Bell eager to attack opportunity

[The Spaz]

The first position vacancy to open that affected Bills offensive lineman Demetrius Bell came at left guard when veteran Derrick Dockery was released. A little over a month later another spot opened at tackle with Jason Peters traded to Philadelphia. Now faced with a prime opportunity to land a starting role, Bell is eager to begin on field preparations for 2009.

“I’m pumped up about it,” Bell told Buffalobills.com of the opportunity in front of him. “I’m even more motivated about it now with what’s happened. We’ll wait and see how it plays out.”

Bell was already considered part of the competition pool at the starting left guard position along with veteran Kirk Chambers and recent free agent signee Seth McKinney. More competition could arrive by the end of the week in the form of a draft choice.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/bell-eager-to-attack-opportunity/d6659818-b031-431f-bef8-c2b5c0d969ca

[Buddo]

Good read, but not much more than you would expect tbh.
Things that do interest me about Bell, is stuff like a while back, Kyle Williams saying he was very tough to go against in practise.
There's also a video clip on bb.com where Modrak discusses the draft class of 08, and how they did last year. Bell gets a decent mention close to the end of it, and Modrak says that he expects to see him on the field in some capacity this year.
Chris Brown was implying maybe STs, but I don't believe Modrak was at all.

[ddaryl]

I enjoyed Bell's answers, and it definitely shows a passion for getting in there and playing.

Hopefully he is light years ahead like he thinks, because we need it.

I'll be a big Bell fan this preseason. If he can beat out anybondy on the OL it's simply because he's better, and that is what we need to happen.

[Mr. Miyagi]

So is he competing for the LG or LT position?

[Lefty2985]

both LG and tackle either LT or RT pending where they want walker

[elltrain22]

He is on my short list of players I will be tracking heavily. I have alot of hope and optimism for him, and I think he'll land the starting job.

[BillsWin]

Good for him. Loved him as a prospect last year. EXCELLENT raw talent and skill, but technique is in need of refinement.

[Dying_-2-_Live]

Bell CAN be a good player... I would hope that if we dont draft OT in the first round that he takes Walkers spot, and Walkers takes Peters old playground

[Goobylal]

As of right now, Bell is the only player with the ability to potentially replace what the Bills had in Jason Peters (when he was healthy and/or motivated and/or not full of himself). He's got great size, feet, wingspan, and bloodlines. What he lacks are strength and technique, both of which can be corrected (the other stuff you either have or you don't). I'd rather see Bell play LT from the get-go, and the Bills put a TE to help him out if he needs it. Moving Walker over just creates disruptions, and Chambers is a nice backup but not who you want starting.

[kid mickey]

Smoke Screen. While I think he will eventually get on the field. Chris Brown's job is to play this kid up as much as possible. The Bills brass got their eyes on a tackle in this draft. Bank on it.

[Goobylal]

Smoke Screen. While I think he will eventually get on the field. Chris Brown's job is to play this kid up as much as possible. The Bills brass got their eyes on a tackle in this draft. Bank on it.
Don't be so sure, at least not in the early rounds. They more or less know what they have in Bell. With a rookie, they have no idea, and would have to pay him a ton. They got burned with Mike Williams, and this draft class looks weak at OT.

[kid mickey]

Don't be so sure, at least not in the early rounds. They more or less know what they have in Bell. With a rookie, they have no idea, and would have to pay him a ton. They got burned with Mike Williams, and this draft class looks weak at OT.

This is one of the strongest classes in OT history. The top 4 could go in the first 10 selections. I don't think they all do, I think the one that doesn't goes to Buffalo at 11.

[Goobylal]

This is one of the strongest classes in OT history. The top 4 could go in the first 10 selections. I don't think they all do, I think the one that doesn't goes to Buffalo at 11.
It appears to be strong because the rest of the draft positions are so weak. Outside of Curry and maybe Crabtree (who is injured), there's no concensus top player at the other positions, and no "blue chippers."

[Lefty2985]

i like him and believe he will be starting for us. i am not sold the bills go LT right away in the draft. i think the go DE and then an interior lineman the TE on the 1st day. i hope we get duke robinson for LG which i have repeatly said... hopefully but i do believe we need a guy like him or mack...

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Bell has the athletic ability to play LT--he's supposed to have quick feet from playing basketball, which is more than can be said about Chambers or Walker.

His problem with lacking strength I believe will have been largely solved by a year in a NFL conditioning program. So, that I do not anticipate being that big of a problem--especially since they were considering using him at LG.

The question is going to be technique and experience. He was very raw coming out of a small school and had a long way to go to be ready to play in the NFL. In a way, however, that can be a good thing for an offensive lineman in the sense that he won't have gotten set in doing a lot of things the wrong way and is more likely to be open to being coached and learning new things than a guy who has played the position for a long time and/or in a bigger program and thinks he knows it all already.

It sounds like Bell is humble and coachable. But, how far has he come in learning everything that he needed to learn? Only the coaches who have been working with him know that answer to that question.

Because the Bills have been reluctant to throw the more raw players that they have been developing to the wolves, I suspect that, even if they think that Bell can do the job at LT, they will try to ease him into things by starting him out at RT. While C.Brown is pretty much limited by what the Bills let him say, he has been suggesting that Bell will start the season battling with Chambers for the RT spot, with Walker moving to LT.

If Bell is able to handle the RT job capably in training camp, I think that he will start the season at that position. If he, then, plays well at RT, I can definitely see the Bills switching him to LT at the bye-week break, which comes after the 8th game of the season--exactly at the mid-point.

L.Walker surprised us all by how well he played at LT at the beginning of last season, but I think we all recognize that Walker is not really a LT and is best suited to RT--which is why Chambers replaced Peters at LT when Peters went out at the end of the season. If we know that, the Bills' coaches know that and, even if Walker plays well at LT to start the season, I think that they will want to shift him back to RT for the second half of the season if they possibly can.

If Bell plays well at RT, switching him over to his more natural LT position should not be a problem once he has gotten his feet wet playing at RT. If he doesn't play well, however, that could pose a problem: do they leave him there or replace him at RT with Chambers or move Walker back to RT and play Chambers at LT?

Or, do they draft a rookie and have him start out at RT ahead of Bell and try to ease him over to LT? The problem with doing this is that a rookie will be just as much of a question-mark, no matter how talented, as Bell--at least to start out with.

I think they draft a LT or interior lineman, like Ungar, who can play LT and let him push Bell and Chambers. But, they don't need to take one in the first round necessarily to do that. Ultimately, they will have to replace Walker and/or Chambers at some point, so developing Bell and a rookie can only help and not hurt, especially since it won't take an additional roster spot to do so, since the rookie can take Peters' vacated spot.

[kernowboy]

This is one of the strongest classes in OT history. The top 4 could go in the first 10 selections. I don't think they all do, I think the one that doesn't goes to Buffalo at 11.

There was actully an article showing amazement at how high the OT were rated. A number of scouts thought there was no-one better than Brandon Alberts taken last year. Michael Oher rated very low compared to the other three of the big 4.

Though it might not look a reach, drafting an OT at #11 will in the grand scheme of things will be.

The question has to be - are the next group of tackles below the Top4 better than the equivalent group taken last year ... are the likes of Beatty, Britton, Meredith and Cadogan better than Otah, Baker, Brown and Greco and in this analysis the answer is quite likely yes.

[kernowboy]

I think Bell might end up at LG. Assuming we don't draft or sign an interior lineman then he will be lined up between Walker and Hangartner with Butler and Chambers on the right. Assuming we draft a LT like Cadogan, come the break the team might have to wonder, do we keep Bell where he is and move the rookie in at LT, or do we look to move Bell outside?

[jamze132]

both LG and tackle either LT or RT pending where they want walker
Walker needs to stay at RT where is very good. I wouldn't mess with that side of the line. At least have one good side...