Kent Hull... How good was he?

[Nick in RaChaCha]

How much of a QB success is due to his Center. And does this point to TDs biggest failure as a GM? And did Levy blow it when he passed on C Mangold in the last draft.

 

Just a quick thought for a MOnday

[scribo]

First, I think Hull is the most underappreciated player of the "Glory Years" Bills. He held the line together, made all the right calls and was a great leader. There is no doubt in my mind that the center is the most important position after QB on the offensive side of the ball. I am not sure Mangold is the next Kent Hull, but center is certainly a position I would think Marv sees a great deal of importance in. Let's give Fowler a fair chance before saying passing of Mangold was a mistake.

[BuffaloWings]

First, I think Hull is the most underappreciated player of the "Glory Years" Bills. He held the line together, made all the right calls and was a great leader. There is no doubt in my mind that the center is the most important position after QB on the offensive side of the ball. I am not sure Mangold is the next Kent Hull, but center is certainly a position I would think Marv sees a great deal of importance in. Let's give Fowler a fair chance before saying passing of Mangold was a mistake.

710395[/snapback]

I agree....the OL was the most underrated part of the Superbowl teams and Kent Hull was probably one of the best in the game at the time. This lead to a lot of good things by the offense - Kelly having time to throw, Thurman running through holes, etc.

 

As far as Mangold goes, he may be good, but we don't know how good yet. Give the Jets a year or two and see how well their line holds up *with Mangold running the line*, then we can re-assess. As has been pointed out before, you never know how good your draft is until 3-4 years later.

[Dibs]

First, I think Hull is the most underappreciated player of the "Glory Years" Bills. He held the line together, made all the right calls and was a great leader. There is no doubt in my mind that the center is the most important position after QB on the offensive side of the ball. I am not sure Mangold is the next Kent Hull, but center is certainly a position I would think Marv sees a great deal of importance in. Let's give Fowler a fair chance before saying passing of Mangold was a mistake.

710395[/snapback]

Hull went undrafted by an NFL team & went straight into the USFL.

IMO centers are very much like QBs in that the mental side of the game is probably more important than the physical. This is why so many decent to good QBs & Cs develop from lesser draft picks. The physical ability may be obvious in college but the mental abilities...I wonder if they will ever be able to quantify them.

 

I disagree with you about Hull being the 'most' underappreciated(though certainly a worthy contender)

My nomination for the most underappreciated player of the "Glory Years" would be Mark Pike....though this being Kents threads I'll refrain from listing his credentials.

From memory Hull made 2(maybe 3) pro bowls but that does not properly show his importance to the team.

To quote Marv...

"The responsibility for seeing that our difficult to run, but vaunted, no-huddle offense would rest just as heavily upon the physical and mental abilities of Kent as it would upon those of our quarterbacks."

In other words....no Kent....no no-huddle.....no SuperBowls.

[R. Rich]

First, I think Hull is the most underappreciated player of the "Glory Years" Bills. He held the line together, made all the right calls and was a great leader. There is no doubt in my mind that the center is the most important position after QB on the offensive side of the ball. I am not sure Mangold is the next Kent Hull, but center is certainly a position I would think Marv sees a great deal of importance in. Let's give Fowler a fair chance before saying passing of Mangold was a mistake.

710395[/snapback]

 

 

Well said, and I agree w/ your view of Hull. He is one of my favorite Bills of all time, as I have mentioned many times before here.

 

 

I agree....the OL was the most underrated part of the Superbowl teams and Kent Hull was probably one of the best in the game at the time.

710402[/snapback]

 

 

Probably? Considering he played in the AFC during the careers of future Hall of Famers Bruce Matthews and Dermontti Dawson and still made 3 Pro Bowls, I'd say he was one of the best in the game @ the time w/out a doubt.

[Phil Hansen Forever]

How much of a QB success is due to his Center.  And does this point to TDs biggest failure as a GM?  And did Levy blow it when he passed on C Mangold in the last draft.

 

Just a quick thought for a MOnday

710393[/snapback]

 

Kent was indeed a tremendous acquisition for the Bills. He was quick, intelligent and set the rythmn for the no-huddle. Much like Phil Hanson, he was underappreciated and will most likely not be a HOF inductee. However, he was a superb as a center. Since he left, we have never had a center of equal ability, and he is sorely missed.

[jarthur31]

I can't believe how quickly we've forgotten how great that line really was. I really think that had we won that first SB they would be regarded as one of the best of all time. Everyone should be made to watch some games from 1990 and see the huge holes Thurman could run through and watch how Jim had all day to throw. There were lots of times Kelly had to cycle thru his reads again but was still standing upright. Wow!

[Nick in RaChaCha]

I can't believe how quickly we've forgotten how great that line really was.  I really think that had we won that first SB they would be regarded as one of the best of all time.  Everyone should be made to watch some games from 1990 and see the huge holes Thurman could run through and watch how Jim had all day to throw.  There were lots of times Kelly had to cycle thru his reads again but was still standing upright.  Wow!

710645[/snapback]

 

I'm thinking that Levy should build this line from the Center on out!

[obie_wan]

I can't believe how quickly we've forgotten how great that line really was.  I really think that had we won that first SB they would be regarded as one of the best of all time.  Everyone should be made to watch some games from 1990 and see the huge holes Thurman could run through and watch how Jim had all day to throw.  There were lots of times Kelly had to cycle thru his reads again but was still standing upright.  Wow!

710645[/snapback]

 

Revisionist history is always fun.

 

In conjunction with the no-huddle, the OL got tremendous production. The OL was in great condition and was able to exploit defenses with their superior conditioning and unique playcalling of the no-huddle.

 

However, the OL was far from dominant when they had to play head to head on an even playing field. Without the no huddle advantatge, and after Wilford left, this line was barely above average.

 

It just shows how bad the OL play has been in Buffalo.

[Buftex]

Revisionist history is always fun.

 

In conjunction with the no-huddle, the OL got tremendous production. The OL was in great condition and was able to exploit defenses with their superior conditioning and unique playcalling of the no-huddle.

 

However, the OL was far from dominant when they had to play head to head on an even playing field.  Without the no huddle advantatge, and after Wilford left, this line was barely above average.

 

It just shows how bad the OL play has been in Buffalo.

710757[/snapback]

 

 

Your point about the advantage of the "no-huddle" is well taken. Saying that the line was 'barely above average" without the no huddle advantage is not so well taken...the lineup of Hull, Ritcher, Davis, Wolford and Ballard was, at least, one of the best of the 1990's (not the best, that was the Cowboys, one of...) Take away the four Super Bowl losses, and this line was rarely dominated by anyone. Sure there was the annual ass-stomping in KC or Pittsburgh, but what other team dominated that line? Talk about revisionist history...it seems like bagging on the Super Bowl era Bills is all the rage with some...

[tennesseeboy]

Loved Hull and think he is probably the best center the Bills ever had. He gets credit for a lot of the success of the Bills and ranks with Kelly, Thomas, Reed, Smith in the credit area. However Kelly was a great quarterback at Miami, as a Houston Gambler and probably would have been great even without Hull.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Hull should be a HoFer. Plain and simple.

 

As the first Bills center I really paid attention to, the memories of Hull made watching Trey Teague an even more sickening experience.

 

Imagine, a center who has command and toughness, as opposed to one guiding a line to mediocrity at best, and stepping on the ankles of his QB before the count of three.

 

Ugh.

[X. Benedict]

Revisionist history is always fun.

 

In conjunction with the no-huddle, the OL got tremendous production. The OL was in great condition and was able to exploit defenses with their superior conditioning and unique playcalling of the no-huddle.

 

However, the OL was far from dominant when they had to play head to head on an even playing field.  Without the no huddle advantatge, and after Wilford left, this line was barely above average.

 

710757[/snapback]

Curious perspective. The no-huddle offense required tremendous sychronization and execution. Do you say Roger Craig was a great back only because he was in the West Coast offense?

[BB2004]

How much of a QB success is due to his Center.  And does this point to TDs biggest failure as a GM?  And did Levy blow it when he passed on C Mangold in the last draft.

 

Just a quick thought for a MOnday

710393[/snapback]

 

I thought that when the Bills traded up in the first round I thought it would have been for Winston Justice or Nick Mangold. I don't know if Mangold is going to be the leader that Hull was but right now our center is Chris Fowler. Hopefully Fowler will have a good season.

[R. Rich]

I thought that when the Bills traded up in the first round I thought it would have been for Winston Justice or Nick Mangold.  I don't know if Mangold is going to be the leader that Hull was but right now our center is Chris Fowler.  Hopefully Fowler will have a good season.

711070[/snapback]

 

 

Melvin Fowler. Chris Fowler hosts ESPN's College Game Day program.

[Guffalo]

I can't even think of a center that played for the bills that had more talent. More importantly, he was so "Buffalo", hard working, smallish, not touted out of college, went through the USFL and then was a quiet pickup the same day Kelly finally signed. I have always had a ton of respect for Hull and hope to see him go into the hall of fame in Canton, he deserves it !

[Beerball]

Chris Fowler hosts ESPN's College Game Day program.

711087[/snapback]

Yeah, but he gets the most out of his abilities. Maybe you should try sitting next to Lee Corso for 6 hours and see how you like it? Fowler is definitely underappreciated.

 

As for Hull, he was pivotal to the offensive production during the glory years.

[BillnutinHouston]

So if Hull was integral to Jim Kelly's success, does that mean that Teague has some responsibility for JP's numbers last year?

 

But I thought it was all JP's fault?

[BillsPride12]

Kent Hull was one tough dude, I miss seeing Bills lineman like that. Ahh the glory days...

[kgun]

Hull