're ok with drafting a guard at #9?

 

See my subsequent post. Read through the thread.

[bigK14094]

Just recalling Buddy's advice on OL. "Always draft tackles, you can play them at guard if you want" (implying you cannot reverse the order) That said, we won't be drafting a guard, we might draft a tackle and play him at guard.....really, a good OL can play a number of positions...it was one the the reasons Levitre was so valuable. He could fill in at LT....center (not so much) Levitre was a round 2 pick, and if we could get a similiar talent at #2, that would be a good fill for the Bills. Now, the guys on the squad that they picked up off practice squads.....I recall, that is how reinhart and urbik got onto the bills, and they were both more than serviceable. So, I think the coaching staff opinion of those three (?) guys will impact how much OK talent they draft. In terms of Pears, I can say that they missed him when he was hurt a couple of years ago, but I also am afraid of the wear and tear situation with him (as posted by another here) Still, having vertrans play is good if you can afford them. Finally, I was struck watching the post season of how many ex bills were playing. Choice for Colts, Brad Smith for Eagles doing the same things he did for the Bills. DaRick for the Colts......I think there was another ex Bill on the Eagles as well......

[Cheddar's Dad]

http://www.buffalobi...fe-6de9ab15ab16

 

“We’re in a league that’s based on a salary cap and there are certain positions you need to develop and spend your money in other areas,” he said. “My background as an offensive line coach I realize that you’re not going to be able to spend top dollar for five offensive linemen across the board.”

 

What some of us have been saying all along.

 

You can only invest so much in terms of high draft picks and free agents.

 

As recently as last year the Bills had a first rounder and two second rounders on the O-line.

 

If they took one tackle within the first two rounds, I'd be fine with that depending on the player and who else was available.

 

Or draft a guard in rounds 3 or 4.

 

So, you're not ok with drafting a guard at #9? Your thought process is a little hard to discern, San Jose.

 

There are more than a few ways to build a winning team. You seem to be having trouble defining how you think a team should be built.

 

I go back to the idea expressed years ago that in Buffalo's climate you need a team that can run the ball. I know that this year's stats indicate that Buffalo ran the ball well this year. Stats can deceive and some of you have been deceived if you look at them and fail to notice that Buffalo has had difficulties running for TDs in the red zone or when opponents know Buffalo intends to run.

 

Our team cannot be described as being capable of imposing our offensive will on the opposition and that's the team I want for this city. I recall the Lombardy years when no one could stop the Green Bay sweep. It was Kramer and Thurston, two Hall of Fame guards, that made that offense go.

 

Marrone worries me. There are things that I like about him but the fact that he was an O-lineman may give him the impression that you can fit free agents into guard positions and succeed. It may be that some of the coaches he worked for felt that way and he accepted their line of thinking.

 

I wonder why he feels that, "as an offensive line coach I realize that you're not going to be able to spend top dollar for five offensive linemen". I ask why not. If there is a guard that is better than a tall WR at #9, and we really need a guard, he's going to select the WR? Players selected in the first round do not impact the salary structure under the current CBA nearly as much as they once did. And just as you might be able to hit on a quality guard with a 4th round pick, the same holds true for that tall WR, although, in both cases, the odds are against that happening. Can anyone dispute that the odds against you hitting on any player position become greater the farther down the draft list you go?

 

I think part of the problem is that if a guard misses a block and a runner is tackled behind the LOS or a QB is sacked, It is frequently not possible to know that if the block was made, that runner may have scored or that QB might have completed a pass for a TD. It's much easier to know when a runner or receiver crosses the goal line and harder to know that it was a key block by a guard that made the play a success. As a result, many fans want that receiver, TE, or runner. Fewer want that guard. Is Marrone one of those that want's that receiver or TE. He thinks he can develop the Ungas and Aspers and McClains. I think he thought that with Brown and Legursky. Is faulty thinking a recurring problem with Marrone. I think I'm more than a little concerned.

[Cheddar's Dad]

One other thing. Does being an offensive line coach give Marrone some special insight into managing Buffalo's salary structure. Think about it. Offensive line coach = cap manager? Marrone's statement doesn't really make sense. He also thinks there may already be some tall receivers on Buffalo's roster he can develop. As Lombardy would say, "what the hell is going on out there"

[hondo in seattle]

This!

 

I've been advocating for years to build a better O line. While I'm no football expert by any means, I usually go by what I see in terms of the entire unit, as I'm far to lazy to evaluate each player individually, unless they are particularly good or bad.

 

I agree. I don't see enough holes for the backs to run through. Nor do I see enough push in short yardage situation. In short yardage, we're actually getting pushed back more often than not.

 

Pass protection could be better too. Clearly guys like Brady and Brees simply have more talent than many of their peers. But there's a strong correlation between pass protection and passing productivity. QBs with clean pockets usually do well. EJ, CJ and Fredex would all benefit from a better O Line.

[Cheddar's Dad]

I agree. I don't see enough holes for the backs to run through. Nor do I see enough push in short yardage situation. In short yardage, we're actually getting pushed back more often than not.

 

Pass protection could be better too. Clearly guys like Brady and Brees simply have more talent than many of their peers. But there's a strong correlation between pass protection and passing productivity. QBs with clean pockets usually do well. EJ, CJ and Fredex would all benefit from a better O Line.

 

John Wayne would be proud of this.