Bills lose RT Butler to season-ending knee injury
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 1:00 PM EDT
in Buffalo Bills News
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PrintBuffalo Bills right tackle Brad Butler - the Bills' most experienced starting offensive lineman when the new season began - will miss the remainder of the 2009 season with a right knee injury. Dick Jauron confirmed the worst early Monday afternoon; Butler's knee will require surgery.
Butler was injured late in the second quarter of the Bills' 33-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While blocking, Butler's leg was rolled up on from the back, sending Butler to the turf. Though he made it off the field with the assistance of team trainers (see photo), Butler could not put any weight on the leg and was eventually carted to the locker room.
Jonathan Scott, a fourth-year veteran with limited playing experience, assumed Butler's spot at right tackle with the ones on Sunday and will continue to do so for the immediate future. The 6'6", 318-pound Scott was drafted by Detroit in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Veteran Kirk Chambers is the only other tackle on the roster aside from Scott and starting left tackle Demetrius Bell.
Buffalo held a free agent visit in recent weeks with veteran Jon Runyan, the former right tackle in Philadelphia. The visit appeared to be just that - a visit; no negotiations took place. Langston Walker, whom the Bills released on September 8 just prior to the start of the regular season, also remains available, though the likelihood of the Bills being interested in re-signing the veteran is rather small.
This is a big blow for Buffalo's vastly inexperienced, yet (pleasantly) surprising offensive line. With Butler on the shelf, center Geoff Hangartner - who will play in just his third game with Buffalo when the Bills host New Orleans this coming Sunday - becomes the Bills' most experienced blocker.
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HUGE blow - definitely is going to hurt...
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
Well, you’d think they’ll go out and sign somebody, given that a) they only have seven linemen and b) they’ll have a free roster spot once Butler lands on IR. If it’s Runyan, great. Either way, this is devastating.
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
It has to be Runyan
We need a vet with a mean attitude, that knows how to blow up holes in the running game.
Your ability to control the LOS is directly linked to your ability to win football games!
FEED the BEAST!
Not worried yet
I think Scott played pretty well. He can only get better at this point. Chambers can swing and will do just that.
and I still don't think...
Runyan is the best option. Sorry. Him being 35, with a bad knee doesn’t make me feel secure, especially with two players going down with knee injuries this week.
I made it through the first 50ish plays last night and hope to finish the breakdown tonight. Scott’s sample will be small but it appears that the team is going with him at RT if he’s getting the reps with the first string in practice.
Of course we could make things more challenging, Lisa, but then the stupider students would be in here complaining, furrowing their brows in a vain attempt to understand the situation--Seymour Skinner
It is still hard to believe Walker has fallen so far so fast without suffering an injury
I wouldn’t blame Walker if he didn’t want to come back, but if he does why wouldn’t he be our best option at RT?
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
I prefer Runyan
Way more aggressive run blocker
Your ability to control the LOS is directly linked to your ability to win football games!
FEED the BEAST!
Ummm.
I think Walkers problem was mental, plus he was a little overweight. He was tired of being shifted around.
is Levi Jones still available?
Tackles will go down, in many respects if this was going to happen we are a tiny bit lucky it did with guys still on the marker who are serviceable. We need to sign someone now.
We got your back Leodis!
Some other possibilities
Trade with Jax to get Tra Thomas here (Reed or Roscoe) as they lost 2 WRs to injury and cut.
Damian McIntosh (started at KC last year) is available.
McIntosh might be a decent option
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
We’re going to miss his demeanor and toughness as much as his blocking, IMO. Butler to Scott talent and blocking-wise is a steep dropoff, but the difference between their demeanor might be even larger. Scott seems to have that typical UT demeanor….hope that’s not the case though.
I wonder if this is the least experienced starting OL in NFL history now?
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I wonder if this is the least experienced starting OL in NFL history now?
how can it not be? seriously.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 21, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, injuries and rookies have been on OL’s previously….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I know but we were starting three rookies. How many OLs do that?
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 21, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
On Monday night against the Pats, they said that the Bills were the first non-expansion team to start 3 linemen with no experience since the 1981 Redskins – so it almost never happens.
Runyan, Levi Jones or Langston Walker have got to be the options we’re contemplating at the moment
by BillsfanfromDenmark on Sep 21, 2009 1:38 PM EDT reply actions
Walker cannot be an option
The team felt he regressed (stinks) and he couldn’t keep up with the no-huddle. I just don’t see how that could have changed in 2 weeks….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Side note…Demetrius Bell played much better yesterday and is already cutting down on his mistakes! Keep up the improvement, kid.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
How long will it take an out-of-work tackle to get ready for the no-huddle? I thought it was said that Walker was never ready. Levi Jones has that knee problem and with the fast pace, he might not be able to stay with it for 14 more games. They are going to need to pick up the hardest worker and most stable, not just the most talented, they can find.
Yes he is
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
If hes healthy..why not take a shot
Other than Jones and Runyan there isn’t much out there. You have Chuck Spencer and Rob Petitti (both picked up by the same UFL team) which I don’t want. haha..I suppose you could always bring back Jonas Jennings.
There’s a chance – and I’m certainly not advocating it, nor working on anything other than my own thoughts – that the Bills could keep Chambers as their third tackle and elevate Brandon Rodd from the practice squad as an eighth lineman. Don’t be shocked if that’s the route they take, because some of these vets are asking for trouble.
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 2:24 PM EDT reply actions
And by Rodd, I mean Hennessey. :)
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmmm
Hennessey did make nice advances during training camp and preseason, especially coming from Colgate. Could they use him on the right side though, I dodn’t remember him seeing any reps there.
I thought Rodd looked pretty good during the preseason, especially on run-blocking. Scott appeared to be holding his own yesterday and will likely keep getting better. If this is the solution the team comes up with, I would not be unhappy. The thing I keep focusing on is that the current o-line is INFINITELY better than any we have had in living memory (well, at least back to the Kent Hull era).
I agree. I wouldn’t mind seeing this young Oline work out its kinks while the team is already playing this well.
I remain convinced that somehow Drew Rosenhaus negotiated a playing time deal for Roscoe into the contract for TO.
by thefourwinds on Sep 22, 2009 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions
because some of these vets are asking for trouble
??
Your ability to control the LOS is directly linked to your ability to win football games!
FEED the BEAST!
I think he means if we sign them we are asking for trouble starting them. Meaning, they aren’t good?
Yes, that is what I meant. Thanks
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, didn’t the Bills say they couldn’t run much no-huddle last year because Peters wasn’t in camp in time to learn the terminology and the changes at the line? I totally agree that they will try to stay in house with this.
Wouldn't it be ironic if this team imploded and it had nothing to do with TO?
by thefourwinds on Sep 21, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
This sucks
they were really coming together
if we had to lose 1 he would be it though…
trade tallks with parish?
"Hold ya chin up...nuh nuh nuh...gone" -Marshawn Lynch-
if we had to lose 1 he would be it though…
Not sure I can even approach agreeing with that.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 21, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah no kidding.......
If we had to lose one why couldnt it have been, you know…….Walker?
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)
by norcaliangelsfan on Sep 21, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe he just means that if anyone was going to get injured, then it would have been Butler – not that losing Butler is the least harmful to the team.
That’s how I interpreted it as well – and I still disagree with it. Butler is severely underrated. He can really play, and he was the leader of the unit.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 22, 2009 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Son of a beach............
so it begins.
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)
by norcaliangelsfan on Sep 21, 2009 3:36 PM EDT reply actions
what about whittle? or is he an interior lineman?
and also kirk chambers did a decent job.
I feel like it will be rough, however we have been used to seeing 40-50 sack seasons from the o-line for the past few years, and i dont think it will get that bad.
40 sacks might make fitzpatrick come into play since edwards has yet to prove he’s durable.
so we shall see. But to be honest… i’m not so worried. Look at fred jackson’s stats, and that’s with basically 4 rookies. Once they get marshawn, if they split carries 50/50 or 60/40, then they’ll always be fresh, and they’ll do well.
What we need to see is them versus the Jets or some 3-4 defense. (patriots weren’t pure 3-4 and the bills could compete… for now…)
If they can manage to give their running backs even an average of 3.6 or better per carry, and trent gets sacked fewer than 4 times (one or fewer turnovers, also) then i’d call it productive.
so again… we shall see
Whittle is ancient for NFL standards and not very good when he was younger. Plus you are right he was an interior guy.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 22, 2009 7:59 AM EDT up reply actions
After watching the replay, Bell got beat on the outside and it was his man that fell into Butler as a result.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Yeah… his guy ran all the way around the play. It was brutal to re-watch.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 22, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
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