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2019 All-22 analysis: Quinton Spain, left guard

We dive into the tape of Quinton Spain to see what kind of year he had

By Skarekrow

Prior to the 2019 season the Buffalo Bills played Pokémon with offensive linemen and tried to catch ‘em all. This led to a line with 80% new starters including left guard Quinton Spain. Let’s check in on his 2019 season to see how he did.

Play 1

This block is a good representation of Quinton Spain’s normal. Good initial contact slows his opponent down and the block is maintained pretty well. Against a lineman Spain might give a bit of ground, but overall holds well in that scenario too. Note that Spain isn’t getting a ton of push and that’s also typical. Spain’s strength was good but not spectacular.

There’s not a whole lot to talk about with this block and many more like it for Quinton Spain. That’s not a bad thing.

Play 2

On the move and pulling, Spain added a valuable element to the offense. In this play, Spain is fast enough to his block that it’s easy to take notice. Beating a defensive back in the power game isn’t a shock, but cutting one off that early into a play kind of is.

Play 3

Here Quinton Spain pulls to the other side and is face-to-face with T.J. Watt. He loses some ground at the end as Watt twists to get back into the play. Spain was initially effective against one of the better defenders he faced this season and bought the play some time.

Play 4

If there’s a consistent weakness to Spain’s game it’s holding blocks with a direct one-on-one. In contrast, Spain does well when moving and bumping/slamming into opponents. Plays like this one are not rare. When Spain helps another player out, he’ll continue to look for the next block if necessary.

Play 5

This play is similar to the last with Spain moving inside to help out Mitch Morse. When another defender looks to be coming in hot, Quinton Spain moves to negate this pass rusher as well.

Play 6

Working on the interior of the line it doesn’t come up often, but Quinton Spain’s hand-fighting skills lack refinement. Defensive tackles aren’t often throwing a ton of finesse into the world so when they do it can be a bit surprising. A little speed or razzle-dazzle can get past Spain.

Summary

Quinton Spain isn’t a mauler by any means. Goal-to-go scenarios can be nailbiters (though this is admittedly a problem area for more than just Quinton Spain). On the other hand, Spain is good on the move and is pretty successful as a mosh-pit enthusiast who briefly slams into an opponent before moving on to the next.

There’s zero reason not to try bringing Spain back to the Buffalo Bills based on his play. For linemen, solid but unspectacular can be harder to find than many fans might think. Quinton Spain fits that mold and could reasonably have a shot at getting better with experience in the same system. Culture fit and scheme fit need to be considered as well. Assuming those boxes are checked off, it’d be wise for One Bills Drive to try to work out a deal.

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