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"Bell could be a franchise left tackle, provided he stays healthy.

Thurman#1

By Thurman#1
in The Stadium Wall Archives

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billsfan89 All Pro

billsfan89

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Bell has a lot of physical gifts (Speed and agility as well as decent size) BUT he needs more experience in just a general football sense the guy didn't play that much college ball and didn't even play high school ball. In his rookie year he sat the bench and in his second year he was rushed into a starting role and it clearly overwhelmed him both mentally and even somewhat physically. Now the guy has some NFL starts under his belt but his injury last year throws out a lot of optimism out the window in my opinion.

 

I think if you look at this guy from an honest window he is coming off a very sever injury and when rushed into action last year didn't look all that good. Why do I expect this guy to be any better this upcoming season? Don't get me wrong I still think he has a slight chance to be a capable NFL LT but the dude doesn't inspire confidence.

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eball Hall of Famer

eball

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I think the major concern with Bell (besides injuries and inexperience) last year was a relative lack of upper body strength. I presume he worked on that over the past 9 months, but we haven't seen enough to know yet.

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shoretalk RFA

shoretalk

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Bell has a lot of physical gifts (Speed and agility as well as decent size) BUT he needs more experience in just a general football sense the guy didn't play that much college ball and didn't even play high school ball. In his rookie year he sat the bench and in his second year he was rushed into a starting role and it clearly overwhelmed him both mentally and even somewhat physically. Now the guy has some NFL starts under his belt but his injury last year throws out a lot of optimism out the window in my opinion.

 

I think if you look at this guy from an honest window he is coming off a very sever injury and when rushed into action last year didn't look all that good. Why do I expect this guy to be any better this upcoming season? Don't get me wrong I still think he has a slight chance to be a capable NFL LT but the dude doesn't inspire confidence.

Let me see ... he has "a lot of physical gifts" including (but not exclusively) "speed and agility." What you didn't mention is that he has more than the size and reach looked for in left tackles. And, then you note his lack of college experience but wonder why he was not on the starting squad in his official rookie year ... the answer was to spend time in practice developing the skill sets of a player, which of course are not equivilant to game-day action but as this board clearly screams ... 'we don't want someone learning or developing their skills in game situations.

 

So, after a year of developing those skills a coaching regime felt he was ready to be put into the starting line-up because of all of his abilities plus what he had learned in that year "on the bench." And, then welcome to the Dick Jauron 2010 offense geared to not lose with the no-huddle dissolving into total chaos. What did Bell do? Had too many penalties but I wonder if anyone has statistical data on Pro-Bowl left tackles' first year as starters statistics especially related to motion penalties, which were Bell's biggest problem. He was the left tackle on a line that Fred Jackson had great success with and in fact for running backs who averaged 4.4 yards per carry for the season.

 

And, then a new coaching regime comes in led by this fellow Gailey who is offensive minded and dedicated to winning with a strong offense. This Gailey and his staff take a look at Bell and all we hear is how amazing Bell's potential in this league are. How gifted and dedicated he is plus what a strong and rapid recovery he has made from his injuries.

 

So, you say this young man has a "slight chance" to be just a "capable" left tackle ... I say there is s slight chance that is all that he will be ... I think we have someone who will definitely be in the middle mix of left tackles in the league at the least with the potential of being amongst the better ones ... two diametrically opposed coaching staffs both saw the same potential in Bell and it's time for the pessimists of this board to begin asking when our other young tackle will be given a chance on the right side of the line because Meredith like Bell might be the answer we are wanting because there are no teams in the league with all Pro-Bowlers on their line but I'll take Bell and Levitre watching the left side and Wood and Meredith on the right with Jeff's intelligence and line calling ability in the middle.

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Bill from NYC Hall of Famer

Bill from NYC

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I think the major concern with Bell (besides injuries and inexperience) last year was a relative lack of upper body strength.

 

This is a huge, and rather unusual concern. Bell has all the agility he needs to play LT, which is uncommon. There are lots of players who are strong enough to play the position but lack the agility to protect the blind side, where mistakes are costly.

 

For instance, run blocking is far easier for linemen than is pass protection, because the offense knows the count and can fire out on running plays. On passing downs, the DL are doing the hitting, and Bell has been flat out beaten up on too many plays.

 

It would seem that 2 regimes see something in him which is encouraging. The bad news is that the franchise, over time, seems to lack concern about the LT spot so it is hard to be overly optimistic. But, anything is possible I suppose.

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DIE HARD 1967 RFA

DIE HARD 1967

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Posted (edited)

Well guys, I watched him closely in 2009 because I knew we had a problem at left tackle.

 

Let me give you my take.

 

Think of Bell as a bus driver in New York City traffic last year.He knows his job but the confidence level is low. The guy was a mess. He missed blocking assignments,off side penalties,etc, etc.... but he DID improved weekly. The guy reminds me of Jason Peters when he first started for the Bills. He has the talent but he is still RAW.

 

The biggest concern is injuries. Is this a trend, a regular scratch from the lineup or can he play weekly and improve?

 

One thing I can tell you for sure. Buffalo passed on a left tackle because Bell is still an option :flirt:

Edited by DIE HARD 1967
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Bill from NYC Hall of Famer

Bill from NYC

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The guy reminds me of Jason Peters when he first started for the Bills. He has the talent but he is still RAW.

 

The major difference between Peters and Bell is brute strength. Peters was stronger than Bell when he was a tight end. He could take defenders out of a play just by extending his arms.

 

Bell wouldn't need to be as strong as Peters imo to be a decent LT. He never will be; Peters is a monster. But, he needs to really get stronger than he is to make it at this level.

 

Just my $.02.

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KD in CA Hall of Famer

KD in CA

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I have not seen any evidence from his play in the short time I have seen him play that he is even a starter on a decent team.

 

 

What evidence were you looking for? The guy was totally thrown ot the wolves last season; zero experience and played with other linemen who were also rookies with zero experience and/or journeymen.

 

 

I've never understood the level of criticsm for Bell. What did people expect under those circumstances?

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thewildrabbit All Pro

thewildrabbit

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I have not seen any evidence from his play in the short time I have seen him play that he is even a starter on a decent team.

 

I agree, I've seen him get owned in critical situations

 

I don't know where these guys get this stuff, it may take 2 years for him to fully develop.

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Green Lightning Veteran

Green Lightning

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I agree, I've seen him get owned in critical situations

 

I don't know where these guys get this stuff, it may take 2 years for him to fully develop.

 

 

Well yeah, we're rebuilding adn it's going to take a few years so Bell will fit that timeframe perfectly. Guys, we have too many holes to fill in one year. Why burn high picks on a position that we may have already have with some development. Time will tell. How many of the first found LT's have had any impact?

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Kelly the Dog Hall of Famer

Kelly the Dog

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And, then a new coaching regime comes in led by this fellow Gailey who is offensive minded and dedicated to winning with a strong offense. This Gailey and his staff take a look at Bell and all we hear is how amazing Bell's potential in this league are. How gifted and dedicated he is plus what a strong and rapid recovery he has made from his injuries.

 

So, you say this young man has a "slight chance" to be just a "capable" left tackle ... I say there is s slight chance that is all that he will be ... I think we have someone who will definitely be in the middle mix of left tackles in the league at the least with the potential of being amongst the better ones ... two diametrically opposed coaching staffs both saw the same potential in Bell...

The bold is the part that really surprised me. Jauron surely turned out to be a buffoon, and in retrospect one cannot trust his evaluation of players. How anyone could go into a pre-season thinking Langston Walker could play LT, let alone on a hurry-up offense is beyond me.

 

But Kuglar was good enough to be immediately grabbed by the Steelers, who usually know OL. I was shocked that Gailey came in and with his new OL coach (along with Nix, who was here) then looked at all the tape and decided they could go with Bell as the LT knowing he was coming off major knee surgery and they really couldn't get a full look at him. Maybe not half a look.

 

That is either insanity, or they think this guy is going to be very good. They didn't even bring in a serviceable just in case vet like Cornell Green. I'm willing to trust the football guys, Gailey and Nix and Whaley, on this one until Bell proves otherwise. He looked (relatively) good against Freeney in his first ten plays of action. I'm looking forward to watching him Saturday.

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Bill from NYC Hall of Famer

Bill from NYC

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That is either insanity, or they think this guy is going to be very good. They didn't even bring in a serviceable just in case vet like Cornell Green. I'm willing to trust the football guys, Gailey and Nix and Whaley, on this one until Bell proves otherwise. He looked (relatively) good against Freeney in his first ten plays of action. I'm looking forward to watching him Saturday.

 

Agreed and again, his agility is a rarity. I think this is why they are intent on giving chances to a smallish 7th round pick.

 

But, he needs to get stronger AND smarter AND healthier. If he fails to do any one of these, it will be a long season. If he is a player, the running game could very well be effective.

Edited by Bill from NYC
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PS 56 RFA

PS 56

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I have always liked Bell, although his penalties last year drove me up the wall. But considering the previous year he was on the practice squad combined with the turmoil of the 2009 season, I think he performed like a champ. When he left the game with his knee injury I was sorry. Not just because we lost yet another player to injury, but my perception was that he was steadily improving. Obviously Gailey has seen something in Bell as well. This will be his year to show that he can do the job. If he has the makings of a great left tackle, we will see it. He deserves his chance.

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