Is anyone else as pissed off about Walker being a baby as I am

[The Dean]

How many years does he have left on his contract?

 

 

He is signed through 2011.

 

I didn't hear about Levitre moving to LT. That doesn't mean it wasn't reported, though.

 

I think they'd like to see Bell take that job, eventually.

[Koufax]

Walker is not a prototypical LT, has not had that as his role, and I agree is getting put out of position in a way that has the potential to have him vilified for a coaching choice, so wanting to rein in expectations seems logical.

 

I also would have liked Oher at 11 and Ngata at 8, but don't like to focus on past drafts and am happy with who we got and they guys we have. At the moment we simply do not have a proven LT on the roster, and I prefer playing Walker out of position to give it a shot rather than playing Fred Jackson there . So we are taking a big chance there, but Oher would have been a chance too, and not trading Peters would have been a big gamble as well.

 

Langston is big, powerful, and intelligent, which are three things going for him as he tries to be good at a new position that is a key position. But he also is slow and inexperienced and playing next to a rookie guard which are three things working against him. I think we all agree that his success is very uncertain, and is the key to our season. I am worried and wary overall, and look forward to seeing our line in action. Until then it is hard to judge, but I think it is also obvious our line will be better than the unit that started last season 4-0, and has a bright future even if Walker ends up not being our long term solution at LT.

 

My guess goes something like this. I am sure some people would remove some likelihood from the good options to add to the bad options, but I'm somewhat moderately optimistic

 

5% he proves to be an awesome LT and goes to Hawaii

20% he proves to be a good LT and we don't notice him much and are happy as Trent has time and we talk about the receivers

50% he proves to be a passable LT, and while not a strength his role on the team is not a huge plus or minus

20% he struggles and is a weakspot without being a complete disaster

5% he is a complete disaster, can't move fast enough, and is temporarily replaced during the season and permanently during the off season.

[TimGraham]

Didn't Tim Graham say that LW is just trying to keep down expectations?

 

I don't recall saying or writing that.

 

I vaguely recall expressing the idea he might be trying to defuse the controversy by treating the situation as no big deal. But expectations for the season are entirely different.

 

I sincerely doubt he ever would want to convey that he doesn't expect to perform well at left tackle.

[billybob]

My problem with moving Walker to LT has at least as much if not more to do with my lack of faith in Butler being even an adequate RT. I'd much rather the Bills keep Walker at RT and have Chambers and Bell compete for LT. If I had a strong belief that Bell was the future I'd use the preseason to get him as much playing time as possible and be content with giving a lot to help to left side. To me that makes a lot more sense than using Walker as a stop gap measure at LT and praying that Brad Butler beats the odds at RT.

[DazedandConfused]

I for one do not see these athletes as being revered people or role models so I care very little about what they reportedly said and care a lot more about what they actually do on the field in games.

 

Even my judgment of their performance though I am quite rabid about it as a Bills fan is extremely limited in its importance because though it is a game I care a lot about I realize it is only a game.

 

Thus in the big picture, I think it is quite reasonable to be "miffed" about something a player says repeatedly. but this expression in the third hand sourcing of a media article strikes me as pretty far from something to get pissed about and probably does not rise to the minor league level of even getting miffed about it.

[The Dean]

My guess goes something like this. I am sure some people would remove some likelihood from the good options to add to the bad options, but I'm somewhat moderately optimistic

 

5% he proves to be an awesome LT and goes to Hawaii

20% he proves to be a good LT and we don't notice him much and are happy as Trent has time and we talk about the receivers

50% he proves to be a passable LT, and while not a strength his role on the team is not a huge plus or minus

20% he struggles and is a weakspot without being a complete disaster

5% he is a complete disaster, can't move fast enough, and is temporarily replaced during the season and permanently during the off season.

 

 

I think that's as good a guess as any (give or take a few percentage points, either way).

 

I think it is very unlikely he will be a complete disaster. Why? We have already seen him play the position and he wasn't a complete disaster. I believe he was adequate, if unspectacular. That was when he knew he was just a stop gap until Peters returned. Now he knows it is for real. He seems like a fairly smart guy, is said to be a hard worker and is certainly big enough to handle the job. IMO Walker impresses me with his athleticism for his huge size. He may get beat by a speed rusher, from time to time, but I don't think he will get bull-rushed all that effectively.

 

The real wild card here, is the interior of the O Line. If it is much improved, the chances of Walker performing well improve with it. If they falter, then he may not perform to the level he did in the past.

 

So, collapsing your categories, there is about a 25% chance his play is well below average, and hurts the team. I'd say that's about right. It is also extremely unlikely he becomes a Pro Bowl LT.