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How much would Bell have to improve?


billsfan89

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Its no secret that D Bell's play has taken a big step back and is one of the key reasons why the offense isn't playing well. Now he has potential as he has shown brief flashes of good play. Wither you like it or not he is starting the rest of the way and how much improvement would Bell have to show to get you to at least understand why this team would keep him at LT going into next season?

 

To me I need to see him play near starting caliber football at LT week in and week out along with cutting down on the penalties. He doesn't need to show pro-bowl form he just needs to show that he belongs out there in the big league. To me if Bell can show that then we can spend our draft choices on other needs (QB). Bell is in his second year in the league and is playing in his first action at the most important Offensive line position (even Peters got to play RT for a full season before going to the blind side) So to expect great things out of him right away is just not realistic.

 

If this guy can go from lost to playing respectable in one year than I would be comfortable with putting him out there next year and giving him a full off season to get stronger and work on things and come into next season with a full years work under his belt and a off season entrenched as the starter.

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Its no secret that D Bell's play has taken a big step back and is one of the key reasons why the offense isn't playing well. Now he has potential as he has shown brief flashes of good play. Wither you like it or not he is starting the rest of the way and how much improvement would Bell have to show to get you to at least understand why this team would keep him at LT going into next season?

 

To me I need to see him play near starting caliber football at LT week in and week out along with cutting down on the penalties. He doesn't need to show pro-bowl form he just needs to show that he belongs out there in the big league. To me if Bell can show that then we can spend our draft choices on other needs (QB). Bell is in his second year in the league and is playing in his first action at the most important Offensive line position (even Peters got to play RT for a full season before going to the blind side) So to expect great things out of him right away is just not realistic.

 

If this guy can go from lost to playing respectable in one year than I would be comfortable with putting him out there next year and giving him a full off season to get stronger and work on things and come into next season with a full years work under his belt and a off season entrenched as the starter.

billsfan,

 

Last year I would Tivo and watch all the Bills' games a few times, specifically to watch the offensive and defensive line play.

 

As you know, it's really hard to evaluate line play, especially when you're watching a game and basically following the ball.

 

This year, because of the team's poor play, I just haven't had the motivation to watch line play...so it's hard for me to judge Bell right now. Also, he did miss one game to injury.

 

It'll be interesting to see if he can develop into an outstanding left tackle, one that needs almost no help on passing downs, or more of a Mike Gandy sort of player....an average NFL left tackle who needs help from time to time.

 

Hopefully the Bills give me a reason to start watching the games multiple times so I can concentrate on watching the line play.

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billsfan,

 

Last year I would Tivo and watch all the Bills' games a few times, specifically to watch the offensive and defensive line play.

 

As you know, it's really hard to evaluate line play, especially when you're watching a game and basically following the ball.

 

This year, because of the team's poor play, I just haven't had the motivation to watch line play...so it's hard for me to judge Bell right now. Also, he did miss one game to injury.

 

It'll be interesting to see if he can develop into an outstanding left tackle, one that needs almost no help on passing downs, or more of a Mike Gandy sort of player....an average NFL left tackle who needs help from time to time.

 

Hopefully the Bills give me a reason to start watching the games multiple times so I can concentrate on watching the line play.

 

I agree 100% I marvel at people who claim that they know who is playing well on the OL and who is not. The only way I could tell you how Bell is doing this year is if I took a quarter and watched him the entire time or DVR'd the game. I could tell you in general, "yeah the QB seemed to have more time today" or "there seemed to be bigger holes in the running game." However, I, like I would would assume most fans, watch the ball once it is snapped. Therefore the only guys I am really fit to evaluate are the QB and the RB's. If some expert came out and said Bell has played anywhere from tremendous to horrendous this year, I would not be in a position to argue with him.

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I agree 100% I marvel at people who claim that they know who is playing well on the OL and who is not. The only way I could tell you how Bell is doing this year is if I took a quarter and watched him the entire time or DVR'd the game. I could tell you in general, "yeah the QB seemed to have more time today" or "there seemed to be bigger holes in the running game." However, I, like I would would assume most fans, watch the ball once it is snapped. Therefore the only guys I am really fit to evaluate are the QB and the RB's. If some expert came out and said Bell has played anywhere from tremendous to horrendous this year, I would not be in a position to argue with him.

 

Bell will be the starter at LT next year no matter how he plays this year.

 

The clown show has determined that he is next great UDFA to superstar story - so our QB is stuck with a revolving door until the front office (and their disregard for the OL) is replaced

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(even Peters got to play RT for a full season before going to the blind side) So to expect great things out of him right away is just not realistic.

 

The main feature of most Right Tackles is brute strength. Left Tackles are the ones who need to be agile. Bell is agile, but he gets tossed around on pass plays. He looks good on runs when he gets in space but he doesn't appear strong enough to hold off pass rushers.

Peters was stronger than Bell when he was a tight end. He is a very stong player. Bell simply is not. He would never project to RT so this is a moot point imo.

It was unrealistic of the Bills org. to expect Bell to excel at one of the toughest positions to play in any sport.

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I agree 100% I marvel at people who claim that they know who is playing well on the OL and who is not. The only way I could tell you how Bell is doing this year is if I took a quarter and watched him the entire time or DVR'd the game. I could tell you in general, "yeah the QB seemed to have more time today" or "there seemed to be bigger holes in the running game." However, I, like I would would assume most fans, watch the ball once it is snapped. Therefore the only guys I am really fit to evaluate are the QB and the RB's. If some expert came out and said Bell has played anywhere from tremendous to horrendous this year, I would not be in a position to argue with him.

You "marvel at people" who claim to know who is playing well on the OL? It's not that difficult really, the interior line has played relatively well compared to the Offensive tackles. You don't have to be a football guru to know this, the Offensive tackles have been the worst I have ever seen on a Buffalo team. Scott, Chambers and Bell have all been abused and manhandled this year. The only tackle that I saw do well was Butler, but of course he was injured, and Meredith this past game held his own.

 

Out of Scott, Chambers and Bell, the only one I would be willing to give the benefit of the doubt is Bell. In my view, he would have to show consistent improvement between now and the end of the year for me to feel more comfortable with him being penciled in as our starting LT.

 

To say the least, up until now, I am not as optimistic as I was about Bell. That doesn't mean he won't be any good, but he needs to improve drastically for him to be the "penciled in" starter for next year.

 

Personally, I'd rather go after the Nastiest tackle in college, and build a foundation through our Offensive Line. I feel as optimistic as I have in a long time regarding our Interior line, and I do believe that is a good place to start. If we can address the tackles through the draft, with effective players, then I believe this offense will see improvement.

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You "marvel at people" who claim to know who is playing well on the OL? It's not that difficult really, the interior line has played relatively well compared to the Offensive tackles. You don't have to be a football guru to know this, the Offensive tackles have been the worst I have ever seen on a Buffalo team. Scott, Chambers and Bell have all been abused and manhandled this year. The only tackle that I saw do well was Butler, but of course he was injured, and Meredith this past game held his own.

 

Out of Scott, Chambers and Bell, the only one I would be willing to give the benefit of the doubt is Bell. In my view, he would have to show consistent improvement between now and the end of the year for me to feel more comfortable with him being penciled in as our starting LT.

 

To say the least, up until now, I am not as optimistic as I was about Bell. That doesn't mean he won't be any good, but he needs to improve drastically for him to be the "penciled in" starter for next year.

 

Personally, I'd rather go after the Nastiest tackle in college, and build a foundation through our Offensive Line. I feel as optimistic as I have in a long time regarding our Interior line, and I do believe that is a good place to start. If we can address the tackles through the draft, with effective players, then I believe this offense will see improvement.

 

My point is that on a play-to-play basis, this is what I see: Edwards takes the snap, I watch him, holding the ball, as he drops back to pass. He might get flushed to one side after a few seconds or end up scrambling around a little. But if I notice that the pressure came from the right side, if I was watching the ball the whole time, or perhaps even the receivers downfield, how the f**k am I supposed to know if the guy who made the mistake was the guard or the tackle? Now if I worked for the Bills and my job was to watch a guy on the offensive line every play throughout the game, then maybe I could tell ya. I will tell you one thing though: last year everyone on here was saying that Jason Peters pretty much sucked and then the players (who line up against him) and the coaches (who watch hours of game film to prepare to line up against him) voted him into the Pro Bowl. Thusly, I don't get too caught up in what someone like you says and allow our inept coaching staff to decide who plays well enough to keep their starting job.

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My point is that on a play-to-play basis, this is what I see: Edwards takes the snap, I watch him, holding the ball, as he drops back to pass. He might get flushed to one side after a few seconds or end up scrambling around a little. But if I notice that the pressure came from the right side, if I was watching the ball the whole time, or perhaps even the receivers downfield, how the f**k am I supposed to know if the guy who made the mistake was the guard or the tackle? Now if I worked for the Bills and my job was to watch a guy on the offensive line every play throughout the game, then maybe I could tell ya. I will tell you one thing though: last year everyone on here was saying that Jason Peters pretty much sucked and then the players (who line up against him) and the coaches (who watch hours of game film to prepare to line up against him) voted him into the Pro Bowl. Thusly, I don't get too caught up in what someone like you says and allow our inept coaching staff to decide who plays well enough to keep their starting job.

 

I can understand your confusion

 

It must be really hard to figure out that Bell is screwing up when the ref calls his number for penalties more than 5 times a game

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are there any decent FA tackles entering the market next year?

 

This almost never happens. As far as you can remember, do you remember a team (other than the Bills) letting go of a top LT? Once in a blue moon you might see a free agent RT (the giants took one from the jets if I recall) but good teams keep their OTs be it long term contracts or the franchise tag.

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This almost never happens. As far as you can remember, do you remember a team (other than the Bills) letting go of a top LT? Once in a blue moon you might see a free agent RT (the giants took one from the jets if I recall) but good teams keep their OTs be it long term contracts or the franchise tag.

 

But everyone here loved getting rid of Peters :rolleyes:

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I can understand your confusion

 

It must be really hard to figure out that Bell is screwing up when the ref calls his number for penalties more than 5 times a game

 

Come on man, you're smarter than that. False starts are a mental issue that he and the coaches need to work on. That has absolutely zero to do with how he's been playing once the ball is snapped. What did he get 2 or 3 holding penalties against New England? Wasn't that his first career game? Stick a fork in 'em, he's done. How many holding calls has he gotten since? You know what, you're a real bozo.

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I like Bell's athleticism. I have not seen him get beat to the outside. He is quick and agile enough to push out the pass rusher wide. What I noticed him having difficulties with is bull rushers and double moves back into the inside. Blocking to his left, he is excellent. Blocking to his right, he has difficulties with getting infront and staying infront of his man. I think that is from lack of experience and strength. Both could come as early as next year, with a off season to work that out.

 

I agree, our interior looks good. They remind me of the Jets when they had all those high draft rookies starting for them. It took them about 1/2 the season to get things straightened out. Then, they became good.

 

Right tackle. We are down to our 4th string on this position, so I just accept it. We have to wait till Jonathon Scott is healthy again. Next year, we'll have some depth at right tackle.

 

Lets see. We drafted Mike Williams. Then this year we drafted OL in rounds 1 & 2. We paid big bucks for free-agent OL. Granted, they did not all work out, but you cannot saying this front office is ignoring the offensive line. If any position they are not paying much attention to is tight end and full back.

 

I'm excited about this young team. I think we should be getting better as the o-line gets better and more experienced.

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I like Bell's athleticism. I have seen him get beat to the outside. He is quick and agile enough to push out the pass rusher wide. What I noticed him having difficulties with is bull rushers and double moves back into the inside. Blocking to his left, he is excellent. Blocking to his right, he has difficulties with getting infront and staying infront of his man. I think that is from lack of experience and strength. Both could come as early as next year, with a off season to work that out.

Yeah, but he needs to cut-down on those 25 penalties he has so far. :rolleyes:

 

As I said in the other thread, Bell wasn't given reps with the starters at all this past off-season and missed 2 weeks of pre-season. Then he was suddenly thrust into the starting LT role. He needs work but he's far from a lost cause.

 

I agree, our interior looks good. They remind me of the Jets when they had all those high draft rookies starting for them. It took them about 1/2 the season to get things straightened out. Then, they became good.

The interior shows real promise. I think Wood moves to center next year and Hangman moves to RG.

 

Right tackle. We are down to our 4th string on this position, so I just accept it. We have to wait till Jonathon Scott is healthy again. Next year, we'll have some depth at right tackle.

Not so fast. Meredith may be a keeper. And Butler will be back.

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I agree 100% I marvel at people who claim that they know who is playing well on the OL and who is not. The only way I could tell you how Bell is doing this year is if I took a quarter and watched him the entire time or DVR'd the game. I could tell you in general, "yeah the QB seemed to have more time today" or "there seemed to be bigger holes in the running game." However, I, like I would would assume most fans, watch the ball once it is snapped. Therefore the only guys I am really fit to evaluate are the QB and the RB's. If some expert came out and said Bell has played anywhere from tremendous to horrendous this year, I would not be in a position to argue with him.

 

 

Unfortunately, it's easy to notice Olineman getting called for false starts, holding, or when they simply get beat for TFLs or sacks...negative plays, especialyl when you have a lot like Bell, help highlight how terrible a player is...if they do well, you don't hear about it...you usually see it in the form of good running games or you QB having time to throw the ball.

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I like Bell's athleticism. I have not seen him get beat to the outside. He is quick and agile enough to push out the pass rusher wide. What I noticed him having difficulties with is bull rushers and double moves back into the inside. Blocking to his left, he is excellent. Blocking to his right, he has difficulties with getting infront and staying infront of his man. I think that is from lack of experience and strength. Both could come as early as next year, with a off season to work that out.

 

I love the way BB's fans think we have the next diamond in the rough. Bell was a late round draft pick for a reason. We are so used to seeing bad football from the Bills that most of us don't realize this guy is a third stringer on most any other NFL team. The Bills front office really screwed the pooch with the O-line and Bell helps illustate that.

 

don't get me wrong, he may end up evolving into something good in the long run....but right now, this team needs doesn't need one of the worst o lineman in the NFL starting at the most important o line position.

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I love the way BB's fans think we have the next diamond in the rough. Bell was a late round draft pick for a reason. We are so used to seeing bad football from the Bills that most of us don't realize this guy is a third stringer on most any other NFL team. The Bills front office really screwed the pooch with the O-line and Bell helps illustate that.

 

don't get me wrong, he may end up evolving into something good in the long run....but right now, this team needs doesn't need one of the worst o lineman in the NFL starting at the most important o line position.

 

Well my point was that Bell is not playing well over the last 4 game BUT how much would he have to improve to show both the front office as well as a new coaching staff to be confident in keeping him at LT next year. Honestly Bell has 2 really big issues one the penalties (Which should get cut down with more experience and hopefully better coaching) and second Bull rushers tend to give him issues.

 

To me if Bell can cut down on the penalties and show improvement in the blocking of power rushers then going into next year I will be confident in giving Bell the start next season at least from my fan perspective. The guy wasn't exactly put in a position to be successful (Not coming in as the starter till two weeks before the year started).

 

I think that Bell a second year guy who didn't come into this year as the starter at the most important O line position can become a guy who looks like he is competent out there by the end of the year than that huge progress is enough for me to think lets give this guy a whole off season of conditioning and preparation (As well as having film on himself).

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Bell will be the starter at LT next year no matter how he plays this year.

 

The clown show has determined that he is next great UDFA to superstar story - so our QB is stuck with a revolving door until the front office (and their disregard for the OL) is replaced

 

 

such disregard we drafted 2 last year and signed one in FA? and actually signed an above center? The times i've been able to re-watch film hangartner has been significantly better than any bills center in 5 years. he's not great or flashy, but he holds his own against some pretty good DTs. I was actually impressed John Guy scouted him... which means it must have been someone else.

 

this year we will go for DT/OT/LB in draft and free agency if brandon has his way (imo).

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