Dion Dawkins on playing LT: “Is it ever really our choice? No.”

[YoloinOhio]

Nice piece from Carrucci 

 

There has been speculation that if Dawkins doesn’t keep the job, he could be moved to guard or right tackle, where the Bills intend to start out with second-round draft pick Cody Ford.

"I mean, is it ever really our choice? No,” Dawkins said during a conversation with The Buffalo News during the start of the Bills’ offseason workouts and before last week’s draft. “As the left tackle, I'm going to strongly be confident in myself that if I just do what I'm supposed to do, that question would never come up. So, I feel like that I am a left tackle, that I'm special at tackle, but only God knows the future.

 

I’m here to win, whether it's me playing center, playing guard, playing at left tackle or just being a hoorah guy. Whatever it is, man, I'm here to win.”

Dawkins, who joined the Bills as a second-round draft pick from Temple, fully grasped the strong message the team sent by signing so many offensive linemen among the 18 free agents it added. He also insisted that he is unfazed by the enhanced competition.

“Most players would probably be nervous, because there's a lot of new guys, but I love it because nobody's safe,” Dawkins said. “That means that there's no opportunity to relax, there’s no opportunity to just take a step back. Everything is, ‘Go, go, go, go, go.’ It has to happen, ‘Now, now, now, now, now.’ And I honestly think that that's the best way to play. We're all players, we're all human and it just takes growth and the recognition of changes to open up eyes.”

[MrEpsYtown]

I believe in Dion. He has the measurables and I think he can succeed at tackle. He sounds like he struggles a bit with staying motivated and he needs to get that straightened out. We will see how he responds with his job and career on the line. I believe he will respond strongly and I feel that Dion will show great improvement with Coach Johnson as his coach. The misconception is that he sucks, because of a bunch of PFF grades. The misconception is that he is a guard because Mike Mayock said he was. I think he struggled a bit last year, but he did flash some upside and he was not terrible. He's a young developing player facing the opposing team's best rusher with a terrible coach working with him. We just went through the same thing with Cordy Glenn for the last few years.

 

Give Coach Johnson a chance to work with Dion and give him an opportunity to prove himself before moving his position.  

[Malazan]

I think the idea that Dawkins will be replaced as LT has a lot more traction among fans than it does among the coaches.

[YoloinOhio]

2 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I believe in Dion. He has the measurables and I think he can succeed at tackle. He sounds like he struggles a bit with staying motivated and he needs to get that straightened out. We will see how he responds with his job and career on the line. I believe he will respond strongly and I feel that Dion will show great improvement with Coach Johnson as his coach. The misconception is that he sucks, because of a bunch of PFF grades. The misconception is that he is a guard because Mike Mayock said he was. I think he struggled a bit last year, but he did flash some upside and he was not terrible. He's a young developing player facing the opposing team's best rusher with a terrible coach working with him. We just went through the same thing with Cordy Glenn for the last few years.

 

Give Coach Johnson a chance to work with Dion and give him an opportunity to prove himself before moving his position.  

I believe he could return to form with a decent vet LG next to him again. I’m thinking L -R

Dawkins

Spain

Morse

Ford

Nseghe

 

put the rook at RG between 2 vets.... then perhaps he becomes RT in 1-2 years 

Edited April 30, 2019 by YoloinOhio

[atlbillsfan1975]

Dion says all the right things and I feel he is genuine. To be the leader he wants to be and the team needs him to be he has to show progression from his rookie production. Last year wasn’t good for anyone on the oline. Speaking as an old olineman it really is a group effort. He doesn’t deserve a pass.  Dion can go out this year and prove he is the guy we thought after 2017 could be LT for the foreseeable future. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by atlbillsfan1975

[Reed83HOF]

5 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I believe he could return to form with a decent vet LG next to him again. I’m thinking L -R

Dawkins

Spain

Morse

Ford

Nseghe

 

put the rook at RG between 2 vets.... then perhaps he becomes RT in 1-2 years 

I don't know how we can really include last year as to hell well he performed. He was the other player from last year's line who is in any discussion to start. Losing Richie and Wood weakened the line tremendously, it was a dumpster fire.

[thebandit27]

6 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I believe in Dion. He has the measurables and I think he can succeed at tackle. He sounds like he struggles a bit with staying motivated and he needs to get that straightened out. We will see how he responds with his job and career on the line. I believe he will respond strongly and I feel that Dion will show great improvement with Coach Johnson as his coach. The misconception is that he sucks, because of a bunch of PFF grades. The misconception is that he is a guard because Mike Mayock said he was. I think he struggled a bit last year, but he did flash some upside and he was not terrible. He's a young developing player facing the opposing team's best rusher with a terrible coach working with him. We just went through the same thing with Cordy Glenn for the last few years.

 

Give Coach Johnson a chance to work with Dion and give him an opportunity to prove himself before moving his position.  

 

I don't think that moving Dawkins is as much about his play at tackle (though he admittedly regressed in year 2) as it is how great a fit he could be at guard. It also has been spurred on a bit by the fact that they signed a player that has had success at LT to starting-tackle money.

 

Personally, I want the best combination of 5, and I don't care who plays where.  If I had to guess, the best combo of 5 will look like one of the following 2 line-ups:

 

LT: Nsekhe

LG: Dawkins

? Morse

RG: Spain

RT: Ford

 

OR

 

LT: Dawkins

LG: Spain

? Morse

RG: Ford

RT: Nsekhe

[FeelingOnYouboty]

I just feel like he would be such a mean, mean LG. Really need Dawkins and Zay Jones to step up this year.

[eball]

He sounds pretty damned motivated.  Which is a good thing.

[IgotBILLStopay]

I like Dawkins attitude. If he does win the starting job and Ford wins his on the other side, Nsekhe can serve capably as the backup LT and Ladrian Waddle (whose wife has fully embraced the Bills Mafia) can serve as the backup RT. We do not even need a swing tackle. 

[Shaw66]

Man, there's the process on display. Read those quotes.  

 

McDermott wants guys obsessed with winning and doing everything they can to win. Everything, even if it's being a hoorah guy.  

 

When McDermott has a room full of those guys, McDermott thinks he can accomplish anything, because the effort turns into a 100% team effort. No one cares about himself.  

 

This isn't a mindset that McDermott wants to teach.  It's a mindset he wants hard wired into the guys he has on his team.  He may need to remind them from time to time that that's who they are, but he doesn't want a guy he has to convince about this philosophy.

 

Dawkins has it.  They wanted Allen because he has it.  Oliver has it. Beasley has it.  Shady and Gore have it. Hyde has it.  Kyle had it.  Ford and Knox and Sills have it. You can hear it in how they talk about who they and what they do.  

 

McBeane are building a team of guys who all say the same thing:  "Let's get to work." 

[Just Joshin']

It feels like posters here will always want the LT moved to G

 

[yungmack]

Throw out his performance last year. The incompetent line coaching, the loss of Glenn, Incognito and Wood, and the inferior play of their replacements on the unit that requires the most "in sync" play is more likely the reason Dawkins had a down year. Far too soon to write him off.

[BmarvB]

He's going to be just fine at whatever position he plays on the line be it guard or tackle

[Bangarang]

That’s a good dude right there

[T master]

Dawkins has proved to be a good LT that will continue to improve on his skills while here & has also proven by his statements that he is the type of player the Bills want to have a team first guy not like a AB where it's all about him which i am so glad for & hope we don't ever have any AB types on the Bills team !

 

With the addition of all the new guys to the team it will also add as motivation as he said to not slack off because you know that if your not doing your job you can be easily replaced so i believe it to be a win all the way around but it will be interesting to see who is left standing after the dust has cleared from camp to the pre season !!

[NewEra]

Now go out and win your first NFL competition Dion!  It may not seem like it based on my skepticism (due to his poor play last year and blubbery body), but I really hope he can turn into our franchise LT

[BaaadThingsMan]

55 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I believe he could return to form with a decent vet LG next to him again. I’m thinking L -R

Dawkins

Spain

Morse

Ford

Nseghe

 

put the rook at RG between 2 vets.... then perhaps he becomes RT in 1-2 years 

I don't hate this line

[Buffalo Boy]

I read it and immediately thought, “ Ahhh, competition!”

This is what we’ve dreamed about for so long. A GM and coach who not only raise the talent level bar but also allow players to win jobs fairly.

I said it last year but I truly believed when they canned KB and admitted their mistake during the season. 

Dawkins is simply stating he understands this and I for one take it as an excellent sign of things to come.

[BaaadThingsMan]

The increased competition across the roster should make for one of the best lineups in years imo