Guys, this starting front-five is a disaster

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I think Wang turns out to be a stud.

[Conch]

I agree. Gailey & Nix brought in two strength & conditioning coaches, 1 to specialize on the linemen, the other on the WR's & DB's. With less injuries, that alone should bring the Bills 2-3 more wins.

This does nothing but keep us on a level playing field and does not bring more wins. Your thinking is accurate if none of the other teams in the league have strength coaches or more injuries, but guess what dude...Our line sucks. Levitre is the only thing going for them. Wood was okay, not great and now he is in the fragile category just like Trent & Poz. But any Buffalo Bill who is average or a little better, is always elevated to pro bowl status by this board. The only thing that keeps our average players from getting their due glory and all pro honors is that Buffalo is an inferior town with poor press coverage and everybody hates us. whine whine whine. It has nothing to do with our pi$$ poor play for the last ten years.

[Cynical]

Can you honestly blame the guy?

 

Yes. He's a smart guy. Went to Stanford. Hey, guess what? It's a violent game. If he doesn't want scrambled eggs for brains by the time he is 40, maybe he should consider using that Standford education and choose another career.

 

He has suffered two concussions in two years, that first one was very serious. How many concussions should he endure before he retires like Troy Aikman- Steve Young and many other unheralded QB's were forced to do?

 

I don't know. How many is he willing to suffer?

 

As you pointed out, Troy Aikman suffered numerous concussions. Did he fire out quotes like "I am not a fan"?

 

Don't forget. Nobody forced Aikman to play, and nobody is forcing Edwards to play.

 

And as long as he continues to play under contract to the Bills, I want a player that's more than just a "paycheck collector".

 

Is it after 5-6 concussions that most pro players retire? ... linemen, linebackers, QB's , RB's.

 

Brian Westbrook was a Thurman Thomas clone and an amazing player until he went back into the game too soon after suffering a concussion last year... and got another concussion, then the Eagle's simply cut the guy because now he is concussion prone. Talk about getting screwed over by your team...

 

I feel for him. But what does this have to do with Edwards or our OL?

 

The fact is that once you suffer a severe concussion it is easier to sustain another. Just from a mental health standpoint players should sit out the season after suffering a severe concussion and be very careful about returning to play immediately after suffering a mild one.

 

How about this? Suffer a severe concussion, career over.

Now a player will never have to worry about suffering another while playing football.

 

Edwards played college ball at Stanford, I'm fairly certain he knows the difference between a moron and a good coach. Last season he played for a staff of morons who didn't care if his career ended on the next play or not.

 

Brains or NFL career.

Brains or NFL career.

Choices, choices.

 

Edwards has already made a bunch money pretending to be an NFL QB, why not get out now while he still has the mental capacity to use and enjoy it?

[jamshepp]

Christ, our oline is fine. Even if we don't get Gaither. It's all going to be keyed off the run--just like it has everywhere Gailey has been. Look at that Miami line he had for two years....

 

$ 60 John Bock C/G 6-3 295 2000 6 Indiana St.

$ 61 Tim Ruddy C 6-3 300 2004 7 Notre Dame

$ 63 Mark Dixon OG 6-4 300 2002 3 Virginia

$ 65 Kevin Donnalley OG 6-5 310 2000 10 N.Carolina

+ 66 Heath Irwin OG 6-4 300 2003 5 Colorado

! 71 Todd Wade OT 6-8 319 2003 R Mississippi

$ 74 Brent Smith OT 6-5 315 2002 4 Miss. St.

$ 78 Richmond Webb OT 6-6 315 2000 11 Texas A&M

+ 60 Spencer Folau OT 6-5 315 2001 6 Idaho

= 65 Troy Andrew C 6-4 297 2001 R Duke

+ 75 Todd Perry OG 6-5 308 2005 8 Kentucky

+ 76 Marcus Spriggs OT 6-3 315 2003 5 Houston

 

 

Not exactly a list of Who's Who is it? Sometimes I swear you f'ing people B word just to hear yourselves whine.

Why doesn't anyone think a guy named Wang doesn't have the technology to take over?

[Wilson from Gamehendge]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

I have more of a problem with Cornell Green at RT than I do D. Bell at LT...and I don't mind D. Bell getting a shot at the LT position. I would rather have Meredith come in at RT for Green, or at LT and Bell moved to RT.

 

The interior of our O-Line is totally solid, IF Eric Wood comes back healthy. The only thing that would make the interior better was if Wood was moved to Center, given he's healthy, and if Calloway pans out at RG.

 

We have plenty of capable guys, it is just up to them to pull it together. I mean, come on...we couldn't possibly be any worse this year than we were last year...can we?

 

I say not a chance in hell.

[....lybob]

[Automated Response]

 

We suck. The coaching staff sucks. The players suck. We have no hope of ever winning a championship. Oh woe is me.

 

ha ha ha ha -don't you realize that a lot of this board is too stupid to get sarcasm.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Your post makes no sense at all...

 

Why on earth should the guy play his heart out to get his ass kicked every game and possibly end his career for an idiot like Jauron, for what...another 7-9 season.

 

Oh wait, because you want to him to win and save the season? You can't have it both ways...

My post doesn't make sense? What doesn't make sense is your piss poor "logic".

 

Your defense of Edwards play amounts to: he shouldn't want to play to the best of his ability because the rest of the team sucks and he should get his coaching staff fired for forcing him to play in less than ideal circumstances because he is concussion prone and doesn't want his eggs scrambled.

 

You've got to be kidding.

1. Nobody put a gun to his head to play football. He could be making money in some other business.
   
2. Nobody forced him to be a QB.
   
3. Name a QB that has an ideal situation and never takes a hit in his career. (Hint: there are none.)
   

Then you got the whole character thing all ass backwards.

1. If your team sucks, you make it better by working harder. You don't take an in-plant vacation and say, let someone else deal with all the **** hitting the fan. Doing the latter makes you a part of the problem and a highly expendable scumbag.
   
2. Does the guy not have any pride or self-respect? He takes a job only to lie down when things go wrong? To short-change his own reputation and those around him because you (and maybe he) perceive his situation as hopeless? That's the definition of a quitter and loser.
   
3. Only an !@#$ goes to the job site with the notion to get his boss(es) fired through his own lack of effort.
   

Finally, there is a good reason not to play like crap and try to get your coach fired. The film says to other coaches, "I suck" and the window of opportunity in the NFL is small and short. Hanging a "I suck" sign around your neck means you are on the fast path to bagging groceries with JaMarcus Russell.

 

Not being a leader isn't a bad thing for a person. Being a wallflower as an NFL QB is. And if the defense is, he's a wallflower because he's scared of getting hit and/or wanted to get his coaches fired, then that defense sucks heartily and Edwards should be cut yesterday because he is a self-serving, underachieving prick who'll never get it.

 

PS: There is no dishonor in realizing you aren't suited to do something. The honorable thing, if Trent is afraid of concussions and doesn't want to get hit, would be for him to retire and go on to his life's work. The most dishonorable thing he could do is sabotage the success of the organization to avoid taking another hit.

[spartacus]

Fred Jsckson averaged 4.5 ypc last season behind this line, its injuries and playing in a cracker jack offense

 

although Fred Jackson averaged 4.5 ypc last season behind this line, the team was able to finish dead last in 3rd down conversions.

 

and this was with TO and Evans on the outside.

 

The Bills offense is a trainwreck and will not be much better this year.

[Doc]

although Fred Jackson averaged 4.5 ypc last season behind this line, the team was able to finish dead last in 3rd down conversions.

 

and this was with TO and Evans on the outside.

 

The Bills offense is a trainwreck and will not be much better this year.

While I'd rather have TO starting opposite Lee, the offense should still be much better than last year.

[Bill from NYC]

I have more of a problem with Cornell Green at RT than I do D. Bell at LT...and I don't mind D. Bell getting a shot at the LT position.

 

This says a lot. Bell is indescribably bad. He is agile, but he is small, a weakling, and a drive killing penalty machine. This before his serious injury. How a Bills fan could view Bell as an even almost acceptable option at LT is beyond my comprehension.

 

I am sorry if this sounds rude, but what are you watching? Are you telling me that you watched Bills games and didn't think that Bell sucked?

[buffalohotwings]

Even if our offensive line played average, we wouldnt even know it because we have Qbs that cant make good quick decisions and dont have any pocket presence. It's the combination of an average to below average QB and OL that worries me.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

To the original poster, Coach Tuesday:

 

I forwarded your post to Buddy Nix. Here's his response.

[thewildrabbit]

My post doesn't make sense? What doesn't make sense is your piss poor "logic".

 

Your defense of Edwards play amounts to: he shouldn't want to play to the best of his ability because the rest of the team sucks and he should get his coaching staff fired for forcing him to play in less than ideal circumstances because he is concussion prone and doesn't want his eggs scrambled.

 

I'm not defending Edwards, I never said he shouldn't play up to the best of his ability, don't put words in my mouth. Try and understand what I did say. I said I can see why he chose to sit out the rest of the season after suffering another concussion!

You've got to be kidding.

1. Nobody put a gun to his head to play football. He could be making money in some other business.
   
2. Nobody forced him to be a QB.
   
3. Name a QB that has an ideal situation and never takes a hit in his career. (Hint: there are none.)
   

Then you got the whole character thing all ass backwards.

1. If your team sucks, you make it better by working harder. You don't take an in-plant vacation and say, let someone else deal with all the **** hitting the fan. Doing the latter makes you a part of the problem and a highly expendable scumbag.
   
2. Does the guy not have any pride or self-respect? He takes a job only to lie down when things go wrong? To short-change his own reputation and those around him because you (and maybe he) perceive his situation as hopeless? That's the definition of a quitter and loser.
   
3. Only an !@#$ goes to the job site with the notion to get his boss(es) fired through his own lack of effort.
   

Finally, there is a good reason not to play like crap and try to get your coach fired. The film says to other coaches, "I suck" and the window of opportunity in the NFL is small and short. Hanging a "I suck" sign around your neck means you are on the fast path to bagging groceries with JaMarcus Russell.

 

Not being a leader isn't a bad thing for a person. Being a wallflower as an NFL QB is. And if the defense is, he's a wallflower because he's scared of getting hit and/or wanted to get his coaches fired, then that defense sucks heartily and Edwards should be cut yesterday because he is a self-serving, underachieving prick who'll never get it.

 

PS: There is no dishonor in realizing you aren't suited to do something. The honorable thing, if Trent is afraid of concussions and doesn't want to get hit, would be for him to retire and go on to his life's work. The most dishonorable thing he could do is sabotage the success of the organization to avoid taking another hit.

Blah blah blah, I guess you missed my point about getting another concussion and ending his career for a team that he knows won't get to the playoffs.

 

According to you DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook should have just thrown themselves back into the game as soon as possible and if it ends their career...so what...they valiantly gave it their all. Westbrook did just that and his team cut him, I just think you don't look at it from a players perspective and never will...you are a fan .

[GR8PRKN]

Could not agree with any you said sorry....

[thewildrabbit]

Yes. He's a smart guy. Went to Stanford. Hey, guess what? It's a violent game. If he doesn't want scrambled eggs for brains by the time he is 40, maybe he should consider using that Standford education and choose another career.

 

 

 

I don't know. How many is he willing to suffer?

 

As you pointed out, Troy Aikman suffered numerous concussions. Did he fire out quotes like "I am not a fan"?

 

Don't forget. Nobody forced Aikman to play, and nobody is forcing Edwards to play.

 

And as long as he continues to play under contract to the Bills, I want a player that's more than just a "paycheck collector".

 

 

 

I feel for him. But what does this have to do with Edwards or our OL?

 

 

 

How about this? Suffer a severe concussion, career over.

Now a player will never have to worry about suffering another while playing football.

 

 

 

Brains or NFL career.

Brains or NFL career.

Choices, choices.

 

Edwards has already made a bunch money pretending to be an NFL QB, why not get out now while he still has the mental capacity to use and enjoy it?

Seriously, you need to get over your hate for the guy.

 

The point I was making is that after 5-6 concussions a players career is usually over, even the great ones. Edwards has had 2 in 2 years...

 

Brian Westbrook should have sat out the year instead of going back in too soon and suffering another concussion, he didn't and then the team cut him because now he is more susceptible to getting another concussion.

 

Let me ask a question, what would you have done in his place? Would you risk your entire NFL career after you see the HC fire the OC and cut the starting tackle two weeks before the opener and then watch the O line completely break down and leave you running for your life every play, the offense was in shambles.

 

Granted he was foolish to even open his mouth and say anything to alienate the fans.

 

Me? I would have shut my mouth and done my best to back up the other QB's and happily sat out the year and fully recover.

[SouthGeorgiaBillsFan]

I'm not because I see the whole picture. The Pass protection sucked because of all the guys on IR AND ****ty QB's. That is FACT.

 

Another FACT, this OL put up the 16th best run offense and made a nobody a 1000 yard rusher.

 

Some of you need to stop with the pure bull **** you are spewing because it is exactly that, bull ****. This team and its Lines are NOT anywhere near as bad as stupid fans and stupid media make them out to be.

 

Better strength and conditioning, better coaching, better systems and hopefully better QB play (brohm or brown) and this team is going to make good strides this year.

 

The sad thing is I think you are actually serious. It would just be better if you do not ever proliferate.

[Thurman#1]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

 

 

 

If you think that their goal is to be decent this year and you then look at their moves in the offseason, you'd be led to the unavoidable conclusion that they simply aren't capable, that they have no idea what they're doing.

 

On the other hand, if you figure that their goal is to be good in 2012, and that they don't really care how they do this year - no matter how much they talk about turning it around this year - all of a sudden you think they might be on to something. It all falls into place if you look at it that way.

 

You're right, the line is almost certainly going to suck this year. Don't worry about it.

[Thurman#1]

no expirance our interior 3 played together all last year and our new RT is a solid vet WTF are you talking about?

 

your clueless about our interior three . they are excellent and young. mayock has repeatedly gone on record as saying that the bills have the best young guards in the league and now they both have a year of playing together under their belts along with hangartner.

 

 

They played well last year ... for rookies. But for NFL OLs, they played poorly. They were just hanging on. Still, by 2011, chances are they will start to look pretty good. However, two good linemen out of five means nothing. Hangartner didn't look particularly good last year.

 

And our new RT is a journeyman. That's what he's talking about.

 

 

 

 

why is it when other teams young o/linemen play great and are young they are great. when it comes to the bills we suck and their are major concerns because of youth.

 

michael oher is in his second year and is going to be Baltimore's starting LT is that also a problem to you?

 

Is Oher being young a problem? For me? No, I'm a Bills fan. But for Baltimore fans who figure this could be the year they win a Super Bowl, yeah, it's a huge problem.

 

 

 

 

 

you dont like our RT,to bad, because i will take the opinion of nix and whaley over yours and the media's any day.

 

if we dont get gaither or barron then it will boil down to merridith or bell or wang again you know better than nix get real.

 

Nix and Whaley are doing the best they can for the team ... in the long run. Ask Nix if he's willing to bet his house on whether the OL will be good this year. He won't. Wisely. Meredith, Bell or Wang? An RT, a guy who is at best a project and a shavetail. Yup, you've isolated the problem all right. No capable LTs there for this year.

 

 

 

this is not breaking news you are reporting here the bills brass know about our line and i have all the faith in the world they have it under control!

 

Your faith and three bucks and change will get you a latte down at Starbucks.

[Thurman#1]

As you pointed out, Troy Aikman suffered numerous concussions. Did he fire out quotes like "I am not a fan"?

 

 

 

There was never anything wrong with that quote. He was simply saying that he was a player, and that players can't be fans. It was anyone that took offense who should look at himself.

[KRT88]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

 

 

hey being a realist is not allowed on this board. I'm sure by now a half-dozen people have already bit youe head off even though you seems to be 100% correct. Shame on you for a honest evaluation of what appears to be the worst OL in the NFL (by a long margin)