John from Riverside Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Considering it was his first game he graded out extremely well to me.....and even though Wang looks horrible against backups Hairston does not..... He gets movement in the run game.....hits moving targets well......and uses his long arms well to redirect pass rushers to the outside....and for the most part? Is UNMOVABLE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FightinIrishBills Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 That's why we drafted him. I want to see Hairston pan out, only if to quiet those who say the Bills do nothing to address the O-line. Maybe you don't consider a 4th round pick much, but if he develops, he can provide some solid depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Hairston is a mauler. This kid will be our RT for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerme1 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Maybe you don't consider a 4th round pick much, but if he develops, he can provide some solid depth. F that. If he develops he is a starter on this team! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 The lockout really hurt him. He'd probably be close to starting with a full off-season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_red Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yea he looked good but JAX DE's aren't very good so thier backups suck. He looked good but lets wait n see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 The lockout really hurt him. He'd probably be close to starting with a full off-season. One would think so. How can anyone say with certainty that Pears is significantly better right now? Tackle is thin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 So we have the backup depth, now all we need is the starter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 We have starters.....I was extremely nervous that we might have to rely on Wang, Wrotto, or Howard If we do that we are dead.....at least Hairston shows ability....Wangs gets blown up by 2nd and 3rd stringers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Considering it was his first game he graded out extremely well to me.....and even though Wang looks horrible against backups Hairston does not..... He gets movement in the run game.....hits moving targets well......and uses his long arms well to redirect pass rushers to the outside....and for the most part? Is UNMOVABLE The line looked really good tonight, I don't think they gave up any sacks. Was pleasantly surprised with bell as he did well in one on one situations but Kampman was out so we will see if can stay consistent with better opposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onceagain778 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Notice they switched Hairston from RT to LT after Cordero Howard got singed by a Jacksonville DE. I think he demonstrated good promise there too, but i see him more as RT. Reminds me of a more athletic Langston Walker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yea he looked good but JAX DE's aren't very good so thier backups suck. He looked good but lets wait n see. True, but for a kid who didn't have a full off-season and has missed a significant portion of the 4 weeks of NFL practice/action, it was encouraging. One would think so. How can anyone say with certainty that Pears is significantly better right now? Tackle is thin. Pears has experience, which makes him better. And I don't know how Levitre graded out last night, but if he did alright, depth is less of a concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 One would think so. How can anyone say with certainty that Pears is significantly better right now? Tackle is thin. I don't get the Pears bashing, so far he has looked pretty solid to me. In the pre-season at least, the Bills seem to be far more effective running to the right side, and I don't recall any major issues with pass protection from his side. If Hairston develops, that would be great, he certainly has the size. And, I do think he played well last night. If he keeps progressing, we might actually have solid depth at RT for long time. Let him and Pears fight it out for the top spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsMagic1 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Is levitre our longterm answer at LT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Is levitre our longterm answer at LT? I don't think a long term answer at LT is on the roster yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I don't think a long term answer at LT is on the roster yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Lions next...we'll see how the line performs. Detroit b'slapped the Pats OL yesterday. I still say sign a vet or two. Cut down time this week and there will be some talent on the street. Edited August 28, 2011 by Green Lightning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 What we need to do is address our interior backup positions..... The depth there is Wang, Wrotto, and Howard who are NOT NFL caliber players for various reasons....I know that some of these guys are going to get the axe from the cut downs.....but if they truly are thinking of getting rid of hang man (who looked bad last night) lets get rid of these three as well and bring in some talent that actually has a chance to at least help the team in a back up role...... I think Hairston can back up both OT positions this year and will probably win the RT spot next.....but depth at C and OG scares the crap out of me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Hairston is a mauler. This kid will be our RT for many years. People keep selling Hairston short. He played predominantly left tackle at Clemson but in some games (against Robert Quinn and North Carolina for one), he was switched to the right side in order to block the other team's best pass rusher. Hairston is more than a mauler. I've watched the game twice now with special attention to the O-line. This was Hairston's very first NFL action. I'm positive he is already our number one swing tackle. He played both sides well, moves his feet well, gets to the second level easily, sinks his hips naturally and doesn't bend at the waist. Hairston was reputed to be a very smart football player having scored in the 30s in the wonderlic test. The fact that he played both left and right tackle at Clemson and also in his first NFL game attests to his intelligence. He understood and executed the combination blocks and zone-blocking schemes almost flawlessly last night. Yea he looked good but JAX DE's aren't very good so thier backups suck. He looked good but lets wait n see. I made this point in the game thread last night. Regardless, you have to weigh this against the fact that this was his first NFL action ever and that he swung from right tackle to left tackle and I did not see any mental mistakes. He did incur a "hands to the face" penalty when he tased a pass rusher with his left hand, stopping him dead in his tracks. One would think so. How can anyone say with certainty that Pears is significantly better right now? Tackle is thin. Every member of the Bills O-line played well last night. Ultimately, whatever one thinks of Gailey's handling of some of the veteran players, the O-line came out fired up and ready to play. I don't think a long term answer at LT is on the roster yet. I disagree with you, Vince. What we need to do is address our interior backup positions..... The depth there is Wang, Wrotto, and Howard who are NOT NFL caliber players for various reasons....I know that some of these guys are going to get the axe from the cut downs.....but if they truly are thinking of getting rid of hang man (who looked bad last night) lets get rid of these three as well and bring in some talent that actually has a chance to at least help the team in a back up role...... I think Hairston can back up both OT positions this year and will probably win the RT spot next.....but depth at C and OG scares the crap out of me I disagree, John. Hangartner did get blown up by Terrence Knighton (who's outstanding) on that one play where he was also called for holding. But I thought he was just fine for most of his snaps. The guy started at center for us and has the ability to play both guard positions. He's super intelligent (high 40s wonderlic) and is almost the ideal inside reserve, IMO. Wang sucks, IMO so I agree there. Wrotto and Howard both started at tackle for us last year so I think with more snaps, at least one of them will emerge as a viable interior backup. If Hairston is the player I suspect him to be, then we've added an eventual quality starter and via the domino effect, our depth and reserve quality improved as a result. Yes, we played poorly against Denver and Dumervil and Von Miller. But the O-line was outstanding for the most part last night. Detroit with N Suh and company will be an excellent test. They really outplayed the Patsies* last night in the trenches… even without Vandenbosch. They physically beat the crap out of Tom Brady. I wouldn't have been surprised had Belichick decided to pull Brady early. This final preseason game will be a good litmus test for our O-line. Edited October 15, 2011 by San Jose Bills Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Every member of the Bills O-line played well last night. Ultimately, whatever one thinks of Gailey's handling of some of the veteran players, the O-line came out fired up and ready to play. Agree completely, SJ! This does not dispute the statement you quoted in any way. Great showing from the OL last night comes as a huge relief. Still I agree with the poster who said Hairston would have a chance to start in a full offseason. It didn't take him long to, in your mind, become our third best tackle. I wonder how far he'd have come along by now had this been a normal football year. As it stands now, back in the real world with a shortened offseason, it's just nice to know there's a good prospect behind Bell and Pears. But can anyone say they'd be shocked to see the rookie starting late in the season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starrymessenger Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Well, hes one weird looking mother, I'll give him that. They should have called him Pears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Hey Boone, just to move the discussion along, another thing the Bills mentioned that they really liked about Hairston was that he pass blocked well from the 3-point stance. On some down and distances, you don't want to give away the passing play call by lining up in a 2-point stance. The Bills mentioned that they felt that more than some of the other high-mid tackles (Orlando Franklin, Ben Ijalana, Marcus Gilbert, Jah Reid, Joseph Barksdale), that Hairston pass blocked well from the 3-point stance and that they felt this was important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Interesting point! I like this kid a lot, going mostly on what I saw in about 2 quarters of football. Very agile with great footwork for a man his size, reminds me of a couple of our d-linemen that way. Seems to know how to use his hands well in pass pro on the edge and seems strong enough to be effective in the run game. Appears to have the potential to start for us at Tackle someday, and for a long time after that. Let's hope the development and improvement continues, we need help on the offensive front more than anywhere else on the roster. Go Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) Was glad to see a thread on this - I was also thinking he looked very good, especially for his first game. He definitely has the body of an NFL tackle. Edited August 29, 2011 by BillnutinHouston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hairston's prowess as a NFL OT can be deduced after 1 pre-season game against what appears to be an average defense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hairston's prowess as a NFL OT can be deduced after 1 pre-season game against what appears to be an average defense? Not sure I read anyone pronouncing him a Pro Bowler. Some of us (with opinions) see reason for encouragement. Shame on us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hairston's prowess as a NFL OT can be deduced after 1 pre-season game against what appears to be an average defense? I was waiting for somebody to do this.... NO...it cannot but you can only block the person you put in front of you. Rather then watching what the name was on the defenders jersey....I was keying in on Hairston himself....the two things I was looking at were technique and strength Technique....he had some negatives coming out of college about being a very athletic guy who didnt keep himself in great shape.....but i saw a guy that not only moved his feet well he was also a knee bender with pretty darn good balance.....I actually had no complaints technique wise. I saw a play where he hit a corner on a running play and that corner was flat out hauling @ss.....he still got a piece of him and it was from a sideline to sideline block. Strenghth...I have said it before and I will say it again....When I see him I wonder how he generates such good strenght with what appears to be "chicken legs".....but he DOES...he must be very naturally strong in the upper body..... I want to see him against a pure speed edge rusher like Von Miller.....I think Von Miller can dip to the edge on him.....but I want to see how he would handle it with that strength....you have to exend your arms and put a hurt on a pass rusher when try to get the edge like that and slow them down then ride them outside....I saw him do that against a scrub and liked his technique.....you allow the defender to use his own momentum to take him out of the play still keeping the integrity of the pocket...... Then I always look for improvement...Hairston seriously needs a year of NFL trainers to add some muscule onto that lower body and get rid of that pooch......if he does that he could be VERY good.....his ceiling is very high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Obviously not Vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 The line looked really good tonight, I don't think they gave up any sacks. Was pleasantly surprised with bell as he did well in one on one situations but Kampman was out so we will see if can stay consistent with better opposition. Von Miller is a monster for Denver. He is going to make a lot of LT's look bad. Don't get rapped around the axel about any one game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Is levitre our longterm answer at LT? I hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I hope so. No, the team will be better off with him developing at left guard and Bell developing at left tackle. Consider, for them, and for Hairston, o-lineman take time to develop. We're in a cycle of a lot of younger guys. I see this line as having a lot of potential, IF (notice the big "if"), they continue to develop. Yes, there has been some shuffling lately--coaches have their reasons and methods, they know and see things we don't, I suspect most of it was for motivational purposes--but I think in the end we have the nucleus for a pretty effective line for a long time. If we can add upgrades, go for it, certainly. By the way, it seems like every time NFL Network or the boyz at the four letter network analyze a team, they always seem to say the line needs to improve, especially right tackle. It's not an easy fix. There are no instant cures. The long term solution: Keep working at it, keep developing, and keep looking for potential upgrades. Well. my point: there is room for cautious optimism with this line and with the people we have now (Hairston being one of them). Call me a fool if you must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 No, the team will be better off with him developing at left guard and Bell developing at left tackle. Consider, for them, and for Hairston, o-lineman take time to develop. We're in a cycle of a lot of younger guys. I see this line as having a lot of potential, IF (notice the big "if"), they continue to develop. Yes, there has been some shuffling lately--coaches have their reasons and methods, they know and see things we don't, I suspect most of it was for motivational purposes--but I think in the end we have the nucleus for a pretty effective line for a long time. If we can add upgrades, go for it, certainly. By the way, it seems like every time NFL Network or the boyz at the four letter network analyze a team, they always seem to say the line needs to improve, especially right tackle. It's not an easy fix. There are no instant cures. The long term solution: Keep working at it, keep developing, and keep looking for potential upgrades. Well. my point: there is room for cautious optimism with this line and with the people we have now (Hairston being one of them). Call me a fool if you must. Actually, my post was a mistake. I thought he meant LG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amstel Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 He looked good. If he pans out he will add to what already looks like a very good draft...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Considering it was his first game he graded out extremely well to me.....and even though Wang looks horrible against backups Hairston does not..... He gets movement in the run game.....hits moving targets well......and uses his long arms well to redirect pass rushers to the outside....and for the most part? Is UNMOVABLE I agree that Hairston shows promise. My personal opinion, the Bills need to do for the OL what they did for the D - bring in a couple of veteran players who really "had it going on" for a contender at one point, even if they're possibly now on the downhill slide. Guys who can serve as veteran leaders and player-coaches and really hold the OL accountable in the weight room and on the field. I think that's what they tried to do with Clabo. I don't have a good sense of who other possibly worthwhile vets might be and whether anyone worth talking about is actually available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I'm here watching the replay of the game and finally getting a good look at Hairston...I can clearly see why some of you guys are so high on this kid. There was one play where the guy literally took out two pass rushers almost simultaneously...he took on his main assignment with his left arm and gave him sort of a stiff-arm punch block type shot, and then immediately launched his right arm laterally to do the exact same to the rusher on the outside. I've also seen him deliver a crushing block on a second level defender to spring the runner on two occasions, and then on another play he smartly used the momentum of the outside rusher against him and literally shoved his ass about 5-8 yards deeper into the backfield to give Thigpen time to make the throw. I can't wait to see what he can go against better quality competition, but at least in this game he was a man among boys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 I'm here watching the replay of the game and finally getting a good look at Hairston...I can clearly see why some of you guys are so high on this kid. There was one play where the guy literally took out two pass rushers almost simultaneously...he took on his main assignment with his left arm and gave him sort of a stiff-arm punch block type shot, and then immediately launched his right arm laterally to do the exact same to the rusher on the outside. I've also seen him deliver a crushing block on a second level defender to spring the runner on two occasions, and then on another play he smartly used the momentum of the outside rusher against him and literally shoved his ass about 5-8 yards deeper into the backfield to give Thigpen time to make the throw. I can't wait to see what he can go against better quality competition, but at least in this game he was a man among boys I walked away from the game trying to figure out if Hairston was a left tackle or a right tackle....honestly I would like to have two of these guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockinon Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hey Boone, just to move the discussion along, another thing the Bills mentioned that they really liked about Hairston was that he pass blocked well from the 3-point stance. On some down and distances, you don't want to give away the passing play call by lining up in a 2-point stance. The Bills mentioned that they felt that more than some of the other high-mid tackles (Orlando Franklin, Ben Ijalana, Marcus Gilbert, Jah Reid, Joseph Barksdale), that Hairston pass blocked well from the 3-point stance and that they felt this was important. That's a real good point, SJBF. Defenses key in on things like that and when a tackle can disguise a play, it makes the line better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I walked away from the game trying to figure out if Hairston was a left tackle or a right tackle....honestly I would like to have two of these guys Yep, just finished watching the OT, too, and he looked pretty solid on the left side. This weeks' game will be very interesting...I hope he gets some snaps earlier in the game so he can have some quality opposition to go up against. This guy is just HUGE, though, and his arms are long and very much able to knock rushers off balance pretty severely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixxxer Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 With rookies, you hope that they belong in the field first. Hairston looked comfortable at both positions, he was not forcing the issue. Watch the kid and then look at the other side, look how Cordaro Howard is trying so hard to contain his man, his lack of natural talent shows how hard it is for him. I believe Howard should be moved inside and be the swing guard in case of an injury disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts