Matt's O-LINE Observations

[Matt in KC]

Of all the units, I was most pleasantly surprised with the O-Line.

 

I watched the scrimmage a couple times and reviewed each play on TiVo. I kept a count of clearly positive and negative plays, and whether they were run or pass plays. I'm not an OLine guru, so I didn't count anything if it wasn't clearly good or bad performance by the player.

 

69-Mike Gandy, 66-Bennie Anderson, 70-Teague

I was worried about the early reports, and what a whole new left-side of the line might mean with a new QB. It looks like I needn’t worry. I thought these guys did great, especially Teague, in whom I’d previously lost faith. Teague and Anderson did a bit better on pass plays than run plays, and Gandy looked stronger on the running plays.

 

On the opening Evans reverse, Gandy and Teague were running hard and blocking (with Losman) 30 yards downfield!

 

58-Chris Villarrial, 68-Mike Williams, 71-Jason Peters

Villarial started very slowly, and looked average or bad on a couple early run plays, good in pass pro later, and then disappeared. MW looked the worst of anyone who played OL with the first team. I counted four run plays and three pass plays where MW was the weak link. (3 runs / 2 passes where kudos were warranted). I hope he’s just warming up slowly for the year, and am not alarmed at this point. Mostly, he looked slow and a bit uncoordinated to me. Usually the problem was that he wasn’t touching the defender; they were running around or away from him and he did not get to them. Jason Peters seems to have the opposite problem of MW: He moves well and gets in the way of the defender, but has poor form that he is constantly making up for with God-given strength and speed. He often has his feet too far apart, taking big sidesteps to get back into position, and doesn’t get good leverage because he’s off-balance, standing up, his shoulders aren’t square, and/or he’s not using his hands well. (Note: MW does these things well, but he’s not “getting there”) Peters was better in pass pro than run support, and overall got average results with the first team, which is a big step forward.

 

The left side of the first-string OLine outperformed the right side by a wide margin, in my opinion.

 

The second-string OL played in this combo for a few series:

LT: 71-Peters - Was suprised to see him lined up in middle of D on punt, not on the edge where he successfully blocked a kick last year.

LG: 73-Justin Geisinger, our 6th round draft pick was stronger on run plays than pass, notching several nice plays I saw

C: 60-Jasen Esposito (a few nice run, a few nice pass, a couple mental lapses)

RG: 75-Duke Preston (2 nice pass, 2 run, backed into QB by bull-rush once is only negative I saw)

RT: 79-Dylan McFarland only stood out on 3 run plays; was replaced later by 61-Jerman, who was mediocre, at best

 

73-60-75 seemed to work well together

 

74 -David Pruce - I saw two nice blocks on run plays and one poor play. Fodder

76-Geir Gundmundsen - 2 nice pass blocks and a penalty is all I saw.

 

72-Lawrence Smith: hurt/out – (more here)

65-Tucker: hurt/out – I’m eager to see if he can come back effective (when?)

64-Sobieki: hurt/out – not a Bill anymore as far as I’m concerned

 

Of all the Bills, Teague had the best outing, by my count (7 positive pass plays, 3 positive runs, no negative plays)

[AKC]

Of all the units, I was most pleasantly surprised with the O-Line.  

 

I watched the scrimmage a couple times and reviewed each play on TiVo.  I kept a count of clearly positive and negative plays, and whether they were run or pass plays.  I'm not an OLine guru, so I didn't count anything if it wasn't clearly good or bad performance by the player.  

 

 

 

That's a very good report, I'd only add that Gandy was our only OLineman who was regularly facing a quality opponent and for the most part he held his own. It's true Villarial had a tough outing- I couldn't tell if he's just playing through a ding or what but he didn't appear anywhere ready for the regular season yesterday.

[Matt in KC]

EDit: I know Peters was playing with the secod team. When I typed that I wsa thinking of the TC clips Astrobot posted where he was just about holding his own against Schobel (on some plays, just holding Aaron).

[CoachChuckDickerson]

Nice post.

[Dennis in NC]

Nice report, CD! I know we are all concerned about the OL, and some of us find it hard to judge them at game speed. Nice that you could watch it a few times, keying on particular OL dudes.

 

I did not have an updated roster last night, and wondered "who the hell is 61?", etc. One of those backups had his jersey pulled up and a belt wrapped around his lower chest. It reminded me of one of those "no hitting below the belt" jokes where the guy has a belt around his forehead... Weird.

[Matt in KC]

That's a very good report, I'd only add that Gandy was our only OLineman who was regularly facing a quality opponent and for the most part he held his own. It's true Villarial had a tough outing- I couldn't tell if he's just playing through a ding or what but he didn't appear anywhere ready for the regular season yesterday.

400987[/snapback]

Yes, I was surprised about Villarrial, who I thought did very well last year. ...enough so that I thought he got hurt yesterday (not Smith).

[Fan in San Diego]

Thanks for the Post.

[Kelly the Dog]

Nice post. Thanks. One little thing, however, I believe that Peters blocked the punt last year coming right up the middle, where you saw him last night. I think I recall him noticing something with the center and cleverly blowing right past him to block the punt and then just kept going and recovered it.

[jc707270]

I would have to agree with everything you said CD, I looked at the game on tape also and was really dissapointed with CV and Big mike. It's funny though because I believe it was last year when we played tenny in pre-season that I thought the same things about those two. CV got bullrushed several times, big mike looked slow and missed blockers all together at times. Yet when the season started these guys looked great, so who knows maybe they are just slow starters?

[AKC]

Yes, I was surprised about Villarrial, who I thought did very well last year.  ...enough so that I thought he got hurt yesterday (not Smith).

400991[/snapback]

 

I have no concerns about Villarial or Teague, the most consistent players on our line last year along with Jonas. The good news is Benny IS big as advertised and he has pretty good feet considering that, but it seems clear why McNally likes Gandy with his excellent foot speed north to south- he had him pull to make the OUTSIDE contain block on a right side run in the red zone drills and you have to have solid confidence in your left tackle to ask him to get there, especially before the runner arrives.

[Kelly the Dog]

I have no concerns about Villarial or Teague, the most consistent players on our line last year along with Jonas. The good news is Benny IS big as advertised and he has pretty good feet considering that, but it seems clear why McNally likes Gandy with his excellent foot speed north to south- he had him pull to make the OUTSIDE contain block on a right side run in the red zone drills and you have to have solid confidence in your left tackle to ask him to get there, especially before the runner arrives.

401125[/snapback]

Watch the opening reverse. It seemed to me that Gandy was running right with Evans and Losman. Obviously he is not as fast as either of them but that guy kept up with both and was motoring.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

I have no concerns about Villarial or Teague, the most consistent players on our line last year along with Jonas. The good news is Benny IS big as advertised and he has pretty good feet considering that, but it seems clear why McNally likes Gandy with his excellent foot speed north to south- he had him pull to make the OUTSIDE contain block on a right side run in the red zone drills and you have to have solid confidence in your left tackle to ask him to get there, especially before the runner arrives.

401125[/snapback]

 

I did not see JJ as being one of the more consistent players on the OL. In fact, I think his performance defined both the best of times (WM had good success running behind the left side of the line often though he also had success running right also) and overall the sack total dropped drastically) , but also the worst of times as Abraham simply beat him like a drum in in of the Jets games and not only did he fail to start two games (once again failing to start all 16 at any point in his career) but he failed to finish two other games because of a concussion and some oher nick.

 

Having trouble playing in 4 of 16 games is inconsistency to me.

 

I wish him luck in SF but i think they overpaid him hugely to get him and though I'm worried about our LT situation I am glad TD did not overpay him.

[Matt in KC]

I did not see JJ as being one of the more consistent players on the OL. In fact, I think his performance defined both the best of times (WM had good success running behind the left side of the line often though he also had success running right also) and overall the sack total dropped drastically) , but also the worst of times as Abraham simply beat him like a drum in in of the Jets games and not only did he fail to start two games (once again failing to start all 16 at any point in his career) but he failed to finish two other games because of a concussion and some oher nick.

 

Having trouble playing in 4 of 16 games is inconsistency to me.

 

I wish him luck in SF but i think they overpaid him hugely to get him and though I'm worried about our LT situation I am glad TD did not overpay him.

401160[/snapback]

You're right, FFS. Injuries are the big question with JJ. But for technique/performance when on the field, he was as consistent as anyone on the OLine. On the OLine, making fewer mistakes is more important than having big plays. If you can nutralize the guy(s) accross from you, that's usually good enough. This is what intrigues me most about Duke Preston (75), our 4th round draft pick.

 

Raymond Preston is a classic technician who does not make assignment mistakes. In his last two seasons at Illinois, he allowed only one quarterback sack. He is a durable athlete who never missed a game due to injuries and has a quick initial step into his blocks, showing adequate explosion at the snap. Preston is a highly intelligent athlete who lettered four times in football and baseball at Mount Carmel High School, where he twice earned San Diego Tribune academic honors.

 

Is Duke a nickname for Raymond? (...or are they talking about his father?)

 

I'm surprised that undrafted Jasen Esposito was getting snaps at Center in front of Duke, but they seemed to play well together. Maybe this was done to help him focus on blocking at the NFL level.

[AKC]

 

Having trouble playing in 4 of 16 games is inconsistency to me.

 

I wish him luck in SF but i think they overpaid him hugely to get him and though I'm worried about our LT situation I am glad TD did not overpay him.

401160[/snapback]

 

The trade-off could be to our benefit if the scrim was any indication- Gandy apeared to be the "Anti" Jonas Jennings- an awful Pass Pro slide, great feet North/South and range in the run game plus a low center of gravity.

 

A good running game will kill a pass rush, we could never develop a good running game simply from good plass blocking on the left side. Gandy is just another int he evolution of this- Villarial and Benny sandwiching the fleet and effective Teague, now getting possibly adding a T who can pull across the field.