In a Wednesday appearance on The John Murphy Show, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman sung the praises of his offensive line for their efforts in 2015 - in particular, their work in the running game.
"I thought midway through the season, our offensive line really started performing at an elite level in the run game," Roman told Murphy. "I didn't see them kind of gelling like that until maybe next season, quite frankly. There were some things we were doing, run game wise, which were - you just won't find better, anywhere, any time, any place. I showed them some examples of that a couple of weeks ago, and basically pointed out to them, ‘Guys, you're doing some things here that are not being replicated anywhere, and quite frankly they're as good as I’ve seen in the last 20 years.'"
The Bills led the league in rushing yards per game (152.0) and yards per carry (4.78), and tied for the league lead with 19 rushing touchdowns, all despite finishing second in the league with 509 rushing attempts. Three players (LeSean McCoy, Tyrod Taylor, and Karlos Williams) all finished with over 500 rushing yards, and a fourth (Mike Gillislee) added another 267.
Buffalo's offensive line was the key to it all, according to Roman.
"Some of the angle blocking schemes we were doing, where we're cutting the defense, there was like a three or four-game stretch there where I'd say the stuff we were doing there - it was really, really, I mean almost perfectly done," Roman continued. "I think back to the Philly game, the Washington game, back in that stretch, where we weren't winning games, but we're still doing some great things within the scope of our offense. That's something I really think we can build on as we move forward."
Roman's opinion seems to be in lockstep with that of GM Doug Whaley - the man with whom he has reportedly feuded all year over the backup quarterback situation (Roman denied any rift in this same interview with Murphy) - and it reinforces the idea that the Bills really will prioritize re-signing left tackle Cordy Glenn and left guard Richie Incognito in free agency this offseason.