Paul Hamilton on GR says Tucker going to Bench

[theesir]

This reminds of Willis playing great and Travis starting the next week. Teague should be busy learning a new position like Vincent is.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

This reminds of Willis playing great and Travis starting the next week. Teague should be busy learning a new position like Vincent is.

102086[/snapback]

You can have co-starting RB's. You can't have co-starting centers. Obviously the Bills feel that Teague can do a better job than Tucker has done. Hopefully that's the case. And if the idea is to replace Smith at LG, I'd rather it be Tucker than Teague, because Tucker has actually taken reps there.

[todd]

This reminds of Willis playing great and Travis starting the next week. Teague should be busy learning a new position like Vincent is.

102086[/snapback]

 

Ummm, I don't know where your memory went, but Teague did a great job before he got hurt. He played very, very well.

[JStranger76]

Right on Todd. I guess when people have their minds made up about something, you just can't get through to some. Teague was playing very well before his injury.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

This reminds of Willis playing great and Travis starting the next week. Teague should be busy learning a new position like Vincent is.

102086[/snapback]

 

I agree tnat the analogy to the WM/Henry situation falls apart when comparing Tucker/Teague. No one mistakes Tucker for the future potential world-class player WM is geting back to being. The much maligned Teague who iwas playing much better prior to his injury also is going in totally the opposite direction than Henry who may have simply taken too many hits and never really found his game this year.

 

For the moment it appears that the Bills quite reasonably see Teague as an answer to their problems to get better on the OL while they see WM as the answer to their problem of how to get better at RB.

 

Tucker has played well, but given his flexibility it appears more likely that one would see him at LG if his talemts demand he start rather seeig Teague move.

[Frez]

I don't remember any big holes being opend for the Rb's up the middle when Teague was playing. I also don't remember the line being this good when Teague was in the lineup.

 

I say Tucker is the better center.

[JStranger76]

I don't remember any big holes up the middle with Tucker either. The Cardinals Dline can make your Oline look pretty decent too. Anyways, I like them both but just don't think Teague deserves the bashing he is getting LATELY. He is probably our most improved offensive lineman. After this Sundays game, we'll see if our Oline is really getting better.

[John from Riverside]

First of all....it is great to have 2 competant centers.....we haven't been able to say that in a while....

 

Second....I have been very underwhelmed by Lawrence Smith at Left Guard.....

 

I just dont understand why they dont give Teague reps at Left Guard with the starting unit and see how he does......both he and Smith are about the same size.....Teague is at 300 pounds...L. Smith about the same.....

[JStranger76]

The only difference is Smith is shorter and stockier. Tucker is about 315 and I think he is clearly a better run blocker than Smith but I'm not sure if that would be giving up some pass protection. I'd like to try Tucker at LG with Smith backing up both guard spots.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

First of all....it is great to have 2 competant centers.....we haven't been able to say that in a while....

 

Second....I have been very underwhelmed by Lawrence Smith at Left Guard.....

 

I just dont understand why they dont give Teague reps at Left Guard with the starting unit and see how he does......both he and Smith are about the same size.....Teague is at 300 pounds...L. Smith about the same.....

102475[/snapback]

 

 

Size is a lesser factor of a center's success compared to other factors such as:

 

1. Communication ability with the rest of the OL and his peers. Unless he can get the other OL players to understand quiokly and clearly what the group is doing and unless he an the QB share info and on the smae page then forget about everything else.

2. Speed at makng the read on the D, deciding on a course of action and getting that out and being on the same page and making the same reads as the QB.

3. Making the snap in prticular the shotgun to the QB the same way everytime. Of particular import is to do this with the shotgunm when an opposing DT is going to crack you as soon as you make the snap.

4. The ability to turn the advantage that he will know the snap count in away the opposing DT will not know it and using this slight avantage to get leverage on larger stronger DTs.

6. Natural leadership abiliy that makes peers exceed what they can do. This is not a requirement as most players only have this a little but it was the thing which seemed to separate Kent Hull from his peers.

 

Its easy for me to envision Teague being a better choice than Tucker at C and we fans see little of the real deal. Certainly wins are win and production is production and even we outsider fans can make some reasonable judgments about whether the team is performing better with Tucker at C rather than Teague.

 

However, one could easily be all wrong to judge Tucker as the guy to have at center over Teague because we have little direct clue over these important intangibles.

 

Further, it one looks at the things we can see production with Tucker has been a mixed bag. The games are:

 

New England- Henry had his first productive game of the season and much if ut was actually behind Teague until he went out of the game with an injury. I'm not sure when he went out but as 3 of the sacks came in the last few minutes as everyone knew the pass was comimg one doesn't usefully blsme Tucker but this was not one of his finest hours.

NYJ- The run game struggled and the passing game was anemic until the last quarter. There were 4 sacks on Bledsoe most of which was Abraham manhandling Jennings. Again there is no production here that would make anyone hail Tucker as the answer.

Miami- We have a very good game and Tucker looks very good to us outsiders. However, it must be noted that though this team has some DE beef Tucker gets a lot of credit for dealing with, beating Miami is something which does not get you haoled as the answer.

Ravens- rough game for Tucker in terms of production against a solid D.

Cards- Great game for Tucker against a less than great D.

 

Tucker dida wonderful job as a fill-in but it is beyond me why folks see this as the answer to any center issues to the extent that now we must send Teague to another position.

[TigerJ]

Both Teague and Tucker are very bright and can make the line calls. Tucker is stronger at the point of attack, but Teague is more athletic and get downfield to make blocks that Tucker can't. I don't mind either of them.

[KOKBILLS]

I don't remember any big holes being opend for the Rb's up the middle when Teague was playing. I also don't remember the line being this good when Teague was in the lineup.

 

I say Tucker is the better center.

102444[/snapback]

 

 

I'm not arguing your point, but Teague did block mostly for Travis in the Run Game when he was healthy...I would like to see what the difference is this week with Willis before I jump to any conclusions... B)

[JStranger76]

Wow, we actually have a "good" problem on the offensive line. Man I hope we address the O line very heavily this off season and make it top notch. If we fixed the left side with a top free agent LT and a guard like David Bass from Michigan to play LG, we'd have the best line we've had since the Super Bowl years. OK, I'll go smoke another one now................

[bobblehead]

Both Teague and Tucker are very bright and can make the line calls.  Tucker is stronger at the point of attack, but Teague is more athletic and get downfield to make blocks that Tucker can't.  I don't mind either of them.

102890[/snapback]

 

 

If that is the case, then why isn't Teague playing guard?