Are we sure Bell can't be a good OLT?

[thewildrabbit]

yeah but they drafted him as a "project". apparently he has shown something to be a starting lt in the nfl. its not like we are paying him alot of money or we have any depth a o tackle, so why not keep him??

Only Dick Jauron would be stupid enough to start a project LT and then announce the Bills will run the "no huddle"

[sharper802]

Wasn't he essentially hurt most of the year?

 

Didn't he look pretty solid in his limited action while he was healthy?

 

I'm interested in hearing what I missed watching the games - I don't remember ever being very upset with what I saw from him, but maybe I've forgotten.

 

It just seems like so much of the screaming about the state of our offensive line was ignoring the fact that 3/5 starters were out much of the year.

 

Please - tell me which games I should look back at - I have them recorded - to find where Bell sucks - particularly for a guy coming in with so little experience and room to continue developing physically.

No one knows.

[sharper802]

Only Dick Jauron would be stupid enough to start a project LT and then announce the Bills will run the "no huddle"

 

Actually it went like this. Only DJ would be stupid enough to trade a ProBowl LT, move a fat slow RT to LT without asking the player if he could handle it, then announce the no huddle, then cut said RT to LT the week before playing on national TV on the road against a division rival coached by a cheater, replace him with a project LT who hadn't practiced much of training camp, then fire the OC that was supposed to run the no huddle.

 

If I wrote that scenario in Jan 2009 noone would have believed half of that would happen

[Wilson from Gamehendge]

He just got called for two false starts while you were writing that post

HAHA, THAT IS AWESOME! That made me laugh out loud, very loud.

 

 

Anyways...I like Bell, except for his lack of concentration, or complete stupidity, with all those false start penalties. I have said MANY MANY times here, I think we already have an average to good offensive line. Sure it is nothing great, no pro-bowlers...yet. That's the thing, they are so young that they have so much time to grow together and become a whole that works together. I am hoping that the new staff thinks this so we can spend our #9 overall pick on something else.

 

Our interior is set...Levitre - Hangartner - Wood (or) Levitre - Wood - Incognito (my favorite!)...

 

Then we have Bell, Meredith, Watkins, Butler...to find bookend tackles.

 

If we go with the first choice...Levitre - Hangartner - Wood...Richie Incognito has and could play LT, or even RT. He was a 1st Team All Big-12 left tackle during is Sophomore year of college, @ Nebraska none the less. He was also shifted to center, but was suspended before he played the position. However, it goes to show that that staff, a very good college program, thought he was good enough to play center. So, we COULD have...Levitre - Incognito - Wood...which I don't mind.

 

Then all we have to do is find tackles out of...Bell, Meredith, Watkins (my darkhorse) and Butler.

 

My suggestions -

 

Bell/Watkins - Levitre - Wood - Incognito - Meredith/Butler

 

Bell/Watkins/Meredith - Levitre - Hangartner - Wood - Incognito/Butler

 

Levitre - Wood - Incognito - Butler/Hangartner - Bell/Meredith/Watkins

 

 

*Then again, IF we get Vick or draft Tebow...won't RIGHT tackle be our worry then? (OR ANY LEFTY QB for that matter?)

[Bflojohn]

As is the case in these matters, the answer lies squarely in the middle of the argument! It seems to me that the 2 new O-line coaches Joe D'Alessandris and Bobby Johnson have the task of turning him into a bonified OLT in the N.F.L., and the strength and conditioning coaches, but more specifically John Gamble, need to bulk him up for the trench warfare that he will see weekly. I think that Chan Gailey said it best when he stated that this staff would be teachers, so let the learning commence! I'm siding with the notion he wil blossum into the role, just my opinion!

[RayFinkle]

HGH

[tennesseeboy]

Bell was less than impressive, but may be worth keeping. The argument that 3 of 5 of our starting o-line was hurt is interesting in light of my post about the need for depth at the o-line. It seems that it is not at all uncommon for there to be significant injuries on the o-line and great teams need depth. It is probably almost as true for the D-line as well. If our starting 5 suck (and with the exception of Wood and Levitre they do) what does that say about the players who couldn't beat them out to start?

[John from Riverside]

I actually think he CAN end up being a good tackle for us......

 

I just dont want it to be our ONLY option......we need to upgrade the position and have Bell be a swing tackle

[Thurman#1]

Wasn't he essentially hurt most of the year?

 

Didn't he look pretty solid in his limited action while he was healthy?

 

I'm interested in hearing what I missed watching the games - I don't remember ever being very upset with what I saw from him, but maybe I've forgotten.

 

It just seems like so much of the screaming about the state of our offensive line was ignoring the fact that 3/5 starters were out much of the year.

 

Please - tell me which games I should look back at - I have them recorded - to find where Bell sucks - particularly for a guy coming in with so little experience and room to continue developing physically.

 

 

 

If you're really not sure, take a look at this. Bell is ranked by profootballfocus.com as the 74th best tackle (left and right tackles evaluated together) in the league last year. Out of 77.

 

http://profootballfocus.com/by_position.ph...mp;numsnaps=25%

 

It's worth noticing that the only reason he did that well - yes, I said "did that well" - is that when he was finally put on IR, he was ranked dead last by a long margin, but being out for the rest of the year meant that he wasn't putting up negative scores each week, so three of the worst tackles in the league continued putting up horrific performances and they drifted down past him after a few weeks to catch up.

 

His final score was about -26 in a system where the average performance produced a score of zero.

[John from Riverside]

How long can people talk about a guy have potential? At some point, the player has to live up to it or he doesn't. The guy was a developmental player to begin with. It's been two seasons now, and some are talking as if he's close to being very good.

 

NFL players typically make their biggest leap from year 1 to year 2. I didn't see much from him last year that signaled he was coming of age. When you can't remember the snap count in your home stadium by your second year, that's not good.

 

NFL players have usually played a lot more football then D. Bell has. He had what....ONE year of college football?

 

He is about as raw as they come.....no way the bills should give up on him.

[Thurman#1]

I for one like Bell... He has a ton of upside.. If we recall, Peters took some time before he was ready.. I think Bell was asked to start a year ahead of when he was ready... This upcoming season, look for him to win that spot.. I am liking the Oline potential. I'd like to see Incognito resigned and at LG, Wood back at Center, Butler to RG, Bell at LT and bring someone in to fight with Levitre for RT.... Butler and Levitre could ultimately switch..... I think they were all too young last year.. They will ALL improve...

 

 

 

Peters took some time before he was ready? He was switched from TE to OL after his first year. He had never played OL before then. During the bye week, the 7th week, as I remember, of his second year, he was made the starter, and was instantly one of the best RTs in the league. Sorry, but Peters took practically no time at all.

[Thurman#1]

Bell can be a good LT... Someday and I don't want to come into this season counting on that happening. Bell has a lot of tools (Speed and Quickness and light on his feet) but he has some strength issues (Which can be addressed as he is young and can add muscle to his frame) and more importantly mentality issues. He never played HS ball and only played some College football so after just 1 season in the NFL he was asked to be the starting LT on an NFL team?

 

Bell wasn't put in much of a position to have success as he was in way over his head. Walker should have been the LT even if he might not have been a fit for the no-huddle (Which they gave up on fairly quickly). So what should have been the plan was use Walker as the LT for as long as possible and have Bell be groomed only as a backup.

 

Then once it was clear the Bills were going nowhere they should have got Bell a few starts towards the end of the year where he would have been better prepared with not as much pressure on him. So he goes into this season preparing to compete as a starter with a few starts under his belt. Instead he was hot shot into the role and he didn't have success.

 

I say we draft a LT pick 9 and have Bell be the backup. Bell if he can prove to be a quality player can possibly be the RT of the future seeing as Butler is solid but not a slam dunk coming off an injury.

 

 

 

If he still has strength issues after two years in the Bills strength and lifting programs, he's not ever going to be strong enough. He's long past the stage where you make huge gains. He will make incremental gains, and if he still has issues, incremental gains won't be enough, seriously.

[Thurman#1]

When Chuck Knox drafted Jim Richter with a #1 pick he sat on the bench his first year and learned. Knox was an ex O linemen himself and he stated it took 2-3 years for a player to fully develop.

 

Bell might just become a decent LT, time and coaching will tell. Jauron had the frame of mind that everyone gets treated the same, QB to O linemen, just throw them them in the fire because they only way they learn is to play.

 

There is no denying that playing experience is a must for any new player, its just that coaching can mean the difference between an average player and a pro bowl player. Great coaching can teach proper technique footwork and fundamentals that are needed just to start playing the position properly.

 

The Bills have had some really bad coaching the last few years since Jim McNally retired after 28 years in the NFL, hopefully things will change soon.

 

 

 

Our OL coach last year was excellent. Blaming it on him is missing the point. He did a terrific job last year with a patchwork line. There is a reason that the Steelers hired him after we let him go.

 

Yeah, there's still a chance he'll turn out solid, particularly if you more reasonably hope he turns out to be a solid backup. But expecting him to be a good starter next year, after being probably the worst tackle in the league this year is simply unrealistic.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Bell might just become a decent LT, time and coaching will tell. Jauron had the frame of mind that everyone gets treated the same, QB to O linemen, just throw them them in the fire because they only way they learn is to play.

For real? The same Jauron that rode the crumbling A-Train to another of his vintage 7-9 campaigns with Fred Jackson on the bench?

 

The same Jauron that lucked into unearthing Jabari Greer after exhausting all other available options?

 

The same Jauron that let Aaron Maybin take so many snaps in 2009?

 

Jauron had "his guys" and that was his personnel approach, new and old (and usually old, never-was guys). I fail to see how he ever deliberately threw anyone into the fire. You might argue that he did this with Bell, but I think it's far more likely that the decision to jettison Walker and start Bell was the product of many idiots arguing with one another whether to boil the water for 60 minutes or for an hour.

[Thurman#1]

Not one lineman on the Colts was drafted higher than the 4th round and 2 were undrafted. I believe that the Chargers and Patriots have similar experience with their lines. Bring in a solid but un-spectactular vet for LT. Draft LB Mcclain in rd 1, Draft a NT in rd 2 and WR Danario Alexander in rd 3. OL in rd 4.

 

 

That strategy works in two cases. Number one, you should get Bill Polian as your GM. Number two, you should have an extremely stable line that has worked together for years and thus can allow one guy to come in with a minimum of disruption. How do you figure either one of those will work out for the Bills?

 

Matt Light, the Pats* LT was a second-rounder, and again moved into a very stable solid, savvy OL.

 

McNeill, the Chargers LT was also a second-rounder and also moved into a very stable solid veteran OL.

 

We don't have anything like a veteran stable o-line, just the opposite in fact.

[Adam]

The right question to ask is "Are we sure Bell can be a good OLT?" and how long before he's "GOOD". We need "GOOD" now.

 

He's not that big for a LT and he's not that durable. He didn't win the job, he got thrown in there because Walker sucked and the Bills weren't about to pay him bonus money, let alone his salary.

 

He's had his audition. Now he can audtion for a spot on the team. Let's not cut these marginal holdovers, from probably the worst Bills offense ever, any slack... we need football players.

This is an example of how you lose for a long, long time. You have to be good now. I hate to tell you this, BUT WE AREN'T going to be good now! We will finish fourth and I am fine with this.

 

Until we build a core and have things come together, we won't be good. The rebuilding has to start- because we have made so many mistakes over the years. This teams is a 4-5 year project

[BillsVet]

Anyone who thinks DJ made the call on releasing Walker is entirely too naive. That decision was made on-high once it was clear he was too fat and slow. I'd say it was more people like Overdorf who figured they could score some points by saving money with that contract.

 

The decision makers at certain levels are still there at OBD. I'm not saying Walker was a top OT, but teams have enough positions of need each season. They shouldn't be creating any more, but the Bills have made a habit of this since Dick Levy took over. Let a player go in UFA or trade and then attempt to draft their replacement. Four years later it's rebuilding time again.

[JPS]

Whether or not Bell can be a good OLT or ORT is irrelevant. We do not have enough talented OTs on this roster. If Bell can beat out Rookie, Meredith, FA and whomever else they have....then he's good enough. You can't just hand it to him like they did in '09 though. That was the cruelest joke of '09.

[pioniere]

Whether or not Bell can be a good OLT or ORT is irrelevant. We do not have enough talented OTs on this roster. If Bell can beat out Rookie, Meredith, FA and whomever else they have....then he's good enough. You can't just hand it to him like they did in '09 though. That was the cruelest joke of '09.

 

With Butler retiring, they'll keep him for sure now.. he may end up being our RT if they draft someone to play LT.

[Tasmo]

Wasn't he essentially hurt most of the year?

 

Didn't he look pretty solid in his limited action while he was healthy?

 

I'm interested in hearing what I missed watching the games - I don't remember ever being very upset with what I saw from him, but maybe I've forgotten.

 

It just seems like so much of the screaming about the state of our offensive line was ignoring the fact that 3/5 starters were out much of the year.

 

Please - tell me which games I should look back at - I have them recorded - to find where Bell sucks - particularly for a guy coming in with so little experience and room to continue developing physically.

 

With Brad Butler retiring we just might have to find out..