MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Here it is: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3605 Q: What were your impressions of Jason Peters as a first-year starter? JM: Jason Peters has done a terrific job. Obviously he's done a terrific job at right tackle but he could play left tackle or he could play tight end. He would probably be an outstanding player wherever you put him. He's going to stay at tackle for us and we're looking for great things from him. Discuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34-78-83 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I definitely feel that with his good footwork and mobility, he will end up at left tackle on this team, unless a franchise player is picked up via FA or the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 So is Big Sweet Mike still in the plans at RT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 So is Big Sweet Mike still in the plans at RT? 605641[/snapback] Sure, as long as RT stands for Rural Transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Why do the bills make things so damn complicated..... Peters has shown himself to be a good RT Gandy is a Natural left guard Preston is a natural center Villy is a natural right guard Bring in Jeff Backus for LT and LeBently in for center.....let Preston back up the lines as a multi position player Why is this so hard to figure out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 So is Big Sweet Mike still in the plans at RT? 605641[/snapback] Maybe, maybe not. If Peters can play LT, it might work to our advantage since picking up a free agent RT would be less expensive than a LT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34-78-83 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Why do the bills make things so damn complicated..... Peters has shown himself to be a good RT Gandy is a Natural left guard Preston is a natural center Villy is a natural right guard Bring in Jeff Backus for LT and LeBently in for center.....let Preston back up the lines as a multi position player Why is this so hard to figure out? 605659[/snapback] Because Peters was an experiment , and now that he has shown his abilities at tackle, his skill set tends to merit that he play the weak side. While there isn't nearly as much difference nowadays between LT and RT, the LT usually has to play "in space" more which lends itself to his abilities. With all that said, I'll repeat that if a stud LT is obtained, Peters might as well stay at RT, and he probably be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Spot on Rubes. LT money is absurd. I think Peters has the feet to make the move. As for Big Mike, I imagine if he restructures, they give him one more try. Even as a rookie, he could run block. As a pass protector, he shows no ability to pick up a stunt or a blitzer. He is very dependable to reach for the wrong guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34-78-83 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Spot on Rubes. LT money is absurd. I think Peters has the feet to make the move. As for Big Mike, I imagine if he restructures, they give him one more try. Even as a rookie, he could run block. As a pass protector, he shows no ability to pick up a stunt or a blitzer. He is very dependable to reach for the wrong guy. 605666[/snapback] Not to promote further experimentation but I'm hoping that if Big Mike is somehow retained and restructures, they try him at RG. I think that's the position that best accounts for his skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Interesting quote from McNally on MW. Interesting more for what it doesn't say. McNally hasn't even spoken to MW, he gushes about Preston and Peters in the same Q&A, but nothing about MW. Nothing about slowing his progress. MW is gone from this team. Q: The injury to Mike Williams certainly slowed his progress last season. Has Mike recovered? JM: The trainers I'm sure have talked to him. We have an offseason program coming up in March and we'll see how he is progressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheRocks Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Here it is: http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3605Discuss. 605628[/snapback] quite honestly this article was a waste of time to read. 10 questions. 3 speak directly to current personel. and revealed nothing new. Mike Williams: this underwhelming statement of support tells me Mike Williams is going to get one single off season team workout to prove he has the heart to stick around. and i don't get the impression anyone at OBD thinks he can pull it off. Duke Preston: Last year he was a rookie, and played like it. We are crossing our fingers he pans out....to save our ass. Jason Peters: Big suprise. A FA that actually produced. My guess is he will stay on the right side for at least one more season to learn the position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Chipper Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Why do the bills make things so damn complicated..... Peters has shown himself to be a good RT Gandy is a Natural left guard Preston is a natural center Villy is a natural right guard Bring in Jeff Backus for LT and LeBently in for center.....let Preston back up the lines as a multi position player Why is this so hard to figure out? 605659[/snapback] then we would have nothing to complain about- what fun is that? Seriously though I think the Bills know they have to address the line through the draft and FA but its nice to know that somebody TD drafted to play tightend has enough ability to play o-line and play it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Not sure they can afford both Backus and Bentley. Bentley is not going to come cheap if he comes to Buffalo. Based on McNally's waffling about what position Duke Preston will play, it appears a guard or a center is who they are targeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobillsinytown Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I don't think MW's run blocking was ever in question. The problem is that NFL linemen are asked to do a lot more. In college a player can rely more on his physical size. I'm guessing here, but with Mike's natural ability he most likely just lined up and pancaked everyone in front of him when he was at Texas. It seems to me like he never really adjusted to the increased speed and complexity of the NFL game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIEHARD BILLSFAN Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Not sure they can afford both Backus and Bentley. Bentley is not going to come cheap if he comes to Buffalo. Based on McNally's waffling about what position Duke Preston will play, it appears a guard or a center is who they are targeting. 605715[/snapback] Bentley Is going to be franchised by the Saints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofton80 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Bentley expects to test free agency By SHELDON MICKLES Advocate Sports Writer Published: Feb 2, 2006 DETROIT — New Orleans Saints center LeCharles Bentley, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month, said Wednesday the team has indicated it will allow him to test the open market. Bentley, in town to participate in a clinic held in association with a Kids’ Day event at the NFL Experience, said Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis told him he would get a chance to see what free agency holds. “Mickey told me he was going to let me test the market,” Bentley said. Loomis, however, said the organization hasn’t made any personnel decisions because new coach Sean Payton has been on the job less than two weeks and is still working on putting together a coaching staff. Bentley, a four-year veteran, is headed to the Pro Bowl on Monday for the second time in three seasons although he didn’t participate in the 2004 game after having knee surgery. The Saints could place the franchise or transition tag on him since he will likely be a hot commodity on the open market. “We have not made a decision yet on the franchise or transition tag,” Loomis said Wednesday. “We have not made that decision because we want to get our new staff in place and get all of our (player) evaluations done.” As the anchor of the offensive line, Bentley could be the No. 1 re-signing priority for the football operations staff among the 15 players who could become unrestricted free agents in early March. Loomis said he told Bentley after the season the team would have an opportunity to possibly name him as its franchise or transition player. “At the time, I told him we didn’t know if we would do that,” Loomis said. “I said there was a good chance he could test the market.” A second-round draft pick in 2002, Bentley was also named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad in 2003 as a guard before being switched to center in 2004. He was a first alternate to the all-star game last season after not playing two years ago because of a knee injury. If the Saints were to franchise Bentley, he would receive the average salary of the top 10 offensive linemen in the league. That number is expected to be $6.983 million for a one-year deal in 2006, which is a number the Saints may find hard to swallow. Loomis said the issue is complicated by the fact that all linemen (tackles, guards and centers) are lumped together under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which means that higher-paid tackles drive up the cost for a center if he’s franchised. “It’s a bigger number than you would like,” Loomis said. Loomis said the first thing Payton’s staff will do is complete player evaluations. Payton has hired four of his assistants, including offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and Loomis said the team hopes to announce more hires soon. Bentley said he sold his home in the Chateau Estates subdivision in Kenner about two months ago, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ready to leave the Saints. “The time was right,” he said, “the market was good.” Bentley also severed ties with agent Peter Schaffer and hired New York-based agent Neil Schwartz, who represents Saints left tackle Wayne Gandy. Schwartz said he has not had any conversations with Loomis or the Saints since becoming Bentley’s agent in early January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Why do the bills make things so damn complicated..... Peters has shown himself to be a good RT 605659[/snapback] He has NOT shown himself to a good RT - running ability of OL plumented when he started and that is supposed to be the strong side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 So is Big Sweet Mike still in the plans at RT? 605641[/snapback] Its going to be interesting- Mike Williams has never played on an offensive line with any amount of talent on it....maybe if we upgrade the talent, he wont look so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted February 18, 2006 Author Share Posted February 18, 2006 (edited) He has NOT shown himself to a good RT - running ability of OL plumented when he started and that is supposed to be the strong side. You know I've heard this before, and believed it, but decided to check it out for myself. What I found is this: Peters started 10 games last year, i.e. almost 2/3 of the season. According to STATS Inc. (McGahee 2005 stats), McGahee averaged 4.1 YPC on the left side, 3.6 in the center, and....ta da...4.0 YPC on the right side. Now unless he had an astronomical average in the 6 games MW started, only to be brought down once Peters took over, you might have some weight behind your argument. But seeing as how McGahee averaged no better than 5.3 YPC in his first 6 games, and even averaged 2.6 and 2.8 YPC in 2 of them, that's highly unlikely. And keep in mind that 4 of the first 6 games were against the top-7 worst rushing defenses in the NFL. I wish I could see a season split of the left, right, and center breakdowns to get a better view, but I doubt it would tell us much more. And McNally seems to like the kid, unlike his total non-endorsement of Williams. Edited February 18, 2006 by MadBuffaloDisease Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Because Peters was an experiment , and now that he has shown his abilities at tackle, his skill set tends to merit that he play the weak side. While there isn't nearly as much difference nowadays between LT and RT, the LT usually has to play "in space" more which lends itself to his abilities. With all that said, I'll repeat that if a stud LT is obtained, Peters might as well stay at RT, and he probably be fine. 605663[/snapback] Can we also bring cash/cap space into the equation? If Peters starts at LT, he will probably be the lowest paid LT in the NFL. We all know how much LTs cost. I think that Peters becoming a good LT would open numerous doors for the Buffalo Bills. If he proves that he can play, we will have a strong chance of locking him up to a long term deal during the season. We will also be able to focus on other positions of need such as DT and OG, and have more of an opportunity to take the "best player available." I truly believe that Peters, due to his athletic ability, is more suited to the left side. I don't liken him to an Eric Williams/Bob Brown type of RT road grader, do you? Imo, we need a break such as this. Think about it what we could accomplish if Peters and JP were able to excel at LT/QB. As much as I complain, I think that the Buffalo Bills Football Team can turn itself around in 06. We need a free agent or 2, and a lucky break. Peters as a good NFL LT would be one hell of a start! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts