Coach55 Posted June 8, 2009 Posted June 8, 2009 I was looking back the Bills TE's of yesteryear to do a comparison to our current TE's and was looking at the McKeller/Metzelaars dynamic. Personally, I think Metzelaars was a better TE both from a blocking and a hands perspective. McKeller clearly was faster and ran better patterns. McKeller started during the SB years of 90 and 91, but then lost his starting position to Metzelaars midway through the 92 season. The reason this is interesting is Metzelaars was the starter from 86-89, was dethroned and then returned to start the 2nd half of 92 through 94. One would wonder, if Metzelaars had started in 90 and 91, would the seasons have ended differently?
Spiderweb Posted June 8, 2009 Posted June 8, 2009 I was looking back the Bills TE's of yesteryear to do a comparison to our current TE's and was looking at the McKeller/Metzelaars dynamic. Personally, I think Metzelaars was a better TE both from a blocking and a hands perspective. McKeller clearly was faster and ran better patterns. McKeller started during the SB years of 90 and 91, but then lost his starting position to Metzelaars midway through the 92 season. The reason this is interesting is Metzelaars was the starter from 86-89, was dethroned and then returned to start the 2nd half of 92 through 94. One would wonder, if Metzelaars had started in 90 and 91, would the seasons have ended differently? You seem to have forgotten that McKeller was injured and Metz took advantage (McKeller never was the same again either).
The Dean Posted June 9, 2009 Posted June 9, 2009 You seem to have forgotten that McKeller was injured and Metz took advantage (McKeller never was the sameagain either). Exactly. Killer McKeller was great before the injury, and likely would have remained the starter.
Coach55 Posted June 9, 2009 Author Posted June 9, 2009 Exactly. Killer McKeller was great before the injury, and likely would have remained the starter. But McKeller's hands were always suspect. One of the most notable drops was the Bubba McDowell Interception for a TD in the Oilers Wild Card Game. Given the speed and firepower of the remaining skill positions, it may have made more sense to sacrifice the speed that McKeller brought to the table in exchange for Metzelaars' blocking ability and sure handedness. From a pure stats standpoint Metz's best season was 93 (68-609-4) vs McKeller's best in 90 (34-464-5). Metz seemed to be a better hot/tertiary receiver, as he was very difficult to cover due to his sheer size. Hindsight is always 20/20, but oh how I miss a monster like Metz.
Not the real Gale Gilbert Posted June 9, 2009 Posted June 9, 2009 But McKeller's hands were always suspect. One of the most notable drops was the Bubba McDowell Interception for a TD in the Oilers Wild Card Game. Given the speed and firepower of the remaining skill positions, it may have made more sense to sacrifice the speed that McKeller brought to the table in exchange for Metzelaars' blocking ability and sure handedness. From a pure stats standpoint Metz's best season was 93 (68-609-4) vs McKeller's best in 90 (34-464-5). Metz seemed to be a better hot/tertiary receiver, as he was very difficult to cover due to his sheer size. Hindsight is always 20/20, but oh how I miss a monster like Metz. Hmm, but if McDowell doesn't return that INT for a touchdown, does Buffalo win that game? I just blew my mind. I always thought that I would rather have McKeller over Metzelaars in their best years, but your stats are hard to argue with. But McKeller must have won that job fair and square because in those days they weren't handing out jobs in that offense. Not like recently, where many positions are thin and a 4th round TE is drafted with an idea that he can start right away.
Recommended Posts