National Media Dead Wrong On The " Bills Didn't Draft A LT " Position

[Night Train]

I know Peters leaving left a hole at LT.

There were 3 guys in this Draft who could have started at LT this year. #2 pick Smith, #6 pick Smith & #8 pick Monroe. Smith of Cinci may even start his career inside at G.

Britton,Loadhoat and all the rest don't have the feet for LT and are viewed as RT's. We already have that type in Walker, Chambers, Butler & Scott.

Even Michael Oher was described by Mike Lombardi as a good RT prospect who could play LT in a pinch. Nice story but he has a laundry list of issues.

Grade the picks we made for what they are in their own ability but quit feeding me this post draft review tripe that we failed to draft a top LT..WHEN THERE WEREN'T ANY LEFT AT #11.

We don't need a 4th-5th string RT in Round One.

So we make do with shuffling our roster internally at Tackle and meanwhile, draft 5 guys (Maybin,Wood,Levitre,Byrd & Nelson) at positions of need who may help us a lot very early in their careers.

Yeah..that's real tough to accept. Time will tell but I'm VERY encouraged with this draft and no LT prospect came into our reach.

But keep perpetuating the invented hysteria...it plays well to the uninformed.

[madness]

:goodpost:

[OpIv37]

sorry, but not drafting a LT doesn't make the T's we have any better. It's still a scary proposition.

[psubills62]

I know Peters leaving left a hole at LT.

There were 3 guys in this Draft who could have started at LT this year. #2 pick Smith, #6 pick Smith & #8 pick Monroe. Smith of Cinci may even start his career inside at G.

Britton,Loadhoat and all the rest don't have the feet for LT and are viewed as RT's. We already have that type in Walker, Chambers, Butler & Scott.

Even Michael Oher was described by Mike Lombardi as a good RT prospect who could play LT in a pinch. Nice story but he has a laundry list of issues.

Grade the picks we made for what they are in their own ability but quit feeding me this post draft review tripe that we failed to draft a top LT..WHEN THERE WEREN'T ANY LEFT AT #11.

We don't need a 4th-5th string RT in Round One.

So we make do with shuffling our roster internally at Tackle and meanwhile, draft 5 guys (Maybin,Wood,Levitre,Byrd & Nelson) at positions of need who may help us a lot very early in their careers.

Yeah..that's real tough to accept. Time will tell but I'm VERY encouraged with this draft and no LT prospect came into our reach.

But keep perpetuating the invented hysteria...it plays well to the uninformed.

I understand your reasoning, but Beatty and Oher actually project to be very good LT's:

Oher:
Outstanding athleticism...Has prototypical size with excellent bulk and long arms...Quick and agile with great balance...Nimble and light on his feet...Very strong...Moves well laterally...Mobile and can get out to the second level...Exceptional pass blocker who makes it look easy...Stout at the point of attack...Powerful and gets a great push in the run game...Able to control defenders once he locks on...Plays with a nasty demeanor...Tough and durable...Offers some versatility...A lot of experience against elite competition...Still has considerable upside.


Beatty:
Terrific size with a large frame...Excellent athleticism...Light on his feet...Real quick and agile...Terrific footwork...Mobile enough to pull and get to the second level...Slides well laterally...Outstanding balance...Redirects well...Does a real nice job of sustaining his blocks...Superb pass blocker with the ability to handle speed off the edge...Smart with good awareness...Solid intangibles... Still has upside.

So actually, they do have the feet for the LT position. Beatty is more of a project, and Oher has mental/psychological concerns, but they can still play the LT position.

[ddaryl]

sorry, but not drafting a LT doesn't make the T's we have any better. It's still a scary proposition.

I am not worried about T... I witnessed Walker and Chambers play LT last year and I never once realized Peters wasn't in there. I can't even come up with an example from last year where not having Peters playing may have cost us a down...

Hopefully our projects do win the job in the end, but the middle of the OL was our biggest problem...


If we can run the ball more effectively then last year, and we should be able to, then that alone should compensate for an every so slight reduction in LT play

at least I hope so... we'll see in preseason

[TigerJ]

I might agree that there were only three prospects in the draft who were sure fire immediate starters at left tackle in the NFL. I don't think it is necessarily the case that there wass no one else who will ever start at left tackle in the draft, or even that there was no one else drafted who will start at left tackle from day one and be effective. I know, however, that the further down the draft board you drop the higher the odds a player selected won't be able to do the job you hope for when you draft him. I don't blame the Bills for not drafting a guy. I buy the explanation that when they were picking there was no left tackle prospect who was not an unacceptable reach on their draft board. I do agree with Op that the failure of the Bills to draft a left tackle does not make our current tackles any better regardless of the rationale for the way the draft turned out. I'm not predicting a disaster for the tackle position. It's possible that we'll be OK with Walker and Butler at tackle. We are pretty fragile at the position though. Injuries or someone struggling could have a major impact on the entire offense.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I know Peters leaving left a hole at LT.

There were 3 guys in this Draft who could have started at LT this year. #2 pick Smith, #6 pick Smith & #8 pick Monroe. Smith of Cinci may even start his career inside at G.

Britton,Loadhoat and all the rest don't have the feet for LT and are viewed as RT's. We already have that type in Walker, Chambers, Butler & Scott.

Even Michael Oher was described by Mike Lombardi as a good RT prospect who could play LT in a pinch. Nice story but he has a laundry list of issues.

Grade the picks we made for what they are in their own ability but quit feeding me this post draft review tripe that we failed to draft a top LT..WHEN THERE WEREN'T ANY LEFT AT #11.

We don't need a 4th-5th string RT in Round One.

So we make do with shuffling our roster internally at Tackle and meanwhile, draft 5 guys (Maybin,Wood,Levitre,Byrd & Nelson) at positions of need who may help us a lot very early in their careers.

Yeah..that's real tough to accept. Time will tell but I'm VERY encouraged with this draft and no LT prospect came into our reach.

But keep perpetuating the invented hysteria...it plays well to the uninformed.I agree with this 100%

[FlyingDutchman]

I would have liked to see Britton picked over Byrd

[BILLSROCK1212]

we'll get one next year....then SUPER BOWL!!

[lmcshadow]

Good post night train...

[kid mickey]

We do need to settle our LT issues. I think that Jauron is not sure about that spot just yet. We will know when mandatory OTA's start who he's got practicing where.

[Night Train]

I understand your reasoning, but Beatty and Oher actually project to be very good LT's:

Oher:
Outstanding athleticism...Has prototypical size with excellent bulk and long arms...Quick and agile with great balance...Nimble and light on his feet...Very strong...Moves well laterally...Mobile and can get out to the second level...Exceptional pass blocker who makes it look easy...Stout at the point of attack...Powerful and gets a great push in the run game...Able to control defenders once he locks on...Plays with a nasty demeanor...Tough and durable...Offers some versatility...A lot of experience against elite competition...Still has considerable upside.


Beatty:
Terrific size with a large frame...Excellent athleticism...Light on his feet...Real quick and agile...Terrific footwork...Mobile enough to pull and get to the second level...Slides well laterally...Outstanding balance...Redirects well...Does a real nice job of sustaining his blocks...Superb pass blocker with the ability to handle speed off the edge...Smart with good awareness...Solid intangibles... Still has upside.

So actually, they do have the feet for the LT position. Beatty is more of a project, and Oher has mental/psychological concerns, but they can still play the LT position.


Beatty - was described by Pro Football Weekly as playing too soft, lacking mental toughness. Has shut it down in practice when beaten in one on one drills. Does not play with power or nastiness. Doesn't have a mean bone in his body. " Plays like a cake eating chardonay drinker that doesn't want to get his nails dirty " The exact quote in Pro Football Weekly.

Oher - Average lateral quickness to slide, shuffle & mirrior. Too often overextends and loses his balance. Looks disinterested at times & late to recognize the blitz. Has been coddled throughout college & his desire & passion for the game are questionable. Has yet to put it together and serious questions remain whether he ever will. Classic boom or bust type and likely will require several years to put it together in the pros. Questionable football IQ. Some scouts think he'll need to play inside like he did when he entered college, where he had help on both sides.

Wow. If anyone was contending for the Mike Williams award, it's these 2 guys. Lack of desire and completely void of passion. Yeah, sign me up.

I also liked how Britton shot his yap off about making everyone else pay for passing on him. BTW, he'll contend at RT only for the Jags. They selected Monroe to play LT at #8. :rolleyes:

[Big M]

I'm tired of the Bills using high picks to draft soft players.

Good post.

[Saratoga Slim]

sorry, but not drafting a LT doesn't make the T's we have any better. It's still a scary proposition.

You're right, LT is no longer a position of strength on this team, and our draft didn't change that fact.

However, the point of this thread is that we didn't necessarily have a bad draft just because we failed to upgrade the LT position. Specifically, the point is that the picks we made have a greater likelihood of immediately improving our existing roster than the options available to us at LT in the draft would have.

For instance, we could have taken Oher at 11 instead of Maybin. However, Oher may not give us anything in year 1 that Langston Walker can't do, whereas Maybin--though he'll likely be limited to passing situations in year 1--can immediately give us some serious speed and athleticism in the pass rush that we don't currently have.

If there was a sure-thing LT available at one of our picks, this would be a different discussion. However, becuase we already have serviceable, if not spectacular, LT options on our roster, I can't blame the FO for passing on LT prospects in the draft that didn't provide a clear & immediate upgrade.

[OpIv37]

I am not worried about T... I witnessed Walker and Chambers play LT last year and I never once realized Peters wasn't in there. I can't even come up with an example from last year where not having Peters playing may have cost us a down...

Hopefully our projects do win the job in the end, but the middle of the OL was our biggest problem...


If we can run the ball more effectively then last year, and we should be able to, then that alone should compensate for an every so slight reduction in LT play

at least I hope so... we'll see in preseason

Walker and Chambers did OK covering for Peters at the start of the season but I doubt they could keep it up all season long.

There was one game in particular where Peters was out for a series. Chambers came in... and promptly gave up a sack. And Walker's good but he's not the equivalent of Peters. T is a flaw for this team. In fact, the whole OL is still a flaw- we're relying too much on rookies and guys like Hangartner with limited experience.

[OpIv37]

You're right, LT is no longer a position of strength on this team, and our draft didn't change that fact.

However, the point of this thread is that we didn't necessarily have a bad draft just because we failed to upgrade the LT position. Specifically, the point is that the picks we made have a greater likelihood of immediately improving our existing roster than the options available to us at LT in the draft would have.

For instance, we could have taken Oher at 11 instead of Maybin. However, Oher may not give us anything in year 1 that Langston Walker can't do, whereas Maybin--though he'll likely be limited to passing situations in year 1--can immediately give us some serious speed and athleticism in the pass rush that we don't currently have.

If there was a sure-thing LT available at one of our picks, this would be a different discussion. However, becuase we already have serviceable, if not spectacular, LT options on our roster, I can't blame the FO for passing on LT prospects in the draft that didn't provide a clear & immediate upgrade.

I have other problems with this draft, but I agree that the lack of a LT doesn't automatically make the draft bad. I understand why they didn't take one. But it's still a position that needs to be addressed.

[justasportsfan]

Our OL is neither here nor there. I thought Dick said BUtler is moving to RT.

We'll see what Walker and Butler can do for an entire season facing 3-4 defenses .

I know Butler didn't play RT vs. any AFCE teams last year, but did Walker play LT vs. any of them?

[OpIv37]

Our OL is neither here nor there. I thought Dick said BUtler is moving to RT.

We'll see what Walker and Butler can do for an entire season facing 3-4 defenses .

I know Butler didn't play RT vs. any AFCE teams last year, but did Walker play LT vs. any of them?

maybe against the Pats in the final game- can't remember.

[ddaryl]

Walker and Chambers did OK covering for Peters at the start of the season but I doubt they could keep it up all season long.

There was one game in particular where Peters was out for a series. Chambers came in... and promptly gave up a sack.


One game one series


Well I remember one game where Peters came in to spell Chambers and promptly gave up on a running play and we were forced to punt

the bottom line is there was very little evidience that Walker and Chambers couldn't handle more time at LT

[Saratoga Slim]

I have other problems with this draft, but I agree that the lack of a LT doesn't automatically make the draft bad. I understand why they didn't take one. But it's still a position that needs to be addressed.

I guess we'll soon see whether this is a not a priority, a moderate priority, or a high priority based on how Walker handles the role.

But as of right now, I'd have to agree--I'm concerned about Walker as LT for a full season. He did fine in a game against a weak Seattle team playing a 1:00 game on the East Coast, but that isn't proof that he'll be what we want at LT over the course of a full season. I still feel like he's much more comfortable at RT.

[madness]

I guess we'll soon see whether this is a not a priority, a moderate priority, or a high priority based on how Walker handles the role.

But as of right now, I'd have to agree--I'm concerned about Walker as LT for a full season. He did fine in a game against a weak Seattle team playing a 1:00 game on the East Coast, but that isn't proof that he'll be what we want at LT over the course of a full season. I still feel like he's much more comfortable at RT.

There also isn't proof that he can't handle the situation. He played the position throughout a decent chunk of his career and since being with the Bills he has been one of the most consistant and durable lineman. He was the first Bills OL start 15 consecutive games since '89 and followed that up by starting all 16 games in two consecutive seasons. He also has been our most dominate run blocker over the past few years.

Quite simply, the odds are in Langston's favor.

[dplus47]

i didn't think the bills should have picked a LT at #11 or even on the first day, but it surprised me that they didn't at least get an experienced body in the draft for depth. that doesn't make it a bad draft, because i don't know where they had prospects rated and they may have just missed out on the guys they wanted, but i still wonder about the depth situation...

[kid mickey]

Your carrying 7 guys game day. Walker Levitre Hangartner Wood Butler are five right there Chambers and Bell make seven. They should be okay.