Why wouldn't veteran OL depth help us right now?

[X-Era]

A few of us argued that we should have added some veteran OL depth from FA.

Now Levitre will start at his 3rd position this year. He was put on his back multiple times vs. Ware as our starting LT. And since we don't have a vet G/C backup were now forced to move him to C. Basically it shows little to no faith in Colin Brown which shouldn't really surprise anyone. But, shouldn't we have been able to see this potential issue ahead of time?

I like what I think Hairston can do at LT but no one knew for sure whether he could even handle LT coming into this year. We also had question marks about Pears and Urbik but both have done well IMO.

I just feel like we knew we would sustain a injury or two on the OL and that we should have also known that we didn't have quality backups. I'd feel much better if we had signed a vet or two than to keep moving Levitre.

[DraftBoy]

The question I have is what veteran did we want to bring in that we missed on? We gave it our all for Clabo, we dont deal with off the field issue or lazy lable players. So who did we ignore that we shouldn't have in people's minds?

[jamze132]

A few of us argued that we should have added some veteran OL depth from FA.

Now Levitre will start at his 3rd position this year. He was put on his back multiple times vs. Ware as our starting LT. And since we don't have a vet G/C backup were now forced to move him to C. Basically it shows little to no faith in Colin Brown which shouldn't really surprise anyone. But, shouldn't we have been able to see this potential issue ahead of time?

I like what I think Hairston can do at LT but no one knew for sure whether he could even handle LT coming into this year. We also had question marks about Pears and Urbik but both have done well IMO.

I just feel like we knew we would sustain a injury or two on the OL and that we should have also known that we didn't have quality backups. I'd feel much better if we had signed a vet or two than to keep moving Levitre.
Like who?

[cookie G]

The question I have is what veteran did we want to bring in that we missed on? We gave it our all for Clabo, we dont deal with off the field issue or lazy lable players. So who did we ignore that we shouldn't have in people's minds?

Brian Waters

[better days]

A few of us argued that we should have added some veteran OL depth from FA.

Now Levitre will start at his 3rd position this year. He was put on his back multiple times vs. Ware as our starting LT. And since we don't have a vet G/C backup were now forced to move him to C. Basically it shows little to no faith in Colin Brown which shouldn't really surprise anyone. But, shouldn't we have been able to see this potential issue ahead of time?

I like what I think Hairston can do at LT but no one knew for sure whether he could even handle LT coming into this year. We also had question marks about Pears and Urbik but both have done well IMO.

I just feel like we knew we would sustain a injury or two on the OL and that we should have also known that we didn't have quality backups. I'd feel much better if we had signed a vet or two than to keep moving Levitre.

Well, Chan & Buddy had no question about Pears & Urbik. I posted before the season started that Chan thought they had talent when people on the board questioned how good they were.

Chan did say the Bills had no depth on the OL before the season started. There were no quality backups available that the Bills were able to attract.

[methos4ever]

Other than keeping Hangartner there was no one for depth. Anyone who was signed in FA, even late did so because they would be paid like they would start and in fact do start.

[DraftBoy]

Brian Waters

Where was he going to play? I agree I think he's better than Urbik/Rhinehart but the thread was about veteran depth. I dont think Waters would of played depth here.

[Albany,n.y.]

Ruben Brown, House Ballard, Will Wolford, Jim Ritcher-all available.

[PTI]

We got lucky to finish the year with Incognito last year IMO. Bills could really have used his this year.

[Mr Bills]

Most teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the Oline, the Bills have 7. Yet the Bills have no depth? And I'm willing to bet Levitre will be better than any washed up scrub center that you would of brought in.

[kingJofNYC]

We got lucky to finish the year with Incognito last year IMO. Bills could really have used his this year.

Incognito didn't play for the Bills last year.

[better days]

Most teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the Oline, the Bills have 7. Yet the Bills have no depth? And I'm willing to bet Levitre will be better than any washed up scrub center that you would of brought in.

MOST teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the Oline? I don't know if it could be argued that most losing teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the OL. Certainly every winning team has 5 starting caliber players on the OL.

Who besides Wood, Levitre & Urbik would start for most teams? I would say NOBODY. Just because a player has started for the Bills, that does not make him starting caliber, it just means the Bills had nobody better.

[Mr Bills]

MOST teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the Oline? I don't know if it could be argued that most losing teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the OL. Certainly every winning team has 5 starting caliber players on the OL.

Who besides Wood, Levitre & Urbik would start for most teams? I would say NOBODY. Just because a player has started for the Bills, that does not make him starting caliber, it just means the Bills had nobody better.

Pears is better than atleast half the RTs in the league and Bell is an adequate starting LT. But ok signing an scrub center would certainly help us.

[better days]

Pears is better than atleast half the RTs in the league and Bell is an adequate starting LT. But ok signing an scrub center would certainly help us.

I like Pears, he is a decent RT. Maybe he could start for half the teams in the league, but half is not MOST.

I am not advocating signing a Center myself. I think Levitre will do as well if not better than anyone the Bills could get.

[cookie G]

Where was he going to play? I agree I think he's better than Urbik/Rhinehart but the thread was about veteran depth. I dont think Waters would of played depth here.

He would have been, and would be starting at RG.

[Mr Bills]

I like Pears, he is a decent RT. Maybe he could start for half the teams in the league, but half is not MOST.

I am not advocating signing a Center myself. I think Levitre will do as well if not better than anyone the Bills could get.

I never said most, I said all the players on our Oline is starting caliber, which they have clearly proven to be.

[better days]

I never said most, I said all the players on our Oline is starting caliber, which they have clearly proven to be.

You said MOST teams struggle to have 5 starting quality players on the OL while the Bills have 7 in your original post. That would imply Pears could start on most teams since he starts on the Bills.

The players that have started on the Bills have proven they are the best players the Bills have. That does not mean they have proven they could start for most teams.

[better days]

Most teams struggle to have 5 starting caliber players on the Oline, the Bills have 7. Yet the Bills have no depth? And I'm willing to bet Levitre will be better than any washed up scrub center that you would of brought in.

Here is the post I was refering to.

[mysticsoto]

I never said most, I said all the players on our Oline is starting caliber, which they have clearly proven to be.

They have not proven anything. The game plan has been designed around getting the ball out of Fitz's hands quickly so that the Oline deficiencies are not taken advantage of. Just look at how we rarely get to throw any long ball. It is partly b'cse Fitz is terrible at it, but also partly b'cse they are in his face before it can develop.

[DraftBoy]

He would have been, and would be starting at RG.

I dont disagree but its not what I asked about. This thread intent was about veteran depth. Waters never would of been depth.

If it was about starters there are a number you could say we missed out on.

[SABURZFAN]

The question I have is what veteran did we want to bring in that we missed on? We gave it our all for Clabo, we dont deal with off the field issue or lazy lable players. So who did we ignore that we shouldn't have in people's minds?


i thought Bryant McKinnie would have been a nice pickup for this team. he may not be the player he once was but he could have helped. i think his contract was like $3-4 million or something. not a bad risk to take when you compare it to Merriman.

[BLeonard]

Like who?

What about that Mark LeVoir, who was released by the Patriots early in the offseason/training camp period? He was picked up by Baltimore and is making like $690k currently with the Rams.

Keeping Hangartner would have been a smart move as well, IMO...

Don't kid yourself... There were players out there. If I can think of two off the top of my head, Nix and Gailey sure as hell should have known about them.

Also, I'm pretty sure that when Incognito was here, he was a Restricted Free Agent, meaning the Bills could have tendered him and he would have had no choice but to play for the Bills... But, of course, they let him go for nothing.

So, now, here we sit, playing musical chairs with the offensive line, while we sit $20 plus million under the cap...

Offensive line was a probelm well before Nix and Gailey got here and, after two offseasons and drafts, they STILL have not addressed the position.

Maybe if we end up with the entire OLine injured throughout the season, they'll FINALLY think "Hey, maybe we need to get some quality depth there," if not getting some new starters in some of those spots.

-Bill

[YardRat]

We gave it our all for Clabo,

No we didn't, and we weren't seriously interested to begin with.

[RoscoeMagic]

No we didn't, and we weren't seriously interested to begin with.

From the way I understood it, we were very interested in him. He just played us for more money from the Falcons. Clabo wasn't seriously interested in Buffalo to begin with.

[cookie G]

I dont disagree but its not what I asked about.

Yes, you did.



The question I have is what veteran did we want to bring in that we missed on? We gave it our all for Clabo, we dont deal with off the field issue or lazy lable players. So who did we ignore that we shouldn't have in people's minds?

[YardRat]

From the way I understood it, we were very interested in him. He just played us for more money from the Falcons. Clabo wasn't seriously interested in Buffalo to begin with.

We knew from the beginning we didn't have a chance at luring him away from Atlanta.

[X-Era]

Flozell Adams
Bryant McKinnie

Either is a better option than Levitre at LT

Backups. No one is saying they should be our long term starters. A proven vet is better than bouncing Levitre all over.

[RoscoeMagic]

We knew from the beginning we didn't have a chance at luring him away from Atlanta.

I think any reasonable person would expect the athlete to take more money. That's what the Bills did, they, reportedly, offered a larger contract than Atlanta did yet Clabo took the Falcons' deal. If we knew from the beginning that we had no shot at luring him away from ATL with more money, then why did we waste our time when we could have or should have been pursuing other key FAs in the early stages of free agency? I don't think we're that incompetent. Buddy thought he could get him and he tried and failed.

[The Jokeman]

Brian Waters
He's starting in NE, I doubt he'd come to Buffalo to be a backup.

[DraftBoy]

No we didn't, and we weren't seriously interested to begin with.

Not what Ive been told at all.

[Extremebillsfan247]

A few of us argued that we should have added some veteran OL depth from FA.

Now Levitre will start at his 3rd position this year. He was put on his back multiple times vs. Ware as our starting LT. And since we don't have a vet G/C backup were now forced to move him to C. Basically it shows little to no faith in Colin Brown which shouldn't really surprise anyone. But, shouldn't we have been able to see this potential issue ahead of time?

I like what I think Hairston can do at LT but no one knew for sure whether he could even handle LT coming into this year. We also had question marks about Pears and Urbik but both have done well IMO.

I just feel like we knew we would sustain a injury or two on the OL and that we should have also known that we didn't have quality backups. I'd feel much better if we had signed a vet or two than to keep moving Levitre. That can lead to even more problems than just rolling with your backups sometimes. There are not too many offensive linemen who you can plug in and play right away. It could lead to Gailey's hands being tied and force him to dummy down an already struggling offense. Bringing in a new guy should only be done at the extreme end when your backups start popping up on IR. JMO