Frez Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Did Marv and company upgrade our offensive line enough from last season? To me this is the most important part of this team that needed to be upgraded. Well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Wide Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I think they did the best they could with the very limited amount of cap space that they had...oh wait...ummm.....well it looks better than last year anyway so who knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis in NC Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I think Fowler will be a great addition at center. And Reyes should be a capable LG, which I suspect will improve Gandy's play at LT as well, not having to cover up for Fat Bennie. So I am content with the upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyBall4Buffalo Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Im content for now. They seem to be gravitating towards more athletic linemen better pass blockers and guards who are capable of pulling, as well as a more natural center in fowler. While not all star upgrades I think its decent for the time being. Of course a lot of this is wishful thinking, but we'll see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frez Posted July 7, 2006 Author Share Posted July 7, 2006 Melvin Fowler...............it's in your hands baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJ Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixxxer Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Offensive system will have a lot to do in OL play this year. (or any year for that matter) Pendry, Sheppard, Gilbride, Clements/Mularkey. What does those names tell you? Hopefully Fairchild can come up with a system that actually makes sense and goes hand in hand with the kind of talent & players he has at his disposal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 The O-line is definitely better. Elite? Probably not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 The O-line is definitely better. Elite? Probably not. 719899[/snapback] At this point we don't know if it is going to better as we don't know much about Reyes, Fowler.... The question is can McNally in his 3rd year with the bills turn this OL around.... I think Preston will be the full time RG starter before the end of the season. Villarial will not last 16 games.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Sorry to be negative about this, but I think little progress has been made. Reyes may be an upgrade over Bennie, but he is not an elite level guard. Fowler is undersized and it is not clear (at least to me) whether he is an upgrade over Teague. We need to improve at LT and at RT. I understand that Peters has much potential, but the reality is that our running game suffered after he replaced Williams. I do have high hopes for Peters and I anticipate that his overall play will improve this year with additional experience. Villarail is getting old and has been injured over the last couple of years. He may need to be replaced sooner rather than later. I don't think this team will show improvement until we make a more significant investment in the o-line (both with high draft picks and quality free agent acquisitions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 At this point we don't know if it is going to better as we don't know much aboutReyes, Fowler.... The question is can McNally in his 3rd year with the bills turn this OL around.... I think Preston will be the full time RG starter before the end of the season. Villarial will not last 16 games.... 719973[/snapback] I think there is good reason to feel good about JMac. My sense is that the OL he last put together with NYG had FAs Glenn Parker and Dusty Zielger as mainstays. Though Parker was a lot better than that ol blowhard the Coach gave him credit for (the Coach's crack expertise in OL assessment was seen in how well his designate choice to repace Parker Corey Louchiey did) and Dusty was more talented than I gave him credit for initially or the Bills braintrust ever gave him credit for, no one would mistake these two for SB talented players. Yet, JMac built an Ol which made it to the SB and oerhaps he can also get good production out of an OL which has Fowler and Reyes as key parts. I think the key will be him developing quality back-up talent as the 5 guys likely to start are a clear step up for the 5 guys who started last year. The really good news for us is that while it would be a moracle to find a player capable of starting on the reject wire, it strikes me as a lot more possible for him to develop back-ups who can fill in for the starters for a short time when they need a blow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 At this point we don't know if it is going to better as we don't know much aboutReyes, Fowler.... Well one thing we DO know about Reyes is that he's not a penalty machine like Anderson. Neither is Fowler for that matter, but Teague wasn't either. And Reyes has the athleticism that Anderson only dreams of having. And Fowler is a true center, Teague was not. That IMHO is worth something. And I got this from Allen Wilson from TSN: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=106712 The team is counting on C Melvin Fowler and LG Tutan Reyes to add toughness to the offensive line. Fowler (6-3, 305) is bigger and more physical than former starting C Trey Teague. Reyes is not as mistake-prone as his predecessor, LG Bennie Anderson. The question is can McNally in his 3rd year with the bills turn this OL around....I think Preston will be the full time RG starter before the end of the season. Villarial will not last 16 games.... I agree, and luckily Preston got a lot of 1st team snaps at RG in OTA's while Villy was out. I see him taking over there sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtex Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Sorry to be negative about this, but I think little progress has been made. We need to improve at LT and at RT. I understand that Peters has much potential, but the reality is that our running game suffered after he replaced Williams. I do have high hopes for Peters and I anticipate that his overall play will improve this year with additional experience. Villarail is getting old and has been injured over the last couple of years. He may need to be replaced sooner rather than later. 719975[/snapback] Actually, the running game to the right side in games with Peters in instead of Williams, the Bills improved 50%, from about a 3.1 yards to a 4.4 yards per carry to the right side..... not sure if that is suffering because of Peters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Did Marv and company upgrade our offensive line enough from last season? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 No. 720286[/snapback] Enough for me to be satisfied with? No. Enough for it to be almost certainly better than last year's OL? Yes Will the difference be bridged? It depands on: A. Will they find legit back-ups when injuries occur and/or someone plays like a Bennie Anderson- It's easier to develop back-ups than starters, so as long as we do not need anyone beyond Preston to be a long-term starter when someone gets hurt (most likely Villarial) ur someone disappoints (I think he will be OK but Fowler is the biggest ? I see among the probable starters) I think we will be OK in terms of personel. B. Can JMac pull off the training and scheme job necessary to build cohesion and add value to the personnel- He did this job with turning a NYG OL with significant new FA additions into a unit which player a big role in them making the SB< I think he can do this. C. Will the installation of the St. L scheme work well enough to set the blitz back onits heels0 I think we have fast enough WRs and the addition of Roial as a 6th lineman should make this change happen. I think a key to this working however, is WM being utilized and performing well enough in the Marshall Faulk role as a pass catcher. He will not be Faulk, but I think he can do well enough at this aspect of the game to be adequate for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Actually, the running game to the right side in games with Peters in instead of Williams, the Bills improved 50%, from about a 3.1 yards to a 4.4 yards per carry to the right side..... not sure if that is suffering because of Peters. 720274[/snapback] Just curious...Where did you get those #s.....If you look at McGahees stats in the 1st half and 2nd half of the season, you will see that Peters struggled with the Run Blocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Did Marv and company upgrade our offensive line enough from last season? To me this is the most important part of this team that needed to be upgraded.Well? 719836[/snapback] Probably not. If I had to guess, I would say that our OL might now qualify as merely a very poor unit, rather than a laughing stock/horror show. Gandy (imo) qualifies as a very average LT. Does anyone here think he will ever be in the Probowl? The Panthers, who are poised to make a run no longer wanted their LG. Mr. Reyes, welcome to the Bills! That said, to expect him to be average doesn't seem to be a reach, bad implications notwithstanding. Fowler? I see reason for hope. They have a top OC and spent 50 million on Hutch. This could turn out well. In 04, CV was the first good RG the Bills fielded in approx. 10 years. When he was injured, the team suffered. I was very high on CV at RG. Last year, he was dreadful and brittle. Now, he is a year older, and I have zero faith in his ability, nor am I positive that he will even make the team. His backup (Preston) showed (again, imo), absolutely nothing. This is not to say Preston will never be a good player, but his rookie year was far less than stellar, unless I missed something. I view Peters as a LT playing RT. If Peters could step in and develop at the LT spot, this could be a HUGE plus for the franchise imo. I compare my opinion to those who think that developmental time was wasted with Losman. That said, I predict that he will be a good RT this year, playing next to a sub-par RG. In summary, the above is yet another disaster waiting to happen. We stocked our secondary in the draft and once again failed to bring in an early round prospect. We are a team that is chock full of small players, to whom we allocate the bulk of our resources. I think that the only hope for the Bills to field a GOOD OL rests upon what we do in 07. We need a 50 million dollar UFA (and there will be some good ones out there) along with an early pick or 2. When (and if) this happens, the tone of the football team will change, and we will be a playoff team. Jmo (and you DID ask). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Optimistically Fowler is a more natural center, and is a better athlete (according to Jeff faine, he will out athlete most DTs) I think glenn parker today would have been an upgrade over anderson, but Reyes played for a very good line, and should only play much better than Anderson or Mike Williams at LG. Gandy was rusty, since he was out for an entire year, so he will continue improving, and Peters has learned the position a little better and I think will continue to improve. Not to mention Aaron Gibson has the talent and if he gets his head straight he could become a very good back up. CV will regain form, playing for a new coach and an old coach at the same time will do that. As a Rookie Preston played well at times. The difference is also in, Thomas, if he is healthy and runs hard, he could be a great back up, and increase our rushing numbers. And another year will only slow down Losman's mind and fewer sacks will be taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtex Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Just curious...Where did you get those #s.....If you look at McGahees statsin the 1st half and 2nd half of the season, you will see that Peters struggled with the Run Blocking. 720334[/snapback] I got them off of the nfl.com, they broke down the rushing attack from left, middle, and right, the games where Peters started at right tackle the rushing game to the right side dramatically increased. Just research, but you dont have to believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Melvin Fowler...............it's in your hands baby! 719860[/snapback] i dunno, i just have a hard time placing this much faith in an offensive lineman named Melvin. i mean when you think of the name Melvin you don't think of offensive linemen, you think of someone that looks like John Clayton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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