Update: Xavier Rhodes signed by Bills

[NewEra]

Just now, whorlnut said:

If you think ours is ok and just want to argue, then whatever. I see a line that could use upgrades at all but two spots. If you don’t hold the same opinion then good for you. 

Argue?  I asked a question.  Can you answer the question? I asked about the depth you were talking about, not the starters that you just decided to bring up now.

 

No, I’m not impressed with our OL starters. I stated as much during the offseason.  I was hoping they would upgrade our starters more than they did, but the only position that was up in the air after Bates resigning was Saffold.  We could’ve done better there.  He seems to be a bum.  Spencer Brown sucks, but they had committed to him.  
 

I thought adding Quessenberry, Van Roten and Mancz were solid depth signings.  Quessenberry gave us a possible starter to push Brown or take over for him if he sucks.  OL depth in the NFL sucks for every team…. Not just ours.  We added two guys that have years of starting experience to be backups.  
 

McB decided to bolster the DL instead and they did a helluva job in doing so.  Can’t bolster every position group.

 

I agree, I hope that the OL is a focus next year.  Josh deserves better protection and the running game needs bigger holes.  

 

 

[MJS]

1 hour ago, whorlnut said:

I totally agree. I was never once impressed by the “depth” at oline. Dawkins and Morse are our only steady players in the entire group. Everyone else could be upgraded. 
 

It really is a shame that Beane and McD patch a line together and don’t try to make it elite for our franchise qb. I think it’s this shortsighted mistake that could cost us more this year than anything on defense. 

Yeah, I'm sure they just decided they wouldn't make the oline elite.

 

This is how it works, right? The GM wakes up one morning and is like "Hey, I think it's about time we had an elite oline. Why didn't I think of this before?"

[Low Positive]

Just now, MJS said:

Yeah, I'm sure they just decided they wouldn't make the oline elite.

 

This is how it works, right? The GM wakes up one morning and is like "Hey, I think it's about time we had an elite oline. Why didn't I think of this before?"

Cincinnati tried to fix their OL via FA in a single off season. Invested a huge amount of money. It didn't work.

[SCBills]

11 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

If you think ours is ok and just want to argue, then whatever. I see a line that could use upgrades at all but two spots. If you don’t hold the same opinion then good for you. 

 

I think we need to give this OL more than 3 games before we make sweeping judgments.  Especially when nobody should be basing anything off the Miami game.

 

I believe we have an above average LT and an above average C.  Not elite, but both are in the next tier after that. 

 

Our LG is an average vet.  That's fine. 

 

What will make or break the OL is our RG and RT.  Bates and Brown are both low floor / high ceiling guys with elite athletic attributes.  

 

The depth is probably pretty solid compared to most teams.  Quessenberry is a borderine starting caliber vet at swing tackle and GVR/Mancz are veteran interior depth.  Hart is veteran G/T depth.  Boettger comes back at some point this year, hopefully, and replaces Mancz or GVR on the active roster.  Most teams, maybe, have a reliable 6th OL... nobody really has starting caliber linemen after that.  

 

We have one of the best OL coaches in Aaron Kromer.  I'm willing to give him, and these guys, more than 3 games.  

 

OL play is just brutal around the league.  Half the QB's have to mask it by getting rid of the ball with lightning quickness (See Tua on Sunday).  Others like Allen, Mahomes, Herbert etc., will take more sacks by trying to extend plays.  Guys like Burrow that lack athleticism, or Daniel Jones that lack awareness, try to buy time but just put their teams in horrible positions.  

 

I was struck by a guy in Evan Neal, big time Tackle prospect, being legitimately unplayable against Dallas.  Then you see a guy like Slater go down for LAC.  OL play/attrition is just brutal in recent years, league wide.... and we're definitely no exception.   Our lack of run game and/or inability to stick with a run game just highlights our teams OL struggles more (IMO). 

[MJS]

Just now, FrenchConnection said:

Cincinnati tried to fix their OL via FA in a single off season. Invested a huge amount of money. It didn't work.

I know. If it was as simple as deciding to build an elite oline and being able to do it, every single team in the league would have elite olines.

 

Nobody knows how drafted players will turn out. You do your best to bring in free agents to upgrade positions. You try to develop your own guys. Sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle and manage to get 5 good starters, maybe even a couple of elite guys. Then they have to stay healthy and actually learn how to play well together.

 

It's extremely difficult to do.

[Big Turk]

18 minutes ago, TheBrownBear said:

Yes, and that's why you always hear the play-by-play guys point out the need to roll extra help towards those backups with a RB or TE.  And that's just when a single guy is missing from the line.  You lose 4 guys and it's going to be an absolute jailbreak on every play. 

 

Especially when 2 of them have never played the position they are playing before in an actual game and probably have only done so when the Bills do cross-training for a few training camp practices.

[Talleywhacker]

So I'm late to the party and clicked on a link saying the Bills have signed Xavier Rhodes. But all I'm seeing is an ongoing argument about the Bills O line. Did Rhodes gain 120 lbs and become a guard , tackle, center or LS ?  I'm jes saying......

[Ethan in Cleveland]

5 minutes ago, Talleywhacker said:

So I'm late to the party and clicked on a link saying the Bills have signed Xavier Rhodes. But all I'm seeing is an ongoing argument about the Bills O line. Did Rhodes gain 120 lbs and become a guard , tackle, center or LS ?  I'm jes saying......

Lol. I thought the same thing..

 

That said Bills should have drafted OL instead of RB and a miniature LB in 2nd and 3rd round this last draft. RB was a luxury and Bernard is a waste.  Many of us including me were worried about Brown at RT. Too soon to give up on him, but it would be nice to have another young OT to groom. Doyle is awful and has no business on the roster. Not sure he is even PS material. With the ACL he is done as a Bill. 

[YoloinOhio]

14 minutes ago, Talleywhacker said:

So I'm late to the party and clicked on a link saying the Bills have signed Xavier Rhodes. But all I'm seeing is an ongoing argument about the Bills O line. Did Rhodes gain 120 lbs and become a guard , tackle, center or LS ?  I'm jes saying......

I don’t know but the minute it was posted that Rhodes was visiting, someone complained in the thread about when they would be addressing the OL depth. Then they signed an OL yesterday and someone asked in that thread if he can play corner. We may need to pin a locked thread titled “a CB and OL have both been signed ffs”

[NewEra]

34 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I think we need to give this OL more than 3 games before we make sweeping judgments.  Especially when nobody should be basing anything off the Miami game.

 

I believe we have an above average LT and an above average C.  Not elite, but both are in the next tier after that. 

 

Our LG is an average vet.  That's fine. 

 

What will make or break the OL is our RG and RT.  Bates and Brown are both low floor / high ceiling guys with elite athletic attributes.  

 

The depth is probably pretty solid compared to most teams.  Quessenberry is a borderine starting caliber vet at swing tackle and GVR/Mancz are veteran interior depth.  Hart is veteran G/T depth.  Boettger comes back at some point this year, hopefully, and replaces Mancz or GVR on the active roster.  Most teams, maybe, have a reliable 6th OL... nobody really has starting caliber linemen after that.  

 

We have one of the best OL coaches in Aaron Kromer.  I'm willing to give him, and these guys, more than 3 games.  

 

OL play is just brutal around the league.  Half the QB's have to mask it by getting rid of the ball with lightning quickness (See Tua on Sunday).  Others like Allen, Mahomes, Herbert etc., will take more sacks by trying to extend plays.  Guys like Burrow that lack athleticism, or Daniel Jones that lack awareness, try to buy time but just put their teams in horrible positions.  

 

I was struck by a guy in Evan Neal, big time Tackle prospect, being legitimately unplayable against Dallas.  Then you see a guy like Slater go down for LAC.  OL play/attrition is just brutal in recent years, league wide.... and we're definitely no exception.   Our lack of run game and/or inability to stick with a run game just highlights our teams OL struggles more (IMO). 

Great post

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Solomon Grundy]

33 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Oh no!! Please don't give him the Josh Norman curse😎

[Blank Stare]

13 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Oh no!! Please don't give him the Josh Norman curse😎

We’ve already played king Henry so it should be fine. 😬

[CEN-CAL17]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

I don’t know but the minute it was posted that Rhodes was visiting, someone complained in the thread about when they would be addressing the OL depth. Then they signed an OL yesterday and someone asked in that thread if he can play corner. We may need to pin a locked thread titled “a CB and OL have both been signed ffs”

What are the odds Ike Boettger will be in the fold week 8 after the bye week?

[947]

11 minutes ago, CEN-CAL17 said:

What are the odds Ike Boettger will be in the fold week 8 after the bye week?

I don't think Boettger plays this year. He was also pretty awful prior to injury, I really doubt he'll be effective coming off a torn achilles. People forget that Bates getting into the lineup was the catalyst that got our 2021 offense going after a few weeks of stagnation & no ability to run the ball.

[FilthyBeast]

Would be shocked if he isn't active and on the field this week especially since I don't see Jackson or Poyer being rushed back into the lineup.

 

Big time challenge though trying to slow down Lamar and what he can do both on the ground and through the air.

[Buffalosouth]

Hopefully a solid place holder until we're healthy at the position. It will be great if it helps Benfold(even though he is hurt) and Elam develope even further.

[No_Matter_What]

15 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Solid veteran depth signing.  For those interested,  last year he gave up 41 receptions on 65 targets for 524 yards with a QB passer rating of 92.1.  For comparison, Levi Wallace gave up 55 receptions on 92 targets for 650 yards with a QB passer rating of 85.9.  

Where do you take these data from?

[Warriorspikes51]

Leslie was HC for Vikes when they drafted him.  Could be a solid addition. 

 

CB1 Tre / Elam 

CB2 Rhodes / Jackson
SS Poyer

FS Johnson / Benford 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

3 hours ago, CEN-CAL17 said:

What are the odds Ike Boettger will be in the fold week 8 after the bye week?

Duke Williams leaves the Roughriders, and embarks on his new NFL career as a DB.  To Hell with the part time job at the Regina Canadian Tire!

*
"I don't have to catch it...just knock it down!"

On 9/27/2022 at 9:15 AM, aristocrat said:

We need bodies. 

"Mars Needs Women" Dop.

"Bills need DBs!" TBD.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Ridgewaycynic2013