Should Dion look like this?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Footballs back!

[Buffalo716]

5 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

That's pretty much where I'm at

 

 

Honest question, Why?  Very curious

Because peaking too early …it’s a real thing

 

It’s a long NFL season and being in peak shape in June does nothing for November or December 

 

mini camp and TC are there to get into football shape at a good pace …

 

No QB wants to have his arm feel the best all year in July …. A quarterback wants to be peak performance in real game time 

 

that’s why QBs are on throwing cycles … sometimes they don’t throw for weeks …. And that’s so they don’t peak too early and have their arm prime in the off season 

 

they want it prime when it matters 

 

it matters how dion looks in october … not May

 

ofc I would assume he’s carrying extra weight … it’s so he will be at his playing weight in September after Mini and training camp

 

if he looks like that after TC… different story 

 

but he should trim down 

 

 

 

 

[BigAl2526]

He has just about the same shape as Poona Ford.  He's just 5 inches taller.

[mrags]

31 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

People want to take the best left tackle we’ve had here Since Peter’s and people always want to kick him in lol 

 

And he certainly could play guard but I don’t see the top five… because he’s not a monster run blocker … The lazy take is thinking he’s an all pro caliber guard 

 

He’s an average run blocker moving 260 pounds ends… He’s not moving 320 pound defensive tackles with ease 

 

We could’ve replace him for five years with an average left tackle if they thought he was an all pro guard… 

 

 

 

“We” also overpaid for a guy at LT to be a top tier guy and it hasn’t really worked out. 
 

don’t get me wrong. I don’t think he’s terrible. I think he’s extremely over rated. Especially by fans. And I think if he’s your 3rd best OL you’re in alright shape. But if you are expecting him to be your best OL then you are in trouble. I just think he would do much better with someone decent next to him. Hopefully McGovern helps him this year. 

[Buffalo716]

Just now, mrags said:

“We” also overpaid for a guy at LT to be a top tier guy and it hasn’t really worked out. 
 

don’t get me wrong. I don’t think he’s terrible. I think he’s extremely over rated. Especially by fans. And I think if he’s your 3rd best OL you’re in alright shape. But if you are expecting him to be your best OL then you are in trouble. I just think he would do much better with someone decent next to him. Hopefully McGovern helps him this year. 

I can agree

[mrags]

22 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

People always want to take our tackles and swap sides or push them inside to G.  I don't understand the thought process there. 

 

I also don't understand who would be expected to play LT

 Nobody in this team most likely. Bud that doesn’t mean we should attempt to get a better LT. 

[Sierra Foothills]

1 hour ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Bad angle worsened by bad lighting...........................

 

1 hour ago, TOboy said:

Also not a good colour for him

 

1 hour ago, Dave_Bills said:

That’s an awful angle...

 

1 hour ago, JohnNord said:

Remember…the camera adds 10 pounds!

 

48 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

... but in his defense that jersey legit looks like a schmedium lol

 

Photographically, artificial turf adds girth to the midrift.

 

[GunnerBill]

Dion has an issue with his weight. That isn't a secret. The Bills are aware of it. Definitely fair to say most lineman come to camp carrying a few lbs they can afford to lose but Dion has had weight fluctations in season the past two years too. In 2021 that was easier to overlook given he had two bouts of covid but there has been concern internally about his weight yo-yoing. 

 

I think it has begun to affect his play in a way that when he was younger he could get away with it. At Dion's best he is a borderline top 10 left tackle, but we have only seen his best form in snatches the past couple of years. He had a really good ending to 2021 and a really good start to 2022 but he has struggled for consistency and I have to wonder if the body struggles are part of it. 

 

I have long thought that as he aged the natural move was to slide him in one to left guard where him carrying a few extra lbs won't matter so much. That does require you to at least have someone as good at left tackle before you make that move and the Bills don't - but it has been a position that the last two offseasons I'd have been looking at. In 2022 I liked that draft class and of one of the top guys had fallen to us I wanted to take them - they didn't. This past offseason I speculated about trading for a proven vet (Jake Matthews was my particular target - maybe using Ed Oliver as bait) before they made the moves at guard in FA. 

 

The decision on Dion is coming at some point soon in any event. As alluded to above he is a FA after 2024. I am not sure paying Dion again when he is going into his age 31 season and has these known weight issues is a particularly smart move. 

 

But I disagree with those who say he is currently or has been overpaid. Yes, he was top 5 left tackle when the Bills did the contact but he is currently 14th. And that is without the likes of Slater and Sewell (I know he has played more RT so far) being paid yet. It's just year on year market inflation. He was a top 5 paid left tackle for less than a year.

[PrimeTime101]

4 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Well, if you click on it, it would take you to the Buffalo Bills website

yea no. click open in new window. user is private from nfl. that has been skewed

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by PrimeTime101

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

6 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

He’s a big dude and still a better athlete 99.9% of this MB lol

I can probably run a faster 40 😅 

[NI Bills Fan]

The camera adds 10 lbs... And Dion had just eaten 7 of them before practice.

[Freddie's Dead]

aka Manu the Slender......

[stinky finger]

6 hours ago, arcane said:

He's athletic enough that that's never been my problem with him

 

You cannot be remotely lean at 300+ lbs

You can if you’re 9’ 7”

[Pete]

Yes, Dion should be looking like this.  Should you be making posts like this?

 

Dion trains hard, is a solid LT, great teammate, awesome in Buffalo community.

 

Have you ever met some NFL offensive lineman?  They aren’t svelte.  And low center of gravity moves piles 
 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Pete

[teef]

And fat shaming continues.

[Sargent Hulka]

I noticed. that too, perusing through the OTA photos at buffalobills.com. Dude looking like a butterball turkey.

[Matt_In_NH]

He has put on a lot of fat since his rookie year.   This picture makes it look like ore has gone on but it’s one image from one angle.  I do wonder if it is a bit much.   

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Sargent Hulka said:

I noticed. that too, perusing through the OTA photos at buffalobills.com. Dude looking like a butterball turkey.

What are your insightful thoughts on Poona Ford’s body type?

 

You do understand that athletes come in all shapes and sizes?

Edited May 24, 2023 by Pete

[Back2Buff]

[GunnerBill]

17 minutes ago, Pete said:

What are your insightful thoughts on Poona Ford’s body type?

 

You do understand that athletes come in all shapes and sizes?

 

The point here isn't about Dion compared to a normal person. It is Dion compared to Dion. I am surprised so many here don't seem aware of the weight fluctation issues he has had. I thought it, and the team's concern about it, was pretty common knowledge.

 

 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Honestly he looks bigger arm wise too.  He'll drop some weight doing conditioning with the team, but I think he's learned that after the covid year that you don't want to slim down at the position.  

9 hours ago, mrags said:

“We” also overpaid for a guy at LT to be a top tier guy and it hasn’t really worked out. 
 

don’t get me wrong. I don’t think he’s terrible. I think he’s extremely over rated. Especially by fans. And I think if he’s your 3rd best OL you’re in alright shape. But if you are expecting him to be your best OL then you are in trouble. I just think he would do much better with someone decent next to him. Hopefully McGovern helps him this year. 

 

He's what... 21 in AAV at tackle? 

[BillsVet]

Dion looks like he needs a couple more tattoos.   

 

Those are gonna look great as he continues to "fill out" and age. 

[BarleyNY]

26 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

He's what... 21 in AAV at tackle? 

 

12th among LTs LINK and 22nd among OTs. That seems about right for him. I’ve always liked Dawkins as a player and from what I’ve seen of him as a person. That said, his weight has been a concern that has grown each season. I can see him playing out his contract but don’t see how he gets extended. Not bringing in a quality swing tackle this season could be a real problem. 

[BADOLBILZ]

59 minutes ago, Back2Buff said:

 

 

Are you the guy that was claiming that Trent Williams maintains the same condition as Dawkins because they are both "listed" at 330?   Because even in these pictures it's very clear that Dawkins is much fatter.    Dawkins is more in the 350+ range in June every year.   He's got the bingo wings flapping in the OP picture. 

[Your Brown Eye]

The color white adds 10 lbs

[BADOLBILZ]

3 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

 

12th among LTs LINK and 22nd among OTs. That seems about right for him. I’ve always liked Dawkins as a player and from what I’ve seen of him as a person. That said, his weight has been a concern that has grown each season. I can see him playing out his contract but don’t see how he gets extended. Not bringing in a quality swing tackle this season could be a real problem. 

 

 

Yeah he's not overpaid and unless he starts getting injured he's probably an average LT over the next two seasons that he is under contract.   He's just capable of being better and you'd like to have seen him get serious about being one of the best and staying at LT into his mid-30's.    If he had done so by now he probably would have already gotten a big contract extension already.   They are letting his deal play out for a reason.

[Chicken Boo]

1 hour ago, Back2Buff said:

 

Best in the biz right there.  My 2nd favorite offensive lineman all time behind Willie Roaf.  

[Royale with Cheese]

11 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Remember…the camera adds 10 pounds!

 

It’s May….I’m not worried about him.  

 

How many cameras are on him?

[dpberr]

He's out of shape.  Clearly. The biggest problem for the Bills OL is summed up in this picture.  

 

Beer league softball strong, but terribly conditioned, especially compared to the guys on the Eagles and Ravens offensive lines.   The Eagles running success is due in large part to the excellent conditioning of their linemen.  Those guys are physically in the game in the fourth quarter. 

 

Bills OL are physically exhausted by halftime.  Lots of hands on hips, gasping for oxygen.

[Royale with Cheese]

Just now, dpberr said:

He's out of shape.  Clearly. The biggest problem for the Bills OL is summed up in this picture.  

 

Beer league softball strong, but terribly conditioned, especially compared to the guys on the Eagles and Ravens offensive lines.   The Eagles running success is due in large part to the excellent conditioning of their linemen.  Those guys are physically in the game in the fourth quarter. 

 

Bills OL are physically exhausted by halftime.  Lots of hands on hips, gasping for oxygen.

 

Damn, we are better than we thought.

 

We won 13 games last year when our OL can only play half the game by being exhausted.

 

James Cook might be the best RB in the NFL by a wide margin because he averaged 5.7 ypc behind a line that only plays one half of football.

 

[Beck Water]

12 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

He’s a big dude and still a better athlete 99.9% of this MB lol

 

What's your point?  The scrubs who come in for weekly tryouts to see if they make the practice squad are better athletes than 99.99% of this message board.

 

That's why they're professional athletes who get paid millions of dollars a year to be athletes and we're on a message board, durrrrr.

 

Even the scrubs on the practice squad make at minimum $216,000 per year, which is likely more than 99% of the people on this message board make or made in their best year.

 

The question is, is he in his best shape to protect Josh's blindside or is this going to be another early 2021 where Dion was a train wreck in the early season and Josh's eyes were going to the L side of his line instead of downfield (Dion leveled up at the end of that season and played very well)

Edited May 24, 2023 by Beck Water

[Chandler#81]

He’s a tub of goo and highly overrated, imo.

[frostbitmic]

He's just a bit wider which will make defenders have farther to go to get around him, giving Josh an extra second.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, BarleyNY said:

 

12th among LTs LINK and 22nd among OTs. That seems about right for him. I’ve always liked Dawkins as a player and from what I’ve seen of him as a person. That said, his weight has been a concern that has grown each season. I can see him playing out his contract but don’t see how he gets extended. Not bringing in a quality swing tackle this season could be a real problem. 

 

He is 14th. That list misses Mailata ($16m AAV) and Stanley ($19.75m AAV).

[teef]

anger!

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

28 minutes ago, dpberr said:

He's out of shape.  Clearly. The biggest problem for the Bills OL is summed up in this picture.  

 

Beer league softball strong, but terribly conditioned, especially compared to the guys on the Eagles and Ravens offensive lines.   The Eagles running success is due in large part to the excellent conditioning of their linemen.  Those guys are physically in the game in the fourth quarter. 

 

Bills OL are physically exhausted by halftime.  Lots of hands on hips, gasping for oxygen.

 

I think the pass and run splits cause a lot of that too.  Pass blocking is just constantly getting pushed back, punched, chopped, etc instead of driving forward.  Hopefully getting a bit stouter with bigger backs, adding a power guard can help some of that.  I'd like to see us be able to grind a lead out in some of these midseason games.  

[Sharky7337]

He took a page out of Josh's book. He's never been so focused on food as he is now.

[BringBackFergy]

Let's let Dion and the trainers work their magic for another three months.

 

He's been a solid LT for five years and a cagy vet (for younger guys).

 

[Bills_inthe6]

let's hope this doesn't affect his play... word on the streets says Torrence fell to the 2nd round just because of his terrible body... as long as they can play who cares !!!

[blacklabel]

Surely the most judgmental spouting off in here are all Adonis types...