WIDE LEFT Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 It's more than a little frustrating reading how the Bills are struggling all training camp with weak play at the left guard position. There have not, in recent years and beyond, been very many successful draft choices. Levitre was a great choice, and after finally hitting on a good draft pick he is gone after four years, just as he enters the prime of his career. I don't know how you build long term success when you let your few successful draft choices walk. I wonder if Byrd is next. So now a weakness exists where there was a strength. And Bills sitting 20 million plus under the cap. This is not to argue that the Bills should have matched the mega contract Levitre got, but rather that they should have recognized a quality player and extended his contract early on, where the cost would have been manageable, something akin to what Pats did with Gronkowski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) Oh look it's this topic again Edited August 11, 2013 by Bangarang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatloaf Sandwich Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I haven't seen these reports in a while they are down to 2 guys. So it will be fine don't worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Sweet! Hit the hole CJ! 6! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Jabber Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Hopefully the Bills can get by with Brown or Legursky this year at LG. After reading about Cordy Glenn struggle against speed rushers and Mike Mayock glowing about the probowl possibilities of Glenn at LG, I would like the Bills to draft a LT next year & have Glenn switch to LG. With Glenn's size, I feel he would open up huge holes in the run game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 $9M for Levitre. $9M for Byrd. Then what? PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 $9M for Levitre. $9M for Byrd. Then what? PTR This makes no sense because there never was $9M for Levitre, and there may not be that much for Byrd. I think most fans who were on board with the Levitre move thought that the Bills would pony up for the other one. I understood the Levitre move, but only in the context of keeping Byrd - not in the context of letting go of two Pro Bowl caliber players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatloaf Sandwich Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) This makes no sense because there never was $9M for Levitre, and there may not be that much for Byrd. I think most fans who were on board with the Levitre move thought that the Bills would pony up for the other one. I understood the Levitre move, but only in the context of keeping Byrd - not in the context of letting go of two Pro Bowl caliber players. We let go of Byrd?!? Edited August 11, 2013 by Meatloaf Sandwich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Maybe the long-term plan is to find a LT and move Glenn over to LG. If this is the case, it may be tough to watch the left side of the o-line this year. I do not understand going into the season with Brown and Legursky as the possible starters. While it can be argued that signing Levitre to the contract he received from the Titans would have been a mistake, you would think that signing a mid-tier LG would have made sense considering the Bills have more than $20 million in cap space. The o-line may need considerable revamping in the future, particularly with Wood being a free agent next year. I really don't agree with the posters who claim that finding guards is easy. I remember what we had after Ruben and before Levitre, and it was not pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 We let go of Byrd?!? Of course not. But unless they intend to franchise him over and over again or to trade him, I believe they would be offering him a multiyear contract, which is what I hope they will do. So far, he isn't on the roster, ergo, they don't have either of these players in the fold. It's fine to say you can't pay everybody, and it's stupid to pay none of your homegrown talents (at least not the right ones). Levitre and Byrd have each provided as much actual production as McKelvin has unfulfilled promise. Yet only one of those three is here in camp with the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsBytheBay Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I would love to see one of the second string tackles make an impression during pre season. If we find that we have a few good tackles, it may just make more sense to move him in. I love the idea of Glenn, Wood and Urbik as our interior blockers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) Byrd isn't in camp by his choice not the Bills. They offered him an extension but he declined bc he wants to be the highest paid safety in the league Levitre was the Bills best lineman but with Wood also needing a new contract they couldn't realistically sign both to extensions so I don't have a problem with not resigning Levitre. I do have a problem with them not getting a legit replacement and thinking they can just plug any slop in at LG There is no reason to move Glenn to LG. he had a good rookie year and they haven't even played a preseason game yet Edited August 11, 2013 by Max997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/159968-guard-position-battle-not-going-so-hot/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) I really don't agree with the posters who claim that finding guards is easy. I remember what we had after Ruben and before Levitre, and it was not pretty. Neither do I. As we saw in this years draft, teams are going with the athletic guards early and often. Who'd have thought Kyle Long would go where he did anyway? There's a shift toward more mobile guys playing a position where dinosaurs like Nix thought he could insert plodding types who don't move well but win in the phone booth. One of the common denominators over multiple GM tenures has been an unwillingness to draft and retain their offensive linemen. Not doing so means that the shiny parts like their high picks at QB, RB, and WR don't function as well. Did all of these GM's and HC's have the same philosophy about building an OL or is someone else making decisions? Edited August 11, 2013 by BillsVet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 There's a shift toward more mobile guys playing a position where dinosaurs like Nix thought he could insert plodding types who don't move well but win in the phone booth. Actually Nix said on several occasions that you draft tackles and move them to guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Actually Nix said on several occasions that you draft tackles and move them to guard. And yet he never did that during his time with the Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Maybe the long-term plan is to find a LT and move Glenn over to LG. If this is the case, it may be tough to watch the left side of the o-line this year. I do not understand going into the season with Brown and Legursky as the possible starters. While it can be argued that signing Levitre to the contract he received from the Titans would have been a mistake, you would think that signing a mid-tier LG would have made sense considering the Bills have more than $20 million in cap space. The o-line may need considerable revamping in the future, particularly with Wood being a free agent next year. I really don't agree with the posters who claim that finding guards is easy. I remember what we had after Ruben and before Levitre, and it was not pretty. Once the first week of FA went by, there were no such guards that you deem were mid-tier. May be if you could support your theory with real names, the discussion would be more useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max997 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I would hv liked them to draft a guard in either the 4th or 5th round instead of 2 safeties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Letting Levitre go in hopes of signing Wood reminds me of the decision to let Greer go in order to sign McGee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) Actually Nix said on several occasions that you draft tackles and move them to guard. Nix made mention of the size of some of the OL guys he's acquired, particularly PS pickup Urbik who goes about 330. I don't recall him saying this, but if his OL picks in the draft are any evidence, he subscribed to the bigger is always better mentality of OL. Glenn is 345, which most NFL tackles aren't even close to while guys like Asper, Colin Brown, Pears, and Sam Young and others are not what I would call nimble and mobile. Besides, teams move college tackles to guard because they can't handle the speed of the NFL. Or they move them to guard as a last resort because a player they thought could play OT actually couldn't. It's looking like Glenn fits into the latter category despite what the team is saying now. Edited August 11, 2013 by BillsVet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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