wjag Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 3 weeks, 3 different O-line configurations. Most teams seem to pick 5 guys and unless injury or sub par performance forces a change, they stick with it for cohesiveness reasons. The Bills change O-linemen situationally, or so it seems. This bucks the trend. I'm curious what folks think about this strategy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I prefer to stick with the same 5 guys for continuity and chemistry. But in a season that is not ordinary (no pre-season no conventional off-season training program) I feel as though there might be something to this strategy to take advantage of the deepest O-line in the league (I don't know of any other team that has 3-4 starting caliber players on the bench) and try to shuffle things around to keep the injury risk minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Thought game one and two had basically the same line other than for a couple of plays, what differed those two games, don't recall?? In general though think playing Ford at LG was more an audition to see if he can be the long term answer at LG and also due to fear of Donaldson going against Spain. This week unless Feliciano is back may see Ford go back to right side as the overall thinking may be that Spain and Ford is better than Winters and Ford. Ford did reasonably well for the first game at LG against maybe the best DT in the game so feel once Feliciano is back, barring a melt down by Ford, the line up will be Dawkins, Ford, Morse, Feliciano, and Williams and will stay that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Bill belichick has been doing this for 15 years He always tinkers with lineup's for the first five six weeks before settling on one 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, wjag said: 3 weeks, 3 different O-line configurations. Most teams seem to pick 5 guys and unless injury or sub par performance forces a change, they stick with it for cohesiveness reasons. The Bills change O-linemen situationally, or so it seems. This bucks the trend. I'm curious what folks think about this strategy. I don’t think it’s a strategy as much as they want Feliciano at RG when he returns and are trying to see if Ford will work at LG. I think they may try to trade Spain unless there are more injuries on the interior OL. He doesn’t seem to have the mobility that the Bills are looking for in the run game. I think in previous years this would have taken place in preseason and they don’t have that luxury Edited September 30, 2020 by YoloinOhio 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: I don’t think it’s a strategy as much as they want Feliciano at RG when he returns and are trying to see if Ford will work at LG. I think they may try to trade Spain unless there are more injuries on the interior OL. He doesn’t seem to have the mobility that the Bills are looking for in the run game. I think in previous years this would have taken place in preseason and they don’t have that luxury Spain is quality depth, so I would want to keep him for this year at least. No telling how Ford will do or even Feliciano coming off injury. Oline depth is one of the better things about this team, even if the starting 5 aren't really above average outside of Morse and Dawkins. Edited September 30, 2020 by MJS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) 1 minute ago, MJS said: Spain is quality depth, so I would want to keep him for this year at least. No telling how Ford will do 9r even Feliciano coming off injury. Oline depth is one of the better things about this team, even if the starting 5 aren't really above average outside of Morse and Dawkins. I just don’t think they will pay a backup without position versatility 5 mill. Maybe... Edited September 30, 2020 by YoloinOhio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said: I just don’t think they will pay a backup without position versatility 5 mill. Maybe... For this season they could. But yeah, going forward that's doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, MJS said: For this season they could. But yeah, going forward that's doubtful. They have him essentially on a 1 year deal - they can get out of it after this season with no dead cap. He is good depth but if they can move him for a mid round pick before the deadline I would do it. Bills have better than average OL depth Edited September 30, 2020 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideNine Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 This has not been unusual for this team as I think injuries and play on the field has made finding the right mix and being able to stick with it difficult. I do believe that an offensive line gets better when they play with the same guys longer, but they were moving Ford around last season trying to find the right fit for his skills, and they had injuries at RT and then to Feliciano. I like Ford at RG next to Dawkins and Winters has been a pleasant surprise, we just need Feliciano. I thought Spain was solid if not spectacular last year, but can only assume he did not put in the work in the off season and they were not willing to wait for him to play himself into game shape. Only speculation and McD keeps a tight lid on those things. They will get to their best front 5 and then keep our fingers crossed that they can stay healthy and build some chemistry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Eric Wood was on WGR Monday and spoke about this. Said McD did the same thing in 2017. Started the year with Miller at Guard and by week 3 had Vlad Ducasse in. Which was unusual to see, but it showed that McD is constantly evaluating, and constantly looking to tweak and improve. Couple that with the injury to Feliciano, and it makes sense to see some changes early in the season. We'll see some more changes once Feliciano gets back. But the good news is, the culture is so strong with this TEAM, and especially in the OL room, that they seem to take it all in stride and do not hit many bumps along the way. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideNine Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I and others have speculated about the Spain situation and I thought that perhaps he has not put in the work in the offseason.... That does not jive with this article back in August, so... not sure what the deal with the Bills coaching staff and Spain is other than he has been getting bumped because there are guys executing at a higher level. I do have to backtrack on my work ethic comments and theories, sounds like Spain works his tail off - can't take that away from the man. https://billswire.usatoday.com/2020/08/11/bufflalo-bills-quinton-spain-mr-undrated-perfect-fit-josh-allen/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 The Spain situation is intriguing. It appears it was a last minute decision, so I speculate if it was for disciplinary reasons? He has been consider one of the strengths of the line, so this was a surprise. Any word from the Bills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjj Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 7 minutes ago, CSBill said: The Spain situation is intriguing. It appears it was a last minute decision, so I speculate if it was for disciplinary reasons? He has been consider one of the strengths of the line, so this was a surprise. Any word from the Bills? Not sure Spain's benching was anything more than a game time decision to have a better athlete block Donald. Bills could move him or Winters in a trade before deadline if Feliciano can come back and play. Ford at LG and Feliciano at RG give Bills 2 mobile OGs to pull on runs and in the screen game. If those 2 are seen as long term starters with Morse, that's a pretty mobile and solid interior for the Oline. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 1 hour ago, CSBill said: The Spain situation is intriguing. It appears it was a last minute decision, so I speculate if it was for disciplinary reasons? He has been consider one of the strengths of the line, so this was a surprise. Any word from the Bills? I'll hunt for it, one of our amateur evaluators said something about failures in pass protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan in Cleveland Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 In an ideal!situation you stick with the same 5. But with limited practice and no preseason I'm fine with tinkering with the line. Applaud McD for the effort. I'd be happy giving Ford a series or two at RT as well. As for Spain and LG, I don't think Feliciano is better than Ford or Spain. Spain graded out better last year. But if he has struggled early this year I'm fine with Ford getting some time at LG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaBu Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 19 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I'll hunt for it, one of our amateur evaluators said something about failures in pass protection. That's interesting as I thought pass pro was his strength (no sacks last year, right?). I've always heard the run game was Spain's weakness. When asked about the O Line changes, McD said "every player has to earn it." Fog, or unhappy with Spain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 4 hours ago, freddyjj said: Not sure Spain's benching was anything more than a game time decision to have a better athlete block Donald. Bills could move him or Winters in a trade before deadline if Feliciano can come back and play. Ford at LG and Feliciano at RG give Bills 2 mobile OGs to pull on runs and in the screen game. If those 2 are seen as long term starters with Morse, that's a pretty mobile and solid interior for the Oline. I like the 5 best, if its not Spain, then move on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putin Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, CSBill said: The Spain situation is intriguing. It appears it was a last minute decision, so I speculate if it was for disciplinary reasons? He has been consider one of the strengths of the line, so this was a surprise. Any word from the Bills? I dot think it was for disciplinary reasons because if I’m not mistaken he would still come on the field for a play here and there, But who knows you could be on to something Edited October 1, 2020 by Putin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEN-CAL17 Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 6 hours ago, YoloinOhio said: I don’t think it’s a strategy as much as they want Feliciano at RG when he returns and are trying to see if Ford will work at LG. I think they may try to trade Spain unless there are more injuries on the interior OL. He doesn’t seem to have the mobility that the Bills are looking for in the run game. I think in previous years this would have taken place in preseason and they don’t have that luxury What is the timeline on Feliciano? Can the Bills legitimately expect him back by week 12? From what I read is 6 months. Is Feliciano realistically gonna be able to play this year? I think we are seeing a rotation just to get everyone playing time. To be able to later on in the season to throw a player in there if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomark Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 The one thing it does tell me is they love Williams at RT. If they are swapping Cody at both guard spots that means they want to confirm he can play at either well. That allows them to tinker with Feliciano when he gets back. I think they are giving Winters a look but he will be the cut when Feliciano comes back. He got eaten alive in the 2nd half. He was pretty much laughed out of the worst team in football and Feliciano is a great backup center so he is a lock for this roster of healthy. I doubt they walk from Spain because this if this is a deep run year you need 3 quality guards. We have 3 quality tackles. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 Some teams will swap linemen on plays - better short yardage run blocking linemen in short yard plays and redzone, more mobile linemen for screens, an extra 3rd tackle which comes in to give starting tackle a breather, jumbo goal line package, etc. It does not necessarily mean that play will be made but it can force defenses to practice against it and have defenses change to counter it. It is not a bad strategy on teams with depth in OL in experience and talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, CEN-CAL17 said: What is the timeline on Feliciano? Can the Bills legitimately expect him back by week 12? From what I read is 6 months. Is Feliciano realistically gonna be able to play this year? I think we are seeing a rotation just to get everyone playing time. To be able to later on in the season to throw a player in there if needed. 8-12 weeks from 7/31. He was out of the sling by end of August, which was a good sign rehab was progressing well. Edited October 1, 2020 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 8 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said: Eric Wood was on WGR Monday and spoke about this. Said McD did the same thing in 2017. Started the year with Miller at Guard and by week 3 had Vlad Ducasse *shudder* I'm getting bad flashbacks having parallels drawn between this season and our current OL, and 2017/Vlad Ducasse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEN-CAL17 Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 14 hours ago, YoloinOhio said: 8-12 weeks from 7/31. He was out of the sling by end of August, which was a good sign rehab was progressing well. So if you had to guess.... would you say week 12? First game? After bye week. I’d supposed he may get back on the field week 9 or 10. But not be cleared until full go week 12. I think that’s even pushing it.... has there even been words on his rehab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 (edited) 23 hours ago, Buffalo716 said: Bill belichick has been doing this for 15 years He always tinkers with lineup's for the first five six weeks before settling on one Not at all bothered. No ota's, no preseason. I would've been shocked if they didn't tinker. Ford needs to stay at LG. That is the best position for him and his skill set. Feliciano will eventually be at RG. Nsekhe will be ready to come in at a moments notice. Winters is not the answer. Edited October 1, 2020 by LABILLBACKER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorkScrewHill Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 21 hours ago, CSBill said: The Spain situation is intriguing. It appears it was a last minute decision, so I speculate if it was for disciplinary reasons? He has been consider one of the strengths of the line, so this was a surprise. Any word from the Bills? Cody is officially the starter on the left and Winters on the right based on the updated depth chart. https://www.buffalobills.com/team/depth-chart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreggTX Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 So much rides with Ford and Williams. Can Williams get back to the level he played at before the knee injury? Can Ford become a probowl caliber guard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Formation Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Well, it looks like Dawkins, Morse and Williams are having good years but our guards are struggling.. that’s the easiest way for me to put it.. Also, Dawkins and Morse strike me more as pretty decent pass protectors but very average run blockers.. Ford and whatever other garbage we have at guard has been really underwhelming.. At least Allen has a pocket to throw in most of the time... that’s valuable.. but overall I’d say our line is pretty average.. Both guard spots need to be upgraded... there’s a chance that Cody Ford comes around but I think we could use some more competition there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Noggin Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 2 hours ago, Victory Formation said: Well, it looks like Dawkins, Morse and Williams are having good years but our guards are struggling.. that’s the easiest way for me to put it.. Also, Dawkins and Morse strike me more as pretty decent pass protectors but very average run blockers.. Ford and whatever other garbage we have at guard has been really underwhelming.. At least Allen has a pocket to throw in most of the time... that’s valuable.. but overall I’d say our line is pretty average.. Both guard spots need to be upgraded... there’s a chance that Cody Ford comes around but I think we could use some more competition there.. I'd agree that our guard play is underwhelming so far. I'd encourage you to revise your thoughts on Ford as a promising guard prospect. And I'd vehemently disagree with the coaches' decision to play Winters over Spain, despite Spain's apparent mediocrity this season. We've all watched Winters get effing blown-up from training camp through week three. When that man loses a rep HE REALLY LOSES A REP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2zipper Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 One thing in particular that I like about the front office is that they understand how rare it is to find offensive lineman who are capable of starting games. In the last 3 years we've seen them bring in feliciano, Spain and Williams and all three of those are situations where they saw a guy who had starting duty and now for whatever reason was on the outside looking in with their teams and they were able to bring those guys in and have been rewarded with good offensive line play the past couple years for it. It also helps with depth because the offensive lineman can have long careers, the position is so physical that at some point one of them is going to go down and then they can shuffle it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) What is the starting line-up for tomorrow? Is it Ford at LG and Winters still in at RG again? I don't believe the brought Feliciano back, so nothing there. Edited October 3, 2020 by CSBill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Billieve Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 On 9/30/2020 at 2:00 PM, Buffalo716 said: Bill belichick has been doing this for 15 years He always tinkers with lineup's for the first five six weeks before settling on one The joys of playing in a weak division. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Joe Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 So Spain benched again today He saw some playing time in the 2nd half when Winters injured... Hopefully Feliciano back soon... Also was listening to the Cover 1 guys... really impressed with Williams play at RT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEpsYtown Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 This is all about getting the most out of Ford and finding a home. I assume that they love what Daryl Williams is doing and he is young enough (and needs to be re-signed) that it makes sense to put your former second round pick in the best place to succeed. Winters, Spain, Feliciano are not important imo when it comes to the choices they are making here. This is all about Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJBobby Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 (edited) Spain has lost his job to Ford. It looks like based on the last two weeks Ford will be the LG going forward. Because when Winters got hurt, Spain didn't move into his customary LG spot. Instead Ford Stayed there and Spain came in at RG. I think once Feliciano is back Spain gets dealt. Edited October 5, 2020 by MAJBobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da webster guy Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 On 9/30/2020 at 3:09 PM, DrDawkinstein said: Eric Wood was on WGR Monday and spoke about this. Said McD did the same thing in 2017. Started the year with Miller at Guard and by week 3 had Vlad Ducasse in. Which was unusual to see, but it showed that McD is constantly evaluating, and constantly looking to tweak and improve. Couple that with the injury to Feliciano, and it makes sense to see some changes early in the season. We'll see some more changes once Feliciano gets back. But the good news is, the culture is so strong with this TEAM, and especially in the OL room, that they seem to take it all in stride and do not hit many bumps along the way. I heard him talking about that, he also said switching from side to side as a tackle or guard is not easy. Your hands have to reverse everything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 From NFL.com Buffalo's offensive line struggles are a concern. Josh Allen was pressured a season-high 14 times by a middling pass rush on Sunday and had his second-shortest average time to throw of the season (2.78 seconds), per Next Gen Stats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Otreply Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 (edited) Earlier this year one of our members here posted that rotating O line guys like they do with the D line was a possibility for the Bills this season. The poster was in effect shouted down. Go Bills!!! Edited October 27, 2020 by Don Otreply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 On 9/30/2020 at 12:52 PM, wjag said: 3 weeks, 3 different O-line configurations. Most teams seem to pick 5 guys and unless injury or sub par performance forces a change, they stick with it for cohesiveness reasons. The Bills change O-linemen situationally, or so it seems. This bucks the trend. I'm curious what folks think about this strategy. Curious, what do you see as situational substitutions? The primary OL has been Dawkins-Ford-Morse-Winters-Williams since the Rams. You can see this from the snap counts. After Miami, they benched Spain and quickly settled on Ford at LG and Winters at RG which was most of the Rams game. In LV, Winters was injured and Spain came in for him, played about half the snaps. In Tennessee, Spain was mysteriously "Out" just before the game. Ford and Winters both went out injured for a few snaps and Boettger (LG) and Bates (RG) came in for them. Dawkins also out for a few snaps, substitute by Bates (I think-bad idea) then Nsekhe vs KC, Ford went out injured at the end and Boettger came in for him. In NY, Ford DNP, was declared out, and Boettger played for him A few jumbo packs with extra linemen and some other injury substitutions - otherwise when did you see the situational changes? 21 minutes ago, wjag said: From NFL.com Buffalo's offensive line struggles are a concern. Josh Allen was pressured a season-high 14 times by a middling pass rush on Sunday and had his second-shortest average time to throw of the season (2.78 seconds), per Next Gen Stats. Boettger is a big downgrade from Ford at LG. Winters is also struggling and probably wasn't helped by the fact that his tendencies and weaknesses are an open book to the Jets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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