Buffalo Bills' Demetrius Bell Getting One Last Pre-Free Agency Look
by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 12:10 PM EST
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Finally healthy and coming off a strong performance in San Diego, Demetrius Bell looks like he's on the verge of re-claiming his starting left tackle role heading into the Buffalo Bills' Week 15 showdown with the Miami Dolphins.
In last week's loss to the Chargers, Bell split reps with rookie Chris Hairston, who had made several consecutive starts at the position after recovering from an injury himself. Bell clearly outperformed Hairston, and with three games left in Bell's rookie contract with the Bills, it makes perfect sense to re-evaluate him one last time before he hits unrestricted free agency.
Earlier this week, the Bills gave right tackle Erik Pears a three-year, $9.3 million contract, and Hairston is locked up through the end of the 2014 season on a four-year rookie deal, as well. Those two players will be in Buffalo for the foreseeable future, leaving Bell as the only remaining question mark.
In Bell, Hairston and Pears, the Bills have something they haven't had in quite a while - three serviceable offensive tackles on the same roster. If Bell performs well to close out the season and the team feels comfortable with his health, they may look to preserve their depth at the position - even if the trio won't be league-revered at their craft.
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Considering that it’s been such a long time since we’ve had a half way decent O-line, I hope the Bills FO finds a way to keep them all together and re-signs Bell before the season ends…
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 12:27 PM EST reply actions
Yes, I must say…I’ve never been a fan of Pears or Bell, neither being so great as to write home about…but it has been a while since we’ve had strong depth up front and I doubt we will draft an OT high or spend big money to upgrade LT…so I say sign him and be done worrying about the O-Line and focus on our biggest r weaknesses…everywhere else! (Except RB and Special Teams)
Letting hairston sit for two years would be great. It would give him two full seasons of conditioning and practice. He could then hit the ground rolling. 4 year contract 2 years guarenteed for bell.
"This is a chance to shine some light on the city, They say it’s too cold. I’m going to bring some warmth to it." Marcell Dareus
by matthew62 on Dec 15, 2011 12:33 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Not "league-revered"?
Perhaps I’m remembering wrong, but didn’t PFF declare Bell one of the best LT’s in the league earlier this year before he got injured? Pears may not be quite “league-revered,” but he’s very good, and Hairston is a rookie whose final potential is still unknown. Keep this trio together, give them more time, and the rest of the NFL might start to take notice of them.
agreed.
I’m a big fan of D. Bell’s play on the field. If he can stay on the field I’ll like him even more.
Bell has had two significant injuries over three years. Is that an indication that he is injury-prone, or just some bad luck? Keep in mind that Eric Woods has been out about the same amount of time as Bell and no one is talking about him as an injury risk.
Perhaps the Bills’ medical staff has some insight on this but I think it’s hard for fans to know whether there is a real problem or not.
Hmm
I quess we have to ignore/discount the uncontrollable i.e. injuries and just evaluate player based on skill level, not ability/luck to avoid injury. Base it on performance.
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 6:46 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I don’t think a broken collar bone makes you injury-prone. It seems like a freak accident that he broke it.
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
It’s hard to PAY a guy based on talent though when you don’t know how many games he is going to get in. I think it might be in both of their interests to extend the contract by a year. If he turns into a stud he’ll get PAID. If he plays at his current level, he’ll still get paid pretty well. If he plays badly, well. How much different will that be if he only plays 10 games?
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 10:31 PM EST up reply actions
PFF is not “the league.”
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 1:54 PM EST up reply actions
Unforunately, it's not.
PFF had a love-fest with Kyle Williams last year, and had them as their DPOY and #3 overall player in the NFL.
I think it’s safe to say that national attention for Kyle isn’t anywhere near what other DPOY canidates get.
"I got no problem with 7-9 coming off of 4-12 as long as I don't buy a couch there, you got to keep moving" - Mike Schoop
Idk that I would say bell “clearly outperformed” hairston- each was victimized at different times throughout that game, and Hairston took WAY more snaps. Hairston was far better on his early series than bell was on his… And I saw both of them, AND levitre get beat fairly consistently on that side, typically when Andy doubleteamed the inside rusher and the de came inside, and times when he was also blocking air. On the whole- the whole line had some issues in that game. Idk that hairston deserves to be the goat of the game that everyone is making him out to be. Especially when d bell was inconsistent, due to being rusty, I am sure.
ABAYARDE IS NOSTRADAMUS JUST WATCH WE WILL NOT YIEALD TO NOBODY YOUR SOUL WE WILL TAKE
by ThaRealTruth on Dec 15, 2011 1:11 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I'm very hopeful they re-sign him...
One of the sources of optimism we’d have heading into next season would be not only depth but also stability — the same group of guys on the O-line for consecutive years for the first time in I don’t know how long and the chance for them to continue to grow as a group.
However, I do wonder this: In giving Bell this public audition heading into his free agency, aren’t we also increasing his visibility/appeal to other potential suitors and/or driving up his price if he performs well? Might we actually be better served by leaving Hairston at LT for the rest of the year? This might be a silly idea; other teams like Chicago may already have made up their mind about whether or not they’re interested, but I’m curious about what people think.
@sawyervanhorn
by Sawyer in Boston on Dec 15, 2011 1:12 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I don’t think that your idea is silly at all Sawyer. I agree.
"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 15, 2011 6:11 PM EST up reply actions
me too
there is definitely some validity to that thought.. but I don’t know that Bell will get into any kind of “true rhythm” to really increase his demand. People probably know what potential he has, and ultimately, his value isn’t likely to change a whole lot. I believe we should be able to re-sign him relatively easy, but maybe that is just my wishful thinking. Regardless, I feel Hairston is our long term starter at LT.
ABAYARDE IS NOSTRADAMUS JUST WATCH WE WILL NOT YIEALD TO NOBODY YOUR SOUL WE WILL TAKE
by ThaRealTruth on Dec 15, 2011 6:14 PM EST up reply actions
the same group of guys on the O-line for consecutive years for the first time in I don’t know how long and the chance for them to continue to grow as a group.
.
Probably have to go back to the Hull-Ritcher era?
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I’ve mostly blocked out the Fowlers of the world, so I’d have to go back that far.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 10:33 PM EST up reply actions
To my recollection..
The first few weeks of the season when our OLine was intact we had the fewest sacks and most rushing yards..
Keep D. Bell build that depth
by RiddickBillsFan on Dec 15, 2011 1:17 PM EST via mobile reply actions 2 recs
These tackles are indeed, “serviceable” and that’s nothing to brag about. The low sack total at the beginning of the year was mostly the byproduct of an offense that was designed to mask a mediocre line and take advantage of a QB who is good at making pre-snap reads and delivering on short drops. The downside to this masking attempt has been on full display since the losing strak began. Defenses are flooding the underneath routes with bodies to disrupt these quicjk, rythmic patterns. Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the arm strength, nor do his receivers have the talent, to take advantage up top.
I don’t know what the solution is. My guess is that better outside receivers and an elite left tackle would help diversify Buffalo’s offense so defenses can’t cheat as much, but can Fitzpatrick even take advantage of these assets with his physical limitations? He hasn’t looked like he can over the past few weeks, but I’ve seen him get it down the field at times when necessary, so I’d gamble that he could and get him the upgrades needed(while keeping my eyes wide open for a better bet at QB in the draft). One thing is certain, for all of Buffalo’s serviceable pieces on offense (Fitz, Pears, Bell, Chandler, the wide receivers, etc), this group has been figured out for weeks and they are not talented enough to counterpunch.
"There's only one C.J. Spiller." -Buddy Nix
by Port Royal on Dec 15, 2011 1:36 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
The other, easier way to diversify the offense – and what I think you’re really striving for there is a more balanced offense – is setting up the run and using play-action. People don’t like to admit it, or just don’t realize it, but Fitzpatrick is at his absolute best out of play action. That Baltimore game last year? Pretty much every big play had a play fake in it.
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 1:56 PM EST up reply actions
…to bad we don’t have a nice downfield receiver like Lee Evans like we did in the Baltimore game.
@sawyervanhorn
by Sawyer in Boston on Dec 15, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
And yet ironically, the player that caught the “deep ball” touchdown in that game was Stevie Johnson.
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
More ironically is that since taking over Evans starting job, Johnson has not been able to accomplish such meaningful catches
Except that word ironic doesnt work there at all.
And I don’t understand the correlation between “Evans being gone” and “Johnson not making meaningful catches.”
We undoubtedly let Evans go because the FO was confident that Johnson could produce near or better than Evans in a starting role and well, he hasn’t! I know everyone is going to backlash and say “Evans wanted to go, that’s why he was traded”…Guess what, this is a business and the point of this business is to win and if Nix felt that Evans was a necessary cog for the offense to win games, he would’ve kept him or found an immediate replacement. So for as much flak as Evans takes for bolting and not playing well elsewhere and how he wasn’t ‘that good’…it is very much ironic that his unquestioned replacement isn’t ‘that good’
Ummmm…Hasn’t Johnson outperformed Lee Evans for 2 years in a row now. Look at Evans last 2 years in Buffalo (we’ll throw this one out the window) and compare them to Johnson’s last 2 seasons as a Bill. They both played 29 games. Evans had 1190 yards and 11 touchdowns in that time. Johnson has 1863 and 16 touchdowns. Evans best year of those two has less yards and only one more touchdown than Johnson has this year (Evans had 16 games that year….Johnson so far has only 13) Can you blame the Bills for liking Johnson in the WR1 role more?
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 5:20 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
People don’t like to admit it, or just don’t realize it, but Fitzpatrick is at his absolute best out of play action.
Apparently Fitz’ HC/OC doesn’t realize it either.
Give a monkey a typewriter and infinite time, and he’ll eventually release Maybin. -- stetzwebs
No one circles the waiver wire like the Buffalo Bills!
by thefourwinds on Dec 15, 2011 6:14 PM EST up reply actions
Yep
Perfect example why Chan isn’t to blame for team demise. He needs more talent to work with. Are you listening OBD?
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
Why? Is that a slam dunk? Bell has had one healthy season in three years, and he’s OK at best when he plays. Who would overpay for a guy like that?
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
He is a bill so rex ryan will make an offer.
"This is a chance to shine some light on the city, They say it’s too cold. I’m going to bring some warmth to it." Marcell Dareus
by matthew62 on Dec 15, 2011 2:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah.
They're definitely going to replace D'Brickashaw Ferguson with Bell. That's incredibly likely.
Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.
Citi Field loves the mets so much it smothers them. -the caveman
Ahh
Sarcastic font, I need some!
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 3:04 PM EST up reply actions
Not Ryan, but Bellichick might!
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:07 PM EST up reply actions
I would argue that many teams would overpay to get Bell. He’s a good young player that plays at one of the more important positions.
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 3:19 PM EST up reply actions
Did you think the Jags would break the bank to the degree they did for Poz? I’m not saying Bell will get paid to that extent, but I think he’d get an offer the Bills would consider unreasonable.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you sireric for bringing the furious punching cat back into my life. - poz
by bluecollarbuffalo on Dec 15, 2011 10:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Those are my thoughts too buddy.
"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 16, 2011 5:08 PM EST up reply actions
We will try and lowball him with a 4 year, 12 million offer.
And then in comes in the Bizarro GM who thinks he’s smarter than everyone and pay him a 5 year, 30 million dollar deal.
Its just not fair.
"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 16, 2011 5:10 PM EST up reply actions
I'm down with that.
Weeks 1 through 5, Bell, Levitre, Wood, Urbik & Pears manned a line that was considered one of the league’s best. Ryan Fitzpatrick and more importantly Fred Jackson would attest to that.
Why spend good $ on these guys????
All 3 of these linemen are “C” players. Why not go out and get some real O line players and pay a little more?
$9M for a backup for 3 years?? I going to start taking steriods!
This is a no brainer. Get proven starters that can play the O line. Until that happens you are going to have poor running and passing stats. Same on the D line. If we can get good pressure on the opposing QB you get killed. We have a couple of good guys now but need 4 solid lineman to get by.
It is so elementary it is mind boggling that Nix and clan can’t figure it out. In the offseason last year we go NO ONE, NO ONE in free agency to help the O line. Why would any good QB want to come to Buffalo and get killed!
Freddy’s huge emergence had alot to do with the line. He was having huge holes to run through straight to the secondary. Then people got hurt and freddy’s games were not as big.
"This is a chance to shine some light on the city, They say it’s too cold. I’m going to bring some warmth to it." Marcell Dareus
by matthew62 on Dec 15, 2011 2:39 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
who do you suggest we get?
I’m just curious who you think is out there that is a free agent this year that is better.
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 2:42 PM EST up reply actions
I guess you are saying that these 3 are better than any free agent coming out this year?
I don’t keep a list of the free agents for 2012 or any other year. Nix should. We should ask him.
Nix does not have a history of spending big dollars or high draft picks on offensive linemen. Like it or not, you’d better get used to it. :)
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
Have you watched out O-line this year?
they actually have played pretty well.
Bell is a pretty good young tackle so yes, I think he’s probably better than other available free agents. We’d be foolish to let him walk. When healthy, our O-line looked good.
Here is a list of available O-line free agents from Football Future.
http://www.footballsfuture.com/2012/fa/ol.html
Notice the write up of Bell?
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
Hey man, I'm agreeing with you.
Reply to the right guy :P
er, sorry. I just get so amped to reply that sometimes i wildly start clicking any reply button i see. …or something like that.
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
OK, thanks for the list.
I am not saying to not sign these guys. Maybe $9M for 3 years for a serviceable OG is market. I don’t really know but it seems like a lot of $ for a guy that to me has not really proven anything.
What I am saying is get some solid, proven starters and pay them. Brian says that wont happen so it will be same old story. Every time someone asks who my team is I have this awkward look on my face and sheepishly say…..Buffalo. CRAP!
In re-signing Pears, they’ve done exactly what you asked them to: get a solid, proven starter and pay him.
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
He wasn’t that good while he was here and he’s kind of small for our current system. There are a lot of big NTs in this division, so you either need somebody that is really big or really nasty (or preferably both) and Hang just wasn’t that guy.
Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.
Citi Field loves the mets so much it smothers them. -the caveman
If you don't know
if that is a fair amount of money, then why are you complaining? Research it first. It is a fair amount of money for the type of player he is.
is get some solid, proven starters and pay them
like erik pears and demetrius bell?
why fans love big time FA additions so much really escapes me. go ask an eagles fan how much adding big name FAs helped their 2011 football team
Its fun to think quarterback, but i think the odds of nix taking one in the first are close to 0%.
Oh Come On
Theres some good FA signings out there. We just don’t do that in Buffalo, first because no one wants to play here. big deal. But just because Buffalo can’t sign quality FA’s doesn’t make being able to bad. What escapes me is how long its taking this franchise to win, so I question. We spent good money on Fitz and Brad whats his name? Smith. Please. Our GM/HC are doing great with what they’ve been given and I’ll agree O/L is looking better but boy that took 11 plus yrs. to move forward. Loving what Chan and to lesser degree, Nix have been doing.
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 6:55 PM EST up reply actions
big FA additions almost never pan out as hoped. fans love them, but unless its drew brees in NO how often do they really translate to franchise success? hows the cardinals season with kevin kolb? or the eagles? the seahawks with sidney rice?
year after year teams like the raiders and redskins go crazy in free agency and dont get any better, while teams like the steelers and packers just sit tight and continue to dominate everyone with good coaching and drafting.
Its fun to think quarterback, but i think the odds of nix taking one in the first are close to 0%.
by boomsauce on Dec 15, 2011 7:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The dynasties are built primarily through the draft, with FAs (not necessarily big names) filling the gaps.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
thank you for totally agreeing with my point
Its fun to think quarterback, but i think the odds of nix taking one in the first are close to 0%.
Hugs
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
and this is exactly why
Hairston is our likely starter of the future, while Bell will likely be depth.
ABAYARDE IS NOSTRADAMUS JUST WATCH WE WILL NOT YIEALD TO NOBODY YOUR SOUL WE WILL TAKE
by ThaRealTruth on Dec 15, 2011 6:12 PM EST up reply actions
I would give Bell
an B+ for the beginning of the year.
And I think Pears has played at least a B this year.
And Hairston is a rookie.
They have worked well this year.
You want to mess with that?
Erik Pears is not a backup. It’s the same contract they gave to Cornell Green, by the way.
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by Brian Galliford on Dec 15, 2011 3:01 PM EST up reply actions
This sums up what is wrong with the Bills
Not to pick on you personally, HotinAZ, but bringing players along and then letting them leave when the team chemistry is starting to cook is why we are forever in the cellar. Nix seems to be trying to stop this horrible trend so that the Bills stop being the farm team for the rest of the league. They need to keep players that contribute well. Keeping D. Bell is another critical step in this process following Kelsay, Fitz and Pears. Keep it going, Buddy!
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:15 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
True
But we seem to sign wrong players, why else our record past 11 yrs? We trade away ML and LE or we lose out on FA for whatever reasons, result is we never get outside help. So FO goes all “commando like” we won’t be active in FA, shoud’a said won’t be successful in FA. And added we’ll get d grades on draft picks. This rebuild could take a while. Only plus is Chan’s ability to work with sub par talent and Nix’s persistency with working waiver wire and such. People are attacking employees when they should question ownership.
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 7:45 PM EST up reply actions
I wouldn’t yet label Hairston with any such letter grade. Bell I think is a little better than you appear to be giving him credit for, but still average. We have no idea what Hairston is capable of yet, and for a rookie campaign at an important OL position, he’s played pretty well.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
???
What are you talking about $9M for 3 years? Pears is a starter, and has been doing quite a nice job of that as well. I really don’t get where the hatred for the original ‘11 starting OL comes from. Bell, Levitre, Wood, Urbik, and Pears started this season as a solid OL. Best of all, they’re still relatively young with potential to get even better. Hairston looks to be a good backup T. By re-signing Bell, it would allow the Bills to focus on improving depth, something this year’s injury bug highlighted the importance of. There are few starting positions of need I see for the upcoming offseason. OLB (X2), WR, maybe CB then what?! After that, I see improving depth and/or upgrading starters as keys to the offseason. If the Bills can do that, I see them as very competitive next year.
Be real
These guys have been more than serviceable. It has been proven that time and stability for an O-line helps performance. You can’t just ignore being one of the teams w/ the fewest sacks…and we have had some injuries as well. You keep these guys, sign them to reasonable money, and create depth. As we fill more important holes with less talent, we then bring in guys of higher talent in all positions and replace average players. It is how a team is built….
Fitz's wishlist
should consist of a WR deep-threat and a WR/TE hybrid type
The Buffalo Billy Goats .. and the Ice Goats
by BillyGoats_DC on Dec 15, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions
and a decent defense that can actually make a stop when needed…. ;)
by WestCoastBills on Dec 15, 2011 3:20 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
^^^This^^^
Please base your arguments in provable facts instead of pulling stuff out of your rear. -CanadianBillsFan- This is why talk is cheap because the supply always exceeds the demand.
If Fitz was complaining then you might have a point, but Fitz has not made one hint that he has a problem with the O-line
Please base your arguments in provable facts instead of pulling stuff out of your rear. -CanadianBillsFan- This is why talk is cheap because the supply always exceeds the demand.
And, in fact, Fitz takes them out for breakfast once a week to keep them all happy.
.
Well, relatively happy, considering where we’re winding up this season.
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:17 PM EST up reply actions
for the most part, the best offensive lines in the league have been built on serviceable players.
good OL play comes down to continuity, health, coaching, and QB play. a great offensive line can be built with 5 ‘serviceable’ (whatever the hell that means anyway) guys
Its fun to think quarterback, but i think the odds of nix taking one in the first are close to 0%.
by boomsauce on Dec 15, 2011 5:52 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
Factor in overwelhming injuries league wide and servicable players are your starters, statisically that is. Or I’m just spouting gibberish, you decide.:)
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 15, 2011 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
I’m missing something. What is the alternative? The scarcity of great OTs is unique in my 40 plus years of watching. Average is now more than OK, and Bell may (repeat may) have a little more upside in the future. Put a dollar number on him and live with it. If Hairston becomes better you can always trade one of them for a lot more than most would surmise.
Why trade away your depth?
Hairston is a rookie on a 4th round rookie contract. He’s relatively cheap and can learn the offense. Keep both guys on the roster. Bills fans are rip roaring that we have no depth but once we find a decent starter, the thoughts are “trade away the backup!”. That makes no sense to me. Injuries happen, time to live and deal with it. How to deal with it? DEPTH! We have the cap space, use it to maintain depth so we don’t lose 6 in a row when the injury bug hits us.
by BuffaloFanFromCT on Dec 15, 2011 5:02 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
Yup........ and Rec'd.
"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Dec 15, 2011 6:20 PM EST up reply actions
I said this same thing in a reply further up the page, but you said it way better! Recommended!
"Teams that don't deserve to win.... usually don’t. Today is no exception." -- Mr Huge Pecs
"Nick Barnett is everywhere. He is behind you right now." -- Munchausen
by ChuckBuffInFlo on Dec 15, 2011 7:19 PM EST up reply actions
ya they pretty much should keep all 3 guys.
if bell walks then they need to draft another OT relatively early and cross their fingers the guy can play. otherwise losing hairston or pears to injury could torpedo the 2012 season.
keeping bell should have very little to do with how hairston looks. having 3 NFL caliber tackles on your football team isnt exactly a problem
Its fun to think quarterback, but i think the odds of nix taking one in the first are close to 0%.
I would love to not feel that OL is a top need this offseason. It would be such a nice change.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
by stetzwebs on Dec 15, 2011 7:52 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Tell me this is true...
D-Bell is awesome? Hairston is awesome-on-a-rookie-curve? Urbik is a serviceable backup center and starting RG as well? Is this the Bills we’re talking about, really?
We need to get our conditioning down proper and keep Eric Wood on the field, though. And possibly keep eight linemen active, two scratches, on the 53, when possible. Still, can you believe it? One of our units looks locked up, and it’s the last one I expected!
If Ryan Fitzpatrick does not take the Bills to the Big Game, ever, I will run through Harvard's campus wearing a Yale jersey. I am that sure. Or that crazy.
by Orlando John on Dec 16, 2011 12:07 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Actually, I’m liking MOST of the starters. IMO the Bills need to address:
- OLB (need at least 1 stud and quality backup if Merriman is back/ 2 studs if Merriman isn’t)
- WR (need someone to challenge Stevie as #1 plus with Parish likely seeing his last game in a Bills uniform, and the future of Easly in question, need to add more depth)
- CB (may already have ‘12 CB starters, but thinking the Mc’s (Gee, Kelvin) may be done in Buffalo so at a minimum, need quality depth added)
- Improve overall depth
Other moves I’m hoping the Bills make, but would be content if they aren’t addressed this offseason:
- Add a stud DE. Dareus, Williams, and another stud on the DL?!
- Franchise QB. Know Fitz isn’t going anywhere in the next couple years with his latest contract, but would be nice to get that piece in place sooner rather than later giving him time to develop.
Otherwise, I’m happy with this team as is. I’ll always take upgrades to starters that might not be listed above. But if I was Nix, those would be my priorities.
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