Are you prepared to be shocked on the O-line?!

[HHURRICANE]

I believe that the O-line will not have either Jason Whittle or Langston Walker starting.

I'm absolutely convinced that Brad Butler will win the RG position in camp/pre-season.

The RT position is a little trickier. The Bills depth chart has Pennington as the backup to Peters now. I think Walker is going to get abused in camp and I see Pennington moving back over during the pre-season.

I think the line will be Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Pennington. I have a feeling Whittle or Preston is getting cut with Walker sitting on the bench.

[Philagape]

I won't be shocked about anything that happens on the right side. The starters will be who sucks less.

[Goobylal]

I see Peters, Dockery, Fowler, Preston, Walker, Pennington, Butler, and Whittle making the team, with Merz being put on the PS. At RG, I could see Butler winning the job. But I don't see Walker not starting at RT. Forget what happened in Oakland. And Preston and Whittle have too much experience to cut them loose.

[Scumbag College]

My starting O-Line, from LT-RT is Peters, Dockery, Fowler, Walker, Pennington. Walker worked better at guard in Oakland, Pennington played well near the end of the year at RT and really has the physical tools you want of an RT in the NFL. Butler and Whittle make it as backups whom can play several different positions on the O-Line, and Preston and Merz fight it out for the final spot.

[OpIv37]

I believe that the O-line will not have either Jason Whittle or Langston Walker starting.

I'm absolutely convinced that Brad Butler will win the RG position in camp/pre-season.

The RT position is a little trickier. The Bills depth chart has Pennington as the backup to Peters now. I think Walker is going to get abused in camp and I see Pennington moving back over during the pre-season.

I think the line will be Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Pennington. I have a feeling Whittle or Preston is getting cut with Walker sitting on the bench.


On one hand, I don't care as long as the best players on the field.

On the other hand, I'm gonna be pissed if we spent all that FA cash on players who can't even start.

[bigbub2352]

HH i really agree with u that Butler will be startin at RG, but i dont see us cuttin Preston or Whittle, we need depth at both G positions and C, plus u will see Corey Davis and/or Tubbs on the PS, but i think Walker really has to **** the bed not to be our starter at RT on opening day, 5 Million a season gurantees that, hopefully under the tutalige of McNally we will see brighter days, he did wonders with Pennington and Peters, so i hope so, if not we does have a promising depth prospect in Pennington whjo as a 7th rounder gives depth at both T positions he was an outstanding pick for us

[Goobylal]

Let me amend what I said. I would be fine with Walker at RG, and if he's not starting at RT, that's where I'd expect him to play. I doubt they'll be fine with shelling out what they did for Walker (although I don't think he got much in terms of guaranteed money) and not have him starting somewhere on the right side. The question would then be, who plays RT? I'm not expecting much more out of Pennington than what we saw last year, and that wasn't good enough.

[YardRat]

Although I'd prefer to see Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Walker-Pennington, I think the starters are pretty much set in stone except for RG with Peters-Dockery-Fowler-?????-Walker.

Butler may indeed end up in the starting five, but Whittle won't get cut because he has too much versatility and experience.

[SquishDaFish]

Walker will be starting

[Mad Bomber]

I'd like to see if Walker could move inside to RG. He's huge and is a beast as a run blocker...we were sorely needing some run blocking on the right side last year. I like Butler because he has a mean streak, and think he could at least provide some depth on the right side. The left side of our line is pretty solid, and I'm looking for some ass-kicking power on the right side.

[John Doe]

Langston Walker will start at Right Tackle.

There should be no doubt about that in anyone's mind.

[Meathead]

judge meathead concurs

so it shall be

[Michael82]

I see the line starting out with this....


Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Walker, but I also see a midseason shakeup when Walker will move to a better position and solidify the RG spot, while Pennington comes to RT. That will be the best line for the team and will be pretty damn good. :up:

[ddaryl]

I think Walker is pretty much written in stone. Just read this quote from McNally printed today.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10256588


"We've got to make that decision soon," McNally told BuffaloBills (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/page/BUF).com. "The faster we get a guy there working with (tackle) Langston Walker (http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/302234) and entrenched at that position, the better. I don't think we'll take very long. It might go a week into training camp and then it's 'Here are our five and let's go.' "

[HHURRICANE]

I think Walker is pretty much written in stone. Just read this quote from McNally printed today.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/BUF/10256588

Wow, good find.

If Preston is starting at RG than why did we bother to bring Whittle in? Am I the only one that things Preston sucks. How many games do I need to watch him get man-handled in?

Plan on seeing plenty of tinkering with the right side all year if Preston and Walker are starting. I hope the pre-season is long enough to make changes. I can't see Preston starting. No way.

[Goobylal]

That's why I'm pulling for Butler. Preston and Whittle don't do it for me, unless they're backups.

[Michael82]

Wow, good find.

If Preston is starting at RG than why did we bother to bring Whittle in? Am I the only one that things Preston sucks. How many games do I need to watch him get man-handled in?

Plan on seeing plenty of tinkering with the right side all year if Preston and Walker are starting. I hope the pre-season is long enough to make changes. I can't see Preston starting. No way.
Whittle was brought in to be a reliable veteran backup that can play other positions on the line and help fill in if there is an injury.

[TigerJ]

There has never been any sort of a hint out of One Bills Drive that Walker is being counted on as anything other than the starter at right tackle. It's his job to lose, and he'll have to screw up pretty badly to do that. As far as right guard is concerned, I think it is bwetween Preston and Butler. Whittle is currently listed at 279 lbs, and that is an updated listing, down from what it had been listed at previously. Whittle might be pretty athletic and quick and a good technician and all that, but the laws of physics say he's going to struggle runblocking against 330 defensive tackles. It just doesn't make sense to line someone like that up next to a 350 lb guy you imported specifically because he has ability as a run blocker. I see Whittle and a backup all along the line, and I hope he packs on a little more muscle before he has to do any extended duty. If I were to bet, I would bet Preston will start next to Walker, but if he struggles, Butler will get his shot early on.

[HHURRICANE]

There has never been any sort of a hint out of One Bills Drive that Walker is being counted on as anything other than the starter at right tackle. It's his job to lose, and he'll have to screw up pretty badly to do that.

You are 100% correct here. The Bills have not waivered so Walker would have to get man-handled badly not to start on Day 1 at RT.

I have to say that the Langston Walker siging reminds me of the Bennie Anderson signing so maybe I'm a more than skeptical.

The Raiders fan sites pretty much had the same opinion of Walker as the Ravens fans did of Bennie. The funny thing is that Bennie will be always tied to Jamal's record year. Everytime he leaves a team I have to hear how he blocked for Jamal as if that excuses him from sucking.

I hope Walker proves that he not just another big guy that plays like a puss.

[TigerJ]

You are 100% correct here. The Bills have not waivered so Walker would have to get man-handled badly not to start on Day 1 at RT.

I have to say that the Langston Walker siging reminds me of the Bennie Anderson signing so maybe I'm a more than skeptical.

The Raiders fan sites pretty much had the same opinion of Walker as the Ravens fans did of Bennie. The funny thing is that Bennie will be always tied to Jamal's record year. Everytime he leaves a team I have to hear how he blocked for Jamal as if that excuses him from sucking.

I hope Walker proves that he not just another big guy that plays like a puss.

The difference is the Bills threw a lot more money at Walker. Now it coule be that someone in the Bills organization is guilty of adhering to the fallacy that you make a signinng more legitimate by throwing more money at it. I certainly hope that's not the case. Most people say Walker is pretty athletic for such a big man. The criticism of his pass blocking never denied his athleticism. The only thing that was ever said about Bennie Anderson besides the Jamal thing was, "He's big!"

[Goobylal]

I agree that it's a different situation. Anderson was an UFA that the Ravens didn't want back. Walker voided the last year of his deal. Anderson was signed for little almost a month after FA opened. The Bills overspent a little (he's only getting $10M in guarantees) to ensure that Walker never left Buffalo the first day of free agency.

Oh and someone on the BB.com board made me aware of this. People talk about Walker's 10.5 sacks given-up last year. Well guess who else gave up that many?





The answer is Walter Jones. He also committed 4 penalties. And he made the Pro Bowl and is stil considered one of the best OT's in the game.

[HHURRICANE]

I agree that it's a different situation. Anderson was an UFA that the Ravens didn't want back. Walker voided the last year of his deal. Anderson was signed for little almost a month after FA opened. The Bills overspent a little (he's only getting $10M in guarantees) to ensure that Walker never left Buffalo the first day of free agency.

Oh and someone on the BB.com board made me aware of this. People talk about Walker's 10.5 sacks given-up last year. Well guess who else gave up that many?

The answer is Walter Jones. He also committed 4 penalties. And he made the Pro Bowl and is stil considered one of the best OT's in the game.

I am hoping that Langston plays great. I haven't watched enough of him playing to determine if he was a victim of coaching, etc.

Yes, I don't think he's Bennie Anderson. I just don't want to get too excited about him based on previous scenarios.

[Goobylal]

I hear you. And rest-assured, the coaching on the Raiders was beyond pathetic. Imagine if you will 2 coaches who hadn't coached since 1994 (HC Art Shell and OC Tom Walsh) which was just at the beginning of FA and before the NFL moved to a 40-second playclock. Then to make matters worse, the O-line was coached by TWO coaches, both former linemen (Irv Eatman and Jackie Slater, who was a rookie coach). And then toss in a bad QB (Andrew Walter) who was told to take 7-step drops, and you got the Oakland Raiders' offense, quite possibly the WORST offense in the history of the NFL.

[mysticsoto]

Another good article on the O-line and on Walker. McNally apparently did some research into him before we got him and concluded that it wasn't all his fault for the struggles the Raiders' Oline had...

___________________________________________________________

Will The Pass Protection Be Better?
.
.
.
There should be little concern no matter who is coming from the left side. Fast rising left tackle Jason Petershttp://www.buffalobills.com/images/relatedicon.gif (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4920#) has shown an ability to handle every pass rusher he faces over the past season and a half. Now teamed with Dockery, protection on J.P. Losmanhttp://www.buffalobills.com/images/relatedicon.gif (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4920#)'s blind side is expected to be solid.

"Peters is capable of handling whoever is on his side," said McNally succinctly.
"I think we will be able to hold up," said Peters. "I think coach Fairchild is confident in us and we have to go into the game with confidence in ourselves. I think the OTAs have been very good for us. We've all been here every day and what matters is the chemistry."

The question mark lies on the right side, where there is a three-way competition at right guard (Brad Butlerhttp://www.buffalobills.com/images/relatedicon.gif (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4920#), Duke Prestonhttp://www.buffalobills.com/images/relatedicon.gif (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4920#), Jason Whittle). The man winning the starting role will be working with new right tackle Langston Walker. If Preston doesn't win the job in training camp, the entire right side of the line will be brand new this season.

Still the offensive staff is very high on what Walker can offer when it comes to protection.

"He's extremely athletic for a guy his size," said Fairchild. "He's a knee bender and you see those things when he pass blocks. You see athleticism on the back side of runs when he's cut-off blocking. We like everything about him."

McNally researched Walker extensively before Buffalo signed him, knowing the problems Walker's former team (Oakland) had with their protections. But McNally came up empty when it came to looking for warts on Walker specifically.
"Obviously the Raiders had their problems, but we kept searching and searching to see if he was the problem and he really wasn't," said McNally of Walker. "He was successful in his blocks on just about every play."

What helps to make Walker so effective is his nimble feet despite being 6'8". That combined with his long reach gives him the ability to mirror pass rushers and steer them wide of the pocket.

But McNally knows opponents will still try to target the right side of Buffalo's line this year.

"I think the pressure is on the right side a little bit," McNally told Buffalobills.com. "Langston Walker has to be able to block a guy with a split end to his side. We're still aware that whoever is playing right tackle, if we were going to give help anywhere it would probably be on that side. When a running back pass blocks and has a chance to go out there's nothing wrong with him getting a chip on a defensive end."

More often than not however, McNally is confident that Walker will be effective and that should enable Buffalo's offense to feature more weapons in the passing game.

"I think Walker will enable us to get the tight end out in the patterns more and maybe we don't need a running back to help on the right side as much," said McNally. "So it might open the game up a little bit more."



http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=4920

[TigerJ]

I don't think there is any question the Bills did a good bit of research before signing Walker. Sometimes teams outsmart themselves when doing research. If that is not the case here, then Buffalo should be OK with Walker. We'll all have a better idea in a few weeks. Until then it's just a guessing game.

[Wys Guy]

I believe that the O-line will not have either Jason Whittle or Langston Walker starting.

I'm absolutely convinced that Brad Butler will win the RG position in camp/pre-season.

The RT position is a little trickier. The Bills depth chart has Pennington as the backup to Peters now. I think Walker is going to get abused in camp and I see Pennington moving back over during the pre-season.

I think the line will be Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Pennington. I have a feeling Whittle or Preston is getting cut with Walker sitting on the bench.
If that ends up being the case, then what does it say for Marv wasting our money on L. Walker?

He's already getting his arse kicked for what appears to be headed for trading away a 6th rounder for Spikes and Holcomb. Who cares about Holcomb, but Spikes was worth more than a 6th, even in his questionable state.

[Wys Guy]

I don't think there is any question the Bills did a good bit of research before signing Walker. Sometimes teams outsmart themselves when doing research. If that is not the case here, then Buffalo should be OK with Walker. We'll all have a better idea in a few weeks. Until then it's just a guessing game.
You do, huh?

Same kind of research that the same scouting team did with Reyes, Gandy and a string of others?

[Goobylal]

Spikes wasn't even worth what the Bills will be getting for him. I mean it's not like the Bills were beating away teams who wanted to trade for him.

And Walker will be fine. I don't know what problem you had with Gandy, but he was a decent pickup for the money and in any case, was signed by TD (as was Bennie Anderson). As for Reyes, like they say, you can't measure heart. Just look at Mike Williams.