Can Bell be our Guard?

[BillsWin]

I have no clue. I liked what I saw from him last pre season, but it was just pre season. what do you guys think?

[DrGraves]

No.

[OpIv37]

Guard is easier than tackle but there are some different requirements, and Bell couldn't even stay on the roster last year. Is it possible? Yes, but it's a risk I'd rather not take.

[Mitchell55]

Guard is easier than tackle but there are some different requirements, and Bell couldn't even stay on the roster last year. Is it possible? Yes, but it's a risk I'd rather not take.


Couldnt stay on the roster? 1st off he was a 7th round pick, 2nd, he was backup most of the season but was on the team.

[OpIv37]

Couldnt stay on the roster? 1st off he was a 7th round pick, 2nd, he was backup most of the season but was on the team.

I seem to recall that he went back and forth between the regular roster and the practice squad, and was deactivated for several of the games where he was on the regular roster. If I'm wrong about that, I apologize, but I know there were several games where he didn't dress.

[Mitchell55]

Heres a vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps02jh7IbZQ

[Jeff1220]

Nothing along the lines of this sort of thing would surprise me with this team.

[yordad]

I believe he spent the year on the roster, but spent the majority of it as a healthy scratch. The Bills didn't want to put him on the practice squad, because they feared another team would sign and activate him, if given a chance.

[feldspar]

The Bills kept him on their active roster all season, but did not activate him for any of the regular season games. He was kept off the practice squad so no other teams were able to sign him. This leads me to believe that the Bills think that he has a lot of raw talent but needs some work.

Bell never played organized football at all until college. He played for 3 years at Northwestern State.

If the buzz on this guy is at least halfway true, he has tremendous potential. He's 6'5" and 307 lbs. He's a huge man that happens to also be very athletic for his size. Sometimes that's all it takes if you have the passion and drive as well.

So far, his claim to fame is that his father is Karl Malone, who has been a complete douchebag of a father to him. Bell actually actually went to college on a basketball scholorship...a man that size that is athletic enough to play basketball is intruiging at the very least.

There is no telling whether he will pan out, but I like what I hear. then again, maybe they are telling me what I want to hear. Remember that Peters went undrafted as a tight end. Anything can happen, and I think that Bell just might be a diamond in the rough. I hope so, anyway.

I sure would like to see what he can do in a real game.

[yordad]

I don't think he is stout enough to be a guard. More athletic then powerful. But, he has had a season of NFL conditioning, he might challenge Chambers for the primary backup behind Peters sooner then later.

[WeAreArthurMoates]

I loved what I saw from him last year. He needed to gain atleast 15 pounds and be around 315-320. If he did that, he may be the guy. If not no way.

[jimbohastle51]

even if they want to experiment with him they have to bring a vet guard in in case. you cant have a rookie and a couple guys that have never started an NFL season as your LG. they are going to have to pay a guy like mike goff something or kendall simmons but they cant just not bring anyone but a rookie in.

[bigbub2352]

Personally
I think LG should be Butler, then go out and sign a vet such as Simmons, Goff, Wilkerson and draft a kid in the 4th rd to groom the next year or two as Bell develops
Bell only has like 4 years of real football under his belt he mite still need a yr especially if changing positions
If u get a guy like TO for a yr u better be going for it this year so we need solid right away
A vet would do that
Draft a kid like Luigis or Wood that can play both C/G
do something smart for a change solidify the OLINE

[SeatownBillsFan21]

If Peters can be converted from a TE to an all pro T then there is no doubt in my mind that Bell could make the switch to G. That said i don't believe he is ready to start this season but soon.IMO

[Syderick]

Well unless they sign someone else it's gonna be competition between him and Chambers. I think in that competition, Bell would probably be the underdog going into camp. Isn't Bell also Karl Malone's son?

[LifetimeBillsFan]

A lot of teams really liked Bell as a developmental project, which is why the Bills took him as high as they did in the 7th round. They obviously liked him enough to essentially "waste" a spot on the active roster, even though he was never activated on game days, in order to keep other teams from signing him off of their practice squad.

According to the comments that Tom Modrak made about Bell in his interview with BB.com, Bell came a long way last season and the coaches were very pleased with his progress and what he showed in practice as the season went along. He also said that Bell had been working very hard in the offseason. Modrak concluded his comments by saying that Bell "will see the field this season".

The thing that scouts liked about Bell and that he showed last preseason is that he has quick feet--what you might expect from a guy who was primarily a basketball player. That would seem to make him more suited to playing offensive tackle than offensive guard--and he did play left tackle in the preseason. The question that I have is: why would you waste the talent of a guy who has the quickness to play left tackle by moving him to offensive guard, especially when you are in the middle of a contract dispute with your starting left tackle?

I could see Chambers, who is less nimble but has some starting experience in the NFL, moving to offensive guard and Bell replacing him as the back-up offensive tackle this season, but I would be very concerned about plugging Bell, who has never played in a regular season game in the NFL and never played guard in college, into the starting lineup at offensive guard, even though Bell might be more athletically gifted than Chambers.

The Bills have lost four interior offensive linemen this offseason: Dockery, Fowler, Preston and Whittle. They have added one: Hangartner. Even if Chambers moves to offensive guard, that still leaves them needing to add at least two more interior offensive linemen.

Ideally, what I would like to see the Bills do is: 1.) sign a quality veteran to start at offensive guard; 2.) make Chambers the primary back-up at both guard positions (and perhaps at right tackle as well); 3.) let Bell "get his feet wet" as the backup at left tackle and perhaps right tackle as well; 4.) draft a rookie center who can also play offensive guard and let him concentrate on being the back-up center this season; 5.) draft an offensive guard in the middle rounds to develop this season and be an emergency back-up. That would effectively leave them with as many offensive linemen to work with as they had last season, but the configuration of the positions covered would be a bit different.

So, yeah, Bell probably could play guard, but I can't see how having him do that would be the best way for the Bills to address their needs on the offensive line. Especially if they haven't resolved Peters' contract situation before the start of training camp.

[Mitchell55]

Our future line in 3 years.

Peters, Butler, Luigs, Bell, Chambers

In a good way. In other words they will all be good players.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I would puke all over the floor if Chambers or Bell were our starter at guard this season.

[TigerJ]

Bell was very inexperienced and lacked functional (and weight room) strength going into the season last year. He was drafted strictuly as a developmentla player, given his unusual athleticism. With a year of work, I would guess he's going to have the strength he needs by next season. The experience factor is a little more tricky. I think he worked mostly at tackle last season. There are some things in common technique wise between the 2 positions, I think, but there are also differences. Plus, it's one thing to work on technique in practice. Game conditions are a different animal. He'll see some game conditions in preseason, but since teams often don't pull out all the stops in preseason, he won't have seen all the stunts and blitzes he may see later in the season. The bottom line is he can be mostly prepared to play the position by september, but there weill be some stuff he'll need to pick up on the fly. That's a good reason to make sure you have someone with experience next to him.

[mysticsoto]

I agree with Lifetime and those are my thoughts precisely. I liked Bell and loved that we grabbed him when we did. He has a ton of potential. I was disappointed that the FO didn't grab a G or C late last year (or even among the undrafted) - I anticipated that we would need to be grooming someone...why didn't they???

In any case, Bell is fast and seems tailored for the tackle position. At Guard, he will likely need more strength in order to avoid get bulldozed by large 3-4 DEs. I know Walker was terrible at Guard in Oakland, but he has come so far here...was it the position he was terrible at? Or was it coaching? Walker is so large of a mountain, he feels like a natural to move to LG and Bell should be RT. The fact that the Bills haven't mentioned this scenario likely means Walker will remain at RT. Butler has been inconsistent at times, so I'd hesitate to move him over to LG where consistency is needed constantly.

Like Lifetime, I'd recommend getting a FA that could start quickly, draft a top Center to mold behind Hangartner, and draft a backup OG to begin training also. If the Center should start to outperform Hangartner at some point, then a switch could be made and Hangartner moved to LG. That's why it's okay if the FA is older since he wouldn't be with us for long. Simmons would be great if he checks out healthy...

[THATHURMANATOR]

Our future line in 3 years.

Peters, Butler, Luigs, Bell, Chambers

In a good way. In other words they will all be good players.
Wow I thought I was optimistic.

Dude Chambers is not young at all and is a journeyman.

[homeslice5484]

no one anticipated Butler being the starting RG. He was injured all training camp and announced the starter...so yes he can.