Demetrius Bell

[Cynical]

Will be a better LT this year than Langston Walker. Walker is a kind of old, fat, overweight giant. He's going to embarrass himself trying to block on the left side. The right side, fine, he can block over there against the chris kelsay's of the world. But 95% of RE's should be able to beat him consistently. Even if Bell is weak, he is athletic enough to keep up with these guys, and you would think he is at least strong enough to push around the Freeney's, Schobel's, Maybin's, and Adalius Thomas's of the world. Being a LT is not about being 6'8 and having no agility, its about being athletic and quick and at least average strength(which Bell should've developed).

 

Old? He's not even 30 yet. So you can't even say he's old by NFL standards.

[gcb34]

Dumb post

 

 

Will be a better LT this year than Langston Walker. Walker is a kind of old, fat, overweight giant. He's going to embarrass himself trying to block on the left side. The right side, fine, he can block over there against the chris kelsay's of the world. But 95% of RE's should be able to beat him consistently. Even if Bell is weak, he is athletic enough to keep up with these guys, and you would think he is at least strong enough to push around the Freeney's, Schobel's, Maybin's, and Adalius Thomas's of the world. Being a LT is not about being 6'8 and having no agility, its about being athletic and quick and at least average strength(which Bell should've developed).

 

Even if Walker is the better football player per se, he will absolutely suck on the left side. And please don't point to the first few games last year. There will undoubtedly be at least 12 times Walker's guy simply runs around him, if he starts at LT.

[Bflojohn]

The very best thing the Bills can do with Demetrius Bell is bring him along the same way they did Jason Peters! To me, the comparitives with Peters and Bell are startling! Nearly a free agent himself, Bell arguably has the same type of potential Peters showed in his transition to OLT. I liked Bell's performance last preseason, and I don't see any reason why he can't show the progress that would mirror Jason's advancement! Just a thought!!!

Note: He is one of the brightest lights in the Bills future, if you ask me!!

[thewildrabbit]

Sorry i think our Oline coach knows more than you do. Besides look at the film Langston is very quick and i think he will do fine.

I don't,the O line coach is only in his second year and he didn't exactly do well with what he had last season. I have zero faith he will get a bunch of rookies and back ups to do better.

[zazie]

The very best thing the Bills can do with Demetrius Bell is bring him along the same way they did Jason Peters! To me, the comparitives with Peters and Bell are startling! Nearly a free agent himself, Bell arguably has the same type of potential Peters showed in his transition to OLT. I liked Bell's performance last preseason, and I don't see any reason why he can't show the progress that would mirror Jason's advancement! Just a thought!!!

Note: He is one of the brightest lights in the Bills future, if you ask me!!

His athetic genes should not be overlooked also.

 

When I hear about his off season weight training and strive, I tend to take it more seriously than I might with another player. Karl may not have been a perfect father, but he was a serious and dedicated athlete, and skilled and coordinated.

 

I think Demetrious is going to show us a lot.

 

And given his natural LT position, and the salary differences between NBA then and NFL now, he may in the end outearn his famous dad.

 

Nice FU that would be!

 

We're rooting for you DB!!!

[Steely Dan]

Dude why are you so harsh on Walker? Seriously, he held his own last year. I don't think any of your logic as warranted, and you certainly did little to justify your stance on Bell.

 

What he said.

 

Left tackle and right tackle are completely different stories. If Walker were to start at RT, i wouldn't whine at all. He did hold his own last year. I simply fail to see him keeping up with those guys at all. Bell is quick, looked halfway decent in preseason, and seems much better fit to play LT.

 

Moving Walker to LT makes a lot more sense than moving a second year guy who has very experience on the OL.

 

Or where he lay...flat on his back, probably. The guy was practically the weakest OL invited to the combine with his draft class. Real muscle mass takes time to build if you have to pee in a cup for a living.

 

It will be interesting to get a pic or two of Bell from the OTAs scheduled later this month...

 

I had that job once. I quit though, my boss pissed me off.

 

 

yeah, i really don't see where all of this hate is coming towards Langston Walker.

 

He was really solid last year, and though he played RT and not LT, was more worth his contract at seasons end than that guy who was holding out for more money but eventually returned and gave up something like 11 sacks or something.

 

Stop drinking the haterade, Walker is just fine.

 

 

 

From the time of the combine (early March) to the final 2 games (late December) is almost 10 full months. You can easily add real muscle mass within this time frame.

 

By the time TC starts it will have been one year.

 

 

and you can tell all of that about a 2nd-year, 7th-round draft pick that hasn't played a down on the OL in the NFL? wow, you're good.

 

seriously though, where do people get this stuff about bell? he may have a LT body, and he may be athletic, but wouldn't you want to see the guy play a game or two before you annoint him the best LT on the team, able to handle dwight freeney and adalius thomas?

 

you know there's usually a reason that every team passes on a guy 6 times in the draft.

 

In Bell's case I'm guessing his lack of strength and inexperience were the reason he was a 7th rounder. Some guys can step up and surprise like Marques Colston. (no I'm not comparing Bell to Colston. I'm pointing out it's not impossible)

 

Bottom line is that unless Bell blows Walker out of the water with his play, LW will be the starting LT this year. I don't think the Bills want two rookies on the left side. They have vets at RT, C and LT that keeps the rookies surrounded by experience and that's what they need. Next year might be Bells year if he continues to work as hard as we've heard.

 

Anyhoo, when the Bills make the SB within the next few years there is going to be a media frenzy around this guy. The newshounds are going to be all over the Malone story and man'o man Karl is going to get it up the doink.

[pimp on da' net]

What do you know...Walker played LT & RT in Oakland before he became a Free Agent and signed with the Bills...He played pretty decent for the Raiders, thats why the Bills signed him to the 5 year 25 million contract in 2007...

 

Plus when Walker was called on to play LT last season during Peters' holdout...he outperformed Peters BIG TIME!

 

Gonna hold you to this comment, a couple of games doesn't give defensive end enough time to dissect his weakness at the position.

Will you guys please stop with this non sense, Walker was a terrible LT in Oakland they tried to save face by moving him to the RT position because that's his position in this league. Your trying to make the point about Peters and it doesn't hold up, I do agree that if he was gonna be a headache with these antics, then make a decision (which was done) but you can clearly see he knew his market value. Its not like this was Synder and the Redskins.....this was the Eagles, for godness sake.

I wish he can handle the move, just as i did when we played Gandy out of position. I can only hope by the time the DE's figure out Walker that Bell will be ready to step up to the plate....fingers-crossed

[VOR]

By the time TC starts it will have been one year.

Actually, it will have been about a year and 5 months (in the Bills' strength and conditioning program).

[BuffaloBillsfan66]

Will be a better LT this year than Langston Walker. Walker is a kind of old, fat, overweight giant. He's going to embarrass himself trying to block on the left side. The right side, fine, he can block over there against the chris kelsay's of the world. But 95% of RE's should be able to beat him consistently. Even if Bell is weak, he is athletic enough to keep up with these guys, and you would think he is at least strong enough to push around the Freeney's, Schobel's, Maybin's, and Adalius Thomas's of the world. Being a LT is not about being 6'8 and having no agility, its about being athletic and quick and at least average strength(which Bell should've developed).

 

Even if Walker is the better football player per se, he will absolutely suck on the left side. And please don't point to the first few games last year. There will undoubtedly be at least 12 times Walker's guy simply runs around him, if he starts at LT.

 

 

I think that the younger guy has better athletic skills, and tons of upside!

[Commander]

The below write-up from DRAFTSCOUT.COM is revealing. He only benched pressed 225 lb nine times at the combine. However, below explains why:

 

"He is woefully weak, by NFL standards, and will need a year or two in the weight room, but you can see that the athletic ability is there. When evaluating Bell, it's important to realize that he has never been through more than 14 weeks of football-oriented strength training until now, due to his offseason involvement in basketball in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Considering his frame, attributes, work ethic and character, it is very easy to envision him adding strength and size as he begins a pro football career, refining and developing his football skills without the detriment of years of bad technique or poor habits to overcome."

 

I'd forgotten he played basketball in college and that distracted from his off-season football regimen. My understanding now is he has been a beast in the weight room and has bulked up to 320.

 

 

 

Analysis

Positives: While he needs to spend considerable hours in the weight room to add much needed bulk and strength, he has a lean, angular frame with very good shoulder width, thick lower body frame and the ability to add at least 25 pounds to his frame with no loss in quickness ... Very inexperienced, but compensates for a lack of technique with good athletic ability ... Has learned how to play at a lower pad level, showing good ability to gain advantage and create movement for run blocking (struggled doing this in 2006, as he would get too tall in his stance, but has grasped the aspect for sinking his weight) ... A tough, physical and aggressive blocker with outstanding range and agility and good speed for his size ... Has tremendous competitiveness and strong leadership skills, along with a great work ethic ... Ego-free and unselfish, and is bright and personable ... Likes to punish his opponent and is the type who plays until the whistle ... While inexperienced, he does pick up things quickly and is basically a blank slate for a patient position coach to mold ... Pushes himself on and off the field and is a willing student ... Has very good quickness to gain initial position on run blocks and does a good job of sinking his pads and getting set up quickly in pass protection ... Shuffles his feet well and uses his long arms to generate efficient reach blocks ... Has the agility to adjust well in the open field and has become an effective cut blocker, keeping his head on a swivel to land on secondary targets ... Has a good grasp for taking cut-off angles and the agility needed to adjust to counter moves and shut down backside pressure ... Has very good speed on traps and pulls, adjusting well to make contact in the second level ... Despite marginal strength, he has a good base and anchor, making it very rare to see a defender knock him to the ground ... Has very active hands to gain advantage, but must develop a stronger hand punch ... Has the quick kick step to set up in pass protection, showing the good feet and balance to slide and mirror ... Has very good lateral mobility, using that agility to seal off the edge rushers ... Has the extension to reach block, especially when the opponent gets lined up over his outside shoulder ... What separates him from most offensive tackles is his ability to work in space and explode into the second level.

 

Negatives: Has minimal experience playing offensive tackle (two years), much less football (23 games) ... His frame has yet to mature and even though he added 20 pounds of bulk in 2007 (to 303), he has very poor strength and will need at least a full season in the weight room to develop his body before he is capable of contributing ... When he gets too tall in his stance, he struggles to create movement off the snap (has worked on keeping his pads down as a senior) ... Still learning the game and is prone to making basic mistakes, but learns quickly and is a good study in film sessions ... Has very active hands, but without strength, he does not shock or jolt with his punch ... Must learn to stay lower in his stance, as bull rushers have good success walking him back when he gets too erect ... Still has problems adjusting when trying to sustain and position ... Lacks explosion off the snap (quick, but has little power behind his surge), preventing him from getting good leverage on drive blocks ... Will be better served in a system that relies more on zone blocking, at least until he develops needed strength.

 

Compares To: JAKE SCOTT-Tennessee ... Bell is a work in progress, but for a player with just two years on offense and 23 games of football experience for his entire life, he is well on his way to being a pet project for a patient offensive line coach. He is woefully weak, by NFL standards, and will need a year or two in the weight room, but you can see that the athletic ability is there. When evaluating Bell, it's important to realize that he has never been through more than 14 weeks of football-oriented strength training until now, due to his offseason involvement in basketball in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Considering his frame, attributes, work ethic and character, it is very easy to envision him adding strength and size as he begins a pro football career, refining and developing his football skills without the detriment of years of bad technique or poor habits to overcome.

 

Career Notes

In 2007, Bell became the 39th All-American player in school history and the eighth player to earn that honor in Scott Stoker's six seasons as head coach ... One of four Division I athletes to play both football and basketball during the 2007 seasons.

Agility Tests

Campus: 5.18 in the 40-yard dash ... 1.72 10-yard dash ... 3.02 20-yard dash ... 4.66 20-yard shuttle ... 8.12 three-cone drill ... 33-inch vertical jump ... 9'3" broad jump ... Bench pressed 225 pounds 10 times ... 255-pound bench press ... 385-pound squat ... 275-pound power clean ... 33 ¼-inch arm length ... 10-inch vertical jump ... Right-handed ... 20/36 Wonderlic score. Combine: 5.25 in the 40-yard dash ... 1.78 10-yard dash ... 3.0 20-yard dash ... 4.65 20-yard shuttle ... 7.65 three-cone drill ... 26.5-inch vertical jump ... 9'1" broad jump ... Bench pressed 225 pounds nine times.

[zazie]

The below write-up from DRAFTSCOUT.COM is revealing. He only benched pressed 225 lb nine times at the combine. However, below explains why:

 

"He is woefully weak, by NFL standards, and will need a year or two in the weight room, but you can see that the athletic ability is there. When evaluating Bell, it's important to realize that he has never been through more than 14 weeks of football-oriented strength training until now, due to his offseason involvement in basketball in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Considering his frame, attributes, work ethic and character, it is very easy to envision him adding strength and size as he begins a pro football career, refining and developing his football skills without the detriment of years of bad technique or poor habits to overcome."

 

I'd forgotten he played basketball in college and that distracted from his off-season football regimen. My understanding now is he has been a beast in the weight room and has bulked up to 320.

 

 

 

Analysis

Positives: While he needs to spend considerable hours in the weight room to add much needed bulk and strength, he has a lean, angular frame with very good shoulder width, thick lower body frame and the ability to add at least 25 pounds to his frame with no loss in quickness ... Very inexperienced, but compensates for a lack of technique with good athletic ability ... Has learned how to play at a lower pad level, showing good ability to gain advantage and create movement for run blocking (struggled doing this in 2006, as he would get too tall in his stance, but has grasped the aspect for sinking his weight) ... A tough, physical and aggressive blocker with outstanding range and agility and good speed for his size ... Has tremendous competitiveness and strong leadership skills, along with a great work ethic ... Ego-free and unselfish, and is bright and personable ... Likes to punish his opponent and is the type who plays until the whistle ... While inexperienced, he does pick up things quickly and is basically a blank slate for a patient position coach to mold ... Pushes himself on and off the field and is a willing student ... Has very good quickness to gain initial position on run blocks and does a good job of sinking his pads and getting set up quickly in pass protection ... Shuffles his feet well and uses his long arms to generate efficient reach blocks ... Has the agility to adjust well in the open field and has become an effective cut blocker, keeping his head on a swivel to land on secondary targets ... Has a good grasp for taking cut-off angles and the agility needed to adjust to counter moves and shut down backside pressure ... Has very good speed on traps and pulls, adjusting well to make contact in the second level ... Despite marginal strength, he has a good base and anchor, making it very rare to see a defender knock him to the ground ... Has very active hands to gain advantage, but must develop a stronger hand punch ... Has the quick kick step to set up in pass protection, showing the good feet and balance to slide and mirror ... Has very good lateral mobility, using that agility to seal off the edge rushers ... Has the extension to reach block, especially when the opponent gets lined up over his outside shoulder ... What separates him from most offensive tackles is his ability to work in space and explode into the second level.

 

Negatives: Has minimal experience playing offensive tackle (two years), much less football (23 games) ... His frame has yet to mature and even though he added 20 pounds of bulk in 2007 (to 303), he has very poor strength and will need at least a full season in the weight room to develop his body before he is capable of contributing ... When he gets too tall in his stance, he struggles to create movement off the snap (has worked on keeping his pads down as a senior) ... Still learning the game and is prone to making basic mistakes, but learns quickly and is a good study in film sessions ... Has very active hands, but without strength, he does not shock or jolt with his punch ... Must learn to stay lower in his stance, as bull rushers have good success walking him back when he gets too erect ... Still has problems adjusting when trying to sustain and position ... Lacks explosion off the snap (quick, but has little power behind his surge), preventing him from getting good leverage on drive blocks ... Will be better served in a system that relies more on zone blocking, at least until he develops needed strength.

 

Compares To: JAKE SCOTT-Tennessee ... Bell is a work in progress, but for a player with just two years on offense and 23 games of football experience for his entire life, he is well on his way to being a pet project for a patient offensive line coach. He is woefully weak, by NFL standards, and will need a year or two in the weight room, but you can see that the athletic ability is there. When evaluating Bell, it's important to realize that he has never been through more than 14 weeks of football-oriented strength training until now, due to his offseason involvement in basketball in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Considering his frame, attributes, work ethic and character, it is very easy to envision him adding strength and size as he begins a pro football career, refining and developing his football skills without the detriment of years of bad technique or poor habits to overcome.

 

Career Notes

In 2007, Bell became the 39th All-American player in school history and the eighth player to earn that honor in Scott Stoker's six seasons as head coach ... One of four Division I athletes to play both football and basketball during the 2007 seasons.

Agility Tests

Campus: 5.18 in the 40-yard dash ... 1.72 10-yard dash ... 3.02 20-yard dash ... 4.66 20-yard shuttle ... 8.12 three-cone drill ... 33-inch vertical jump ... 9'3" broad jump ... Bench pressed 225 pounds 10 times ... 255-pound bench press ... 385-pound squat ... 275-pound power clean ... 33 ¼-inch arm length ... 10-inch vertical jump ... Right-handed ... 20/36 Wonderlic score. Combine: 5.25 in the 40-yard dash ... 1.78 10-yard dash ... 3.0 20-yard dash ... 4.65 20-yard shuttle ... 7.65 three-cone drill ... 26.5-inch vertical jump ... 9'1" broad jump ... Bench pressed 225 pounds nine times.

Given we traded our franchise LT in the off season, Bell's shot seems assured. It is up to him to turn a couple games of opportunity (granted generously by the Bills FO) into a 10+ year career of superior service at LT.

 

Again, DBell, we are with you and want you to succeed wildly.

 

And I for one, think it can happen.

 

And for all the Dick Jauron fans out there, Demetrious by all reports is also a very Nice Man. If he can play which I think he can then, win win!! As opposed to DJ.....

[VOR]

Given we traded our franchise LT in the off season, Bell's shot seems assured. It is up to him to turn a couple games of opportunity (granted generously by the Bills FO) into a 10+ year career of superior service at LT.

 

Again, DBell, we are with you and want you to succeed wildly.

 

And I for one, think it can happen.

 

And for all the Dick Jauron fans out there, Demetrious by all reports is also a very Nice Man. If he can play which I think he can then, win win!! As opposed to DJ.....

I don't want a "nice man" playing LT. I want a guy who wants to rip his opponent's head off every play. Maybe he can envision his opponent as being his estranged father?

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

The rampant hate for Walker on this board must be over my head. I'm not sure he can keep up with the quickest rushers in the game from that LT spot either, so its a question mark. But he's given us every reason to be encouraged since the day he got here.

[zazie]

I don't want a "nice man" playing LT. I want a guy who wants to rip his opponent's head off every play. Maybe he can envision his opponent as being his estranged father?

LOL. good one

[Mickey]

Sorry i think our Oline coach knows more than you do. Besides look at the film Langston is very quick and i think he will do fine.

There is a reason no one has played this guy on the left side. It is not as if he is some sort of mystery, he has been in the league long enough for there to be a body of film on the guy showing what he can and can't do. I wish him the best out there on the left side, he is basically all we have barring rapid and unexpected development of someone from the practice squad.

[Bill from NYC]

The rampant hate for Walker on this board must be over my head. I'm not sure he can keep up with the quickest rushers in the game from that LT spot either, so its a question mark. But he's given us every reason to be encouraged since the day he got here.

 

I must respectfully disagree. To take it a step further, I can't recall anybody that fat lining up at left tackle at all, let alone playing well at this position.

When watching his cutsie videos, didn't you secretly cringe when looking at his basketball stomach? I know I did. I am not all that sure that he is a better LT than Chambers.

[djcalvin79]

I don't want a "nice man" playing LT. I want a guy who wants to rip his opponent's head off every play. Maybe he can envision his opponent as being his estranged father?

 

i believe that is what we have with Wood and Levitre.. now if only they could pass that attitude on to the rest of the OL

 

i'm getting a little giddy here, thinking of the whole OL in 'Beastmode', and with the Beastman himself rampaging behind that line.. oh yes, yes.. yes!

[ans4e64]

Moving Walker to LT makes a lot more sense than moving a second year guy who has very experience on the OL.

 

Not necessarily. It is in the best interest of the team if Bell can play LT this year, because the rest of the line is hinged upon that position. If Bell can hold his own at LT, that allows for our RT position to be sured up with Walker, our RG position sured up with Butler, and we get to keep that starting tandem in place in their same positions.

 

If Bell doesn't play LT, we are forced to hope Langston can play the left side, and we are forced to hope Butler can play tackle on the right side, and we're forced to hope the two rookies can play on the interior at a high level.

 

We all better be rooting for Bell this year, because it drastically effects the shake up of our line. I would even listen to the argument that having Bell on the left side even if he's a liability might actually be better than having both Walker, Butler, and the rookies not do well. That would be 1/5th of our line sucking as opposed to 4/5ths. Not saying I want to throw Bell into the fire, but it would definitely be a huge help to every individual position on the line if he can step in.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

When watching his cutsie videos, didn't you secretly cringe when looking at his basketball stomach? I know I did.

 

Well when he played the spot last year in preseason, on opening day, and when Peters needed spelling multiple times throughout the day in Jacksonville, he was not at all a liability in pass pro. I imagine we agree this doesn't prove a whole lot, but I sure find it encouraging.

[thebandit27]

 

Well when he played the spot last year in preseason, on opening day, and when Peters needed spelling multiple times throughout the day in Jacksonville, he was not at all a liability in pass pro. I imagine we agree this doesn't prove a whole lot, but I sure find it encouraging.

 

He didn't play against Jacksonville, Chambers spelled Peters in that game.