John from Riverside Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 That was Peppers and Ijonde (sp) that Bell and Pears were going against in the limited action the offense saw Sat night....thier DEs are the strength of their team and lets face it......the Bears WERE a playoff team last year. I think we should give them a little bit of credit because they both did a pretty darn good job. Fitz had time to run the offense.....it was actually our interior guys that let us down if anybody as CJ should have scored on that final offensive posession. Urbik I really hope gets it together and becomes a run mauling force......I was behind him but right now he def looks like the weak link.....he should have OBLITERATD the MLB so Spiller could score....it was the difference between 3 and 7 because it would have left the whole middle of the field open and in space Spiller is uncatchable. Based on what Pears did I think we need better depth then Wang, Wrotto, Howard but I wouldnt want to replace him and Bell did a fine job. The bills know what they are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralonzo Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Pears got beat bad by Melton on one play... but Demetrius more than held his own in the Bell-Peppers matchup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I thought Wang did good too. The couple of plays were he obviously missed blocks I feel were due to inexperience. But in the end, it is the first preseason game. EVERYONE has a lot to learn, and a lot of rust to knock off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benderbender Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Perhaps if there was a noticeable difference between the 1st string and the backups, I'd feel better about handing out props to the O line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 I just have heard the starting OT's take a lot of grief up until Saturday.... - I understand it about Pears because he was kind of a unknown as he came in to the team late last year....and was really undersized for a Right Tackle....but the fact is he was a former starter and it looks like he really dedicated himself in the offeason add that 20 pounds. - But Bell has been slammed and I feel unrightly so....we supposidly have the worst left tackle in the league (that is not true) yet he keeps going out and winning these matchups against the known pass rush beasts of the league just like he did last year. People were taking the fact that Merriman was abusing him in practice as a sign of what was going to come....well....guess what a healthy lights out is gonna be doing this to everyone. And of course someone will come into the thread and say a. It was only 2 series or b. Its just preseason a. You can only evaluate players players on actual games played b. In the beginning of the year defense has advantage over offense This is not to say our depth is not a serious issue....it is.....its scary bad....but THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR OFFENSIVE TACKLES. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralonzo Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Merriman, people still had doubts about him until Bell got tweaked and Shawne got to work against Wang. That was the point where people started hyping him as being 100% back. The truth is somewhere between. Lights Out should be a force against everyone except elite LT's... and against those he should still be a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Well doesnt Denver have a elite Left Tackle? We will see soon enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meark Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I thought Urbik looked particularly lost.. all of the other starters seemed to hold their own pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Perhaps if there was a noticeable difference between the 1st string and the backups, I'd feel better about handing out props to the O line There was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I thought Urbik looked particularly lost.. all of the other starters seemed to hold their own pretty well. Because he got beat on 1 play and got his block shaded by urlacher on another? I watched every play he was in on 10 times in slow mo, he played just fine. Pears did not. Levitre, wood and bell all played well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Because he got beat on 1 play and got his block shaded by urlacher on another? I watched every play he was in on 10 times in slow mo, he played just fine. Pears did not. Levitre, wood and bell all played well. Could you expand on where Pears did not play well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsintaiwan Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Bell was really only abused once last year (by jared allen), otherwise he went from a bit less than average to above average. with a healthy offseason, i expect him to be more like average to occasionally dominant this year. He did fine against the bears. Pears might get get it eventually. he's better than wrotto or howard, which isn't saying a great deal. he was okay against the bears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-8 Forever? Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 this is a process, they get the d line straightened out this year, move back to O line next year. it will be awhile before this team is really competitive again. and by then they will be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defend Greece Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I thought Wang did good too. The couple of plays were he obviously missed blocks I feel were due to inexperience. But in the end, it is the first preseason game. EVERYONE has a lot to learn, and a lot of rust to knock off. Wang was going up against the only bigger dlineman bust than maybin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defend Greece Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Could you expand on where Pears did not play well? I thought he did good but Melton did get Jim once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I re-watched the first half and saw 4 plays where the O-line made a play-killing mistake. 1. Urbik's whiff on the run play. 2. Wang Bull rushed 3 and 4. Two whiffs by Wrotto. There were a couple of plays that looked bad on first sight, but weren't. 1. A broken screen play, where Thigpen ended up running left. 2. A decent pocket, but Thigpen either thought he saw daylight or it was a designed QB draw, because he took off straight up the middle, without hesitation. Other than that, Fitz' second and last drive should've ended with a TD. CJ might have scored if he continued across the field instead of darting up field (though a better downfield block by Urbik on Urlacher also would've at least got the first down). The drive was really killed by Jones' PI, but they still got the FG. Thigpen/Smith engineered a scoring drive that was also nullified by a penalty. The O-line wasn't as bad as some suggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 "The O-line wasn't as bad as some suggest." Now there's a ringing endorsement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieG Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 meh, the only time Fitz came close to using 3 seconds to throw the ball was the Donald Jones throw. He still had to step up in the pocket to do that. If that's it, prepare for a bunch of 5 yard passes and a bunch of FG's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 meh, the only time Fitz came close to using 3 seconds to throw the ball was the Donald Jones throw. He still had to step up in the pocket to do that. If that's it, prepare for a bunch of 5 yard passes and a bunch of FG's. Thanks for pointing this out. People seem to be spinning up the PR machine for the offensive line when I think it is quite possible that the play calling and Fitz getting rid of the ball quickly are likely more responsible for the positives we saw. The starting line played a few series. Let's see how things hold up during the course of a few regular season games where the defenses are going all out and aren't playing it vanilla. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobChalmers Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Wang was going up against the only bigger dlineman bust than maybin No way is Gholston a bigger bust than Maybin. He's actually made plays and started games. I think you must have momentarily forgoten just how big of a bust Maybin is. I don't blame you - it really is hard to comprehend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 That was Peppers and Ijonde (sp) that Bell and Pears were going against in the limited action the offense saw Sat night....thier DEs are the strength of their team and lets face it......the Bears WERE a playoff team last year. I think we should give them a little bit of credit because they both did a pretty darn good job. Fitz had time to run the offense.....it was actually our interior guys that let us down if anybody as CJ should have scored on that final offensive posession. Urbik I really hope gets it together and becomes a run mauling force......I was behind him but right now he def looks like the weak link.....he should have OBLITERATD the MLB so Spiller could score....it was the difference between 3 and 7 because it would have left the whole middle of the field open and in space Spiller is uncatchable. Based on what Pears did I think we need better depth then Wang, Wrotto, Howard but I wouldnt want to replace him and Bell did a fine job. The bills know what they are doing. That is pretty much the concensus. Bell and Pears are OK ... not great, ok. No depth behind them. Urbik is unproven and looking lost. He could easily lose his job to Howard/Hangertner/Rhinehart. We need to find a solid veteran backup before the seaosn starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. K Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 That was Peppers and Ijonde (sp) that Bell and Pears were going against in the limited action the offense saw Sat night....thier DEs are the strength of their team and lets face it......the Bears WERE a playoff team last year. I think we should give them a little bit of credit because they both did a pretty darn good job. Fitz had time to run the offense.....it was actually our interior guys that let us down if anybody as CJ should have scored on that final offensive posession. Urbik I really hope gets it together and becomes a run mauling force......I was behind him but right now he def looks like the weak link.....he should have OBLITERATD the MLB so Spiller could score....it was the difference between 3 and 7 because it would have left the whole middle of the field open and in space Spiller is uncatchable. Based on what Pears did I think we need better depth then Wang, Wrotto, Howard but I wouldnt want to replace him and Bell did a fine job. The bills know what they are doing. I agree, except it was Wood, not Urbik, who whiffed on the block of Urlacher on that play, which would have left the entire middle open for CJ. Urbik did have that terrible whiff on the run play to the right that got CJ tackled in the backfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) No way is Gholston a bigger bust than Maybin. He's actually made plays and started games. I think you must have momentarily forgoten just how big of a bust Maybin is. I don't blame you - it really is hard to comprehend. Not hard for me to comprehend. He played in college at 228. At the combine and during the draft he was 248. Entering his 3rd year he is playing at 228. Hrrrrmmmmm what could be the cause for that 20lb swing in weight? I hate to even say this as I have no proof what so ever but it sounds like someone got on the stuff to get their payday and then lost it all after getting off of it. Edited August 15, 2011 by PDaDdy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 "The O-line wasn't as bad as some suggest." Now there's a ringing endorsement. Yep. Meaning, It's time to start worrying. There is no bones about it. You either have an OL that can play or Can't. Ours is below average and scares the heck outta me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Bell was really only abused once last year (by jared allen), otherwise he went from a bit less than average to above average. with a healthy offseason, i expect him to be more like average to occasionally dominant this year. He did fine against the bears. Who? Never heard of the guy. Is he any good? Joking aside, I am pretty optimistic about Bell. Limited football experience with great physical tools, another year under his belt, and this year not coming off a major surgery that prevented him from even practicing fully last year. I am unsure at RT having seen very little of Pears, and I am concerned about our depth if an injury happens, but I think Bell and our o-line overall should be fine this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stl Bills Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Pears got beat bad by Melton on one play... but Demetrius more than held his own in the Bell-Peppers matchup. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that was Urbick who got beat by Melton on that play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbosrrgood Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) Pears looked ok in pass protection, better than I expected. At 6-8 he has a massive wingspan and can still move. The only concern I noted from the game is that he gives up ground quickly, and looked vulnerable to the bull rush. He also showed no power on run plays. We only got to see him for a few plays so it's hard to make real judgement, but for now I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Our bigger concern starting wise is at RG, Urbik didn't look good at all, and Mansfield Wrotto looked like a lost child on the football field...Wilfork and Haynesworth will eat these guys alive...Then have Fitz for dessert... Personally I would still like to see TOP LEVEL OT's on this team, not guys that can just hold their own. But for now at least Fitz might have a chance to survive. Yep. Meaning, It's time to start worrying. There is no bones about it. You either have an OL that can play or Can't. Ours is below average and scares the heck outta me. Yup, when the best thing you can say about our line is that "hey, they didn't get destroyed this time", you may have issues. Edited August 15, 2011 by Turbosrrgood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Pears got beat bad by Melton on one play... but Demetrius more than held his own in the Bell-Peppers matchup. It's the NFL, everyone is good and gets beat from time to time. You guys are beyond unrealistic in your assessments and perception of what you are really looking at. The OL looked adequate to me, are they the best in the league? not a chance but the hold they hold the line of scrimmage and give Fitz or the backs 3 seconds, that is all you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Would it really hurt to bring in veteran FAs Brian Waters (G) and/or Max Starks (OT) for a physical and a tryout? Is that a totally stupid idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) It's the NFL, everyone is good and gets beat from time to time. You guys are beyond unrealistic in your assessments and perception of what you are really looking at. The OL looked adequate to me, are they the best in the league? not a chance but the hold they hold the line of scrimmage and give Fitz or the backs 3 seconds, that is all you need. Fitz is throwing in less than 3 seconds and the RBs don't have any real holes. Would it really hurt to bring in veteran FAs Brian Waters (G) and/or Max Starks (OT) for a physical and a tryout? Is that a totally stupid idea? Yes it is stupid. We don't want to improve this team by any means necessary other than through the draft so we will ignore certain huge areas of weakness that could be filled by reasonably paid veterans. Edited August 15, 2011 by PDaDdy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Yes it is stupid. We don't want to improve this team by any means necessary other than through the draft so we will ignore huge areas of weakness that could be filled by reasonably paid veterans. I keep thinking - or hoping, what with Gailey's KC-connection and Doug Wahley's Steelers ties - that Waters and Starks are logical candidates and that they'll be showing up at OBD soon. (Can't hurt to see what kind of shape they're in, and what's left 'in the tank'.) Latest is that Cowboys may be interested in Waters, a 5X Pro Bowl guard. Don't know what's going on with Starks - supposedly way overweight, but a 6' 8" 370 lb. OT with 7 years experience protecting Roethlisberger sounds like a guy we should at least give an audition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) I keep thinking - or hoping, what with Gailey's KC-connection and Doug Wahley's Steelers ties - that Waters and Starks are logical candidates and that they'll be showing up at OBD soon. (Can't hurt to see what kind of shape they're in, and what's left 'in the tank'.) Latest is that Cowboys may be interested in Waters, a 5X Pro Bowl guard. Don't know what's going on with Starks - supposedly way overweight, but a 6' 8" 370 lb. OT with 7 years experience protecting Roethlisberger sounds like a guy we should at least give an audition. We should take up a collection for the plane tickets. Seriously! Why wouldn't you at least kick the tires on these guys? I can't believe that the front office truly thinks the fodder that we have now is magically going to develop into quality or at the very least average to above average starters in this league. Edited August 15, 2011 by PDaDdy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Based on what Pears did I think we need better depth then Wang, Wrotto, Howard but I wouldnt want to replace him and Bell did a fine job. The odds of a O-line starter going down are high, so no matter what the top-5 may (or may not) do, the lack of depth will derail this season in the blink of an eye if it's not addressed by openning day. It's the Bills' biggest hole by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 No way is Gholston a bigger bust than Maybin. He's actually made plays and started games. I think you must have momentarily forgoten just how big of a bust Maybin is. I don't blame you - it really is hard to comprehend. Really? Since when? Gholston was the No. 6 overall pick, whereas Maybin wasn't even picked in the top 10. Neither has registered a sack in the NFL, and neither has made any type of notable play during any regular season game (although somehow Maybin was credited with a forced fumble in his rookie year). See for yourself: http://www.nfl.com/player/vernongholston/756/profile http://www.nfl.com/player/aaronmaybin/80433/profile By simple virtue of being picked 5 slots higher and having the benefit of playing under one of the best defensive head coaches in the game (Rex Ryan), Gholston has to be viewed as a bigger bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 That is pretty much the concensus. Bell and Pears are OK ... not great, ok. No depth behind them. Urbik is unproven and looking lost. He could easily lose his job to Howard/Hangertner/Rhinehart. We need to find a solid veteran backup before the seaosn starts. This. Can't say it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Man, Nix has really screwed up with the O line. None of the backups, none of the second year players, none of this year's FAs look like HOF quality players in the first pre-season game. Fire Nix Now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieG Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Thanks for pointing this out. People seem to be spinning up the PR machine for the offensive line when I think it is quite possible that the play calling and Fitz getting rid of the ball quickly are likely more responsible for the positives we saw. The starting line played a few series. Let's see how things hold up during the course of a few regular season games where the defenses are going all out and aren't playing it vanilla. Oh, that definitely seems to be the plan. That's why Fitz had a 4.9 YPA on Saturday, and SJ had an average of about 5 ypc. I don't want to get overblown about the 2 series they played, (they didn't run to the right in either series, btw), but I get the sense of a lot more quick, 5 yard throws, especially since their deep threat didn't "fit the system". A pity too. We just rediscovered the intermediate and deep ball last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stl Bills Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 It's the NFL, everyone is good and gets beat from time to time. You guys are beyond unrealistic in your assessments and perception of what you are really looking at. The OL looked adequate to me, are they the best in the league? not a chance but the hold they hold the line of scrimmage and give Fitz or the backs 3 seconds, that is all you need. Agreed, but even with that being said I'm 90% sure it was Urbick who got beat on that play anyway and not Pears. I think the starting O-line will be adequate, it's the depth across the O-line that has me worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Could you expand on where Pears did not play well? Melton and idonijue (spelling) had their way with him. Melton especially. There were about 6 plays where he was either pushed straight back or had his block shedded as the the ball carrier got to him. The instances where he was pushed back, fitz got fid of the ball quickly. Maybe he gave up some ground because he knew it was a quick pass. If that's the case, he gets a pass. What did you think of his play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OP Class75 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm not quite ready to beat up the OL. Some bad plays and missed assignments - yes, but being the eternal optimist, I am hopeful the starters can improve - As is everyone, very concerned about depth. That said, I was very pleased to see no false starts. How many times did we scream at the TV last year for false starts....someone must be doing something right. If this holds, this could represent the greatest improvement to the OL this year. Did anyone else have to suffer through the NFL Network replay of the game???? Have to listen to those announcers out of Chicago? Beyond Horrible!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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