Your 2009 Buffalo Bills: Offensive Line Preview

Eh, well this is my least favorite preview to do for the Bills. Lets face it, offensive line is the hardest position to scout while just being a fan. You can never tell whose fault it is if the line gives up a sack. It could be anything from a coverage sack to the QB making the wrong read. But what I do know is the Bills have a revamped (Hate using that word, because it sounds positive) offensive line. Langston Walker has been moved from right tackle to left tackle. Brad Butler has been moved from right guard to right tackle. Centers, Melvin Fowler/Duke Preston are out (woo ho!), while Geoff Hangartner is in (D'oh!). Throw in first and second rounders, Andy Levitre and Eric Wood as your guards, and that is your 2009 Buffalo Bills offensive line. Yes, I since the excitement (sarcasm).

Years gone by

It seems like ever since Will Wolford and Howard Ballard walked out of One Bills Drive in 1994, the team has been searching for an identity on the offensive line. We have endured some bad offensive lines over the years. There was Ruben Brown and John Fina on the left side during the late 90's, which wasn't a bad left side. But then the right side was a revolving door of players ( Corey Louchy and Jerry Ostroski aren't the hogs). Then early this decade it was the Mike Williams era, where we thought Williams was going to be the anchor for the line for years to come. He was an anchor alright, he could sink a ship with how fat he was.

After Williams ate himself out of the NFL, the Bills threw a ton of money at the offensive line giving unknown FA Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery 75 million dollars between the two. Not only did both players not earn any of that money, but it alienated all-pro Jason Peters to want more money. Dockery is back to Washington, while Peters out priced himself to Philly. In are rookies Wood and Levitre. Both have been described as meat and potatoes offensive lineman with nasty attitudes. That may seem great to a common Bills fan who relishes the blue collar player (sigh), but how much can we really except from two rookie lineman? I can't remember the last team who got into the playoffs with two rookies, let alone 5 new starters on the line.

The only optimism I can muster up for this strategy is the Bills are trying to go the route of using high draft picks on two lineman. Fina and Brown were probably the best pair of lineman the Bills had since 1996. Both were high draft picks and were able to be a fixture on the offensive line for years. Other than that, I'm not expecting these guys to run over the competition. It's going to be a smoke and mirrors situation with the rookies, meaning they are going to need the tight end and running backs to stay in and block.

Run the Dam Ball

No need for a clever title for this one. The Bills need to find ways to open holes for their running backs. Everyone is concerned for the o-line to protect Edwards, but that hasn't been a problem. Edwards was only sacked 23 times in 14 games last year. The names of the line mates have changed, but the problem of running the football has to change. During the Jauron era in Buffalo, the Bills have only had a running back go over a 100 yards 9 times in a game. You think getting to the century mark is a hard chore? How about trying to average over 4.1 yards per carry (Bills average over the last 2 seasons). How many times have we seen the hand off to Lynch only to see him break 2 tackles and just get back to the line of scrimmage? Too many. Edwards is still a young Quarterback, and in order to ease the pressure off him, he's going to need a running game to help him out.

Whose the man in the middle?

Ugh, the names read like a whose who of bad western movie characters: Dusty Zeigler, Jerry Ostroski, Trey Teague, Melvin Fowler, and Duke Preston. I've heard every single cliche there is to describe these guys. He's a football player, He's a thinking man's player, he plays chest. ahh!! Make it stop! Ever since Kent Hull retired, the Bills have made little effort in trying to replace him. At least they tried throwing money at the problem at other spots on the line. But when it comes to the man in the middle, It's been like casting extras for an explosion scene in a movie. Just get them in and get them out. Enter Geoff Hangartner. Who? And of course, what do they say about the guy? He scored a 47 on his wonderlic test and is an extremely intelligent player, who was a back-up in 8 games last year for Carolina. Can someone explain to me what the wonderlic does for a player?.

Will Jason Peters departure hurt the Bills?

I may be in the minority here, but I was not a fan of the Jason Peters trade. All-pro left tackles don't grow on trees and considering it took the Bills 14 years to find their heir apparent to Will Wolford, it's going to take a long time to find the next one. If the Bills were the Patriots or a team with a proven track record of finding offensive line talent, I'd be for the trade. I think a lot of fans took it too personal when it came to Peters holding out. Face Facts, when you've made 2 pro bowls and you're the 3rd least paid offensive lineman on your team, you have a legit beef. I know he could of gone about it a little better than holding out, but football is a business and it shouldn't deter a fan's opinion of a player. Enter Langston Walker. Walker has been a decent lineman for the Bills on the right side, but has had issues dealing with pass rushers with exceptional speed. Fans were happy to kick Peters out to pasture in Buffalo, but I'm betting the over/under of week 4 when fans second guess the decision. 

Tight End situation

This is how bad it gets when you don't even get your own article to talk about a certain position on the team. I could make about 20 jokes about the tight end situation in Buffalo over the last 20 years. When Jay Riemersma and Pete Metzelaars are your best Tight ends in team history, you have issues. The Bills the 3 tight ends on the roster are Derek Schouman, Jason Fine, and rookie Shawn Nelson. If the Bills are as adamant about having a lot of 3 wide sets and getting their running backs involved in the passing game, it would be smart to have the best blocking tight end as your starter to help in pass protection. That eliminates Shawn Nelson whose more of a receiving tight end. Fine is the best of both worlds when it comes to blocking and receiving, while Schouman is more known for blocking. The Bills have been criticised for not involving the tight end enough in the passing game, and I don't see that changing because of the addition of Owens. Blocking should be the goals of the tight ends this year. 

-joe-

Part 1: Quarterback Preview
Part 2: Running Backs Preview
Part 3: Wide Receivers Preview
Part 4: O-Line Preview
Part 5: D-Line Preview
Part 6: Linebacker Preview
Part 7: Secondary Preview
Part 8: Special Teams Preview
Part 9: Coaching Preview