PFF Bills-Panthers Re-Focused. Colin Brown graded worse than last week

[ghz in pittsburgh]

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/16/refo-car-buf-week-2/

I don't think the Bills can do anything about it, even in the bye week because they really don't have other options (backup, PS) available.

Thank God it's only one guy on Oline so they can find ways to compensate, unlike the Steelers who are bad across the line.

[Uncle Jesse]

Oh I believe it, watching him. He was getting blown by all the time. When Legursky is back it wouldn't hurt to give him a shot because, can he really do worse?

[trapezeus]

the worst thing is if the bills have an OL injury. then colin is a weaklink and then the new guy is a weaklink.

marrone may need to get hands on with this line and coach them up. we are stuck with these guys, better or worse.

[Oaf]

Running left sucks. Man I miss Levitre.

[Albany,n.y.]

There has to be a veteran guard out there waiting by his phone.

[Goobylal]

Running left sucks. Man I miss Levitre.
Levitre graded out at -3.1 against the Texans, FWIW. He wasn't and still isn't worth the $7.8M/year he got.

[OpIv37]

Levitre graded out at -3.1 against the Texans, FWIW. He wasn't and still isn't worth the $7.8M/year he got.

I'd buy that if we used that money to pay or extend someone else. But we are $19 million under the cap. As usual, Ralph just stuffed it in his mattress.

[JCBills]

I'm a little surprised they didn't keep Antoine Caldwell in case of something like this happening. He's got a lot of experience and can't be any worse than Brown.

[Goobylal]

I'd buy that if we used that money to pay or extend someone else. But we are $19 million under the cap. As usual, Ralph just stuffed it in his mattress.
Doesn't matter. You don't pay him ridiculous money, period.

[feldspar]

Oh I believe it, watching him. He was getting blown by all the time. When Legursky is back it wouldn't hurt to give him a shot because, can he really do worse?

Yep...Legursky should start, so we'll see how that goes.

I think he's close to coming back, isn't he?

[BillsFever21]

the worst thing is if the bills have an OL injury. then colin is a weaklink and then the new guy is a weaklink.

marrone may need to get hands on with this line and coach them up. we are stuck with these guys, better or worse.

The question isn't if we have an injury but when we have in injury. There isn't many teams in the NFL that make it through an entire season without one of their starting OL getting injured. When that happens it won't be pretty at all.

[BillsFever21]

Doesn't matter. You don't pay him ridiculous money, period.

Were you writing the check for it? If the money never gets spent then how does that help the Bills by Ralph pocketing the money? They don't give trophies for the most available cap space at the end of every season.

The only thing it did was weaken our team and running game. Last year there were huge holes on the left side for Spiller to run through between Glenn and Levitre blocking for him. This year it's a total different story and then Glenn and/or Wood needs to help out Brown on his blocking instead of worrying about just their duties. That makes our OL even weaker overall because we need one of them two guys to help Brown out which leaves somebody else unblocked, etc.

[BillsFever21]

The way some people around here treat the usage of the Bills salary cap reminds me of people who go without to save most of their money their entire lives and just stare at their checkbook. They don't even end up spending the money when/if they retire early. Eventually they get old and can't have any fun with the money or they die. Instead of having fun at some point in their lives or supplementing their SS at an old age their kids or other family members spend the money they saved for a few decades.

Eventually when they're 70 years old they are still staring at their checkbook and the thousands more they added to their savings account that year while they ate from the dollar menu at McDonalds three days a week. They get hooked on looking at their account balance but they never end up spending it. At least when they die their kids/family can put the money to good use. With the Bills salary cap it just disappears and never gets used by anybody but Ralph heirs.

[Goobylal]

Were you writing the check for it? If the money never gets spent then how does that help the Bills by Ralph pocketing the money? They don't give trophies for the most available cap space at the end of every season.

The only thing it did was weaken our team and running game. Last year there were huge holes on the left side for Spiller to run through between Glenn and Levitre blocking for him. This year it's a total different story and then Glenn and/or Wood needs to help out Brown on his blocking instead of worrying about just their duties. That makes our OL even weaker overall because we need one of them two guys to help Brown out which leaves somebody else unblocked, etc.
Not an excuse. Again, Levitre graded-out a -3.1 by PFF in his last game. You don't spend $7.8M/year on a guy like that no matter how much money you have. And Chris Johnson has a worse YPC average than Spiller.

[BillsFever21]

Not an excuse. Again, Levitre graded-out a -3.1 by PFF in his last game. You don't spend $7.8M/year on a guy like that no matter how much money you have. And Chris Johnson has a worse YPC average than Spiller.

If that's the case then we better get rid of Manuel immediately. He was a -3.2 for the game. -3.1 doesn't sound great but we're talking one game and not a -8.3 like Colin Brown and literally the worse OL in the league the past two weeks.

[ServoBillieves]

Doug needs to get healthy. Put him in.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I think there is a short term/long term management decision here. If we are ready for a super bowl run, you may take on a contract that will wind up eating your cap space in a few years. If you a young team with perceived many young stars to be resigned for future super bowl runs, then you back off giving out that kind of contract. How many of you expecting the Bills to challenge for superbowl this or next year?

[Goobylal]

If that's the case then we better get rid of Manuel immediately. He was a -3.2 for the game. -3.1 doesn't sound great but we're talking one game and not a -8.3 like Colin Brown and literally the worse OL in the league the past two weeks.
I'm sorry, but is Levitre a rookie playing in just his 2nd game, much less after missing 3 weeks of training camp and 2 pre-season games?

I think there is a short term/long term management decision here. If we are ready for a super bowl run, you may take on a contract that will wind up eating your cap space in a few years. If you a young team with perceived many young stars to be resigned for future super bowl runs, then you back off giving out that kind of contract. How many of you expecting the Bills to challenge for superbowl this or next year?
That's part of it. The other part is Levitre is just not worth what he got from the Titans and would have thrown-off the pay scale for everyone else. Wood would have demanded more. Cordy Glenn is looking amazing, is signed through 2015, and will likely be looking for a new contract within the next year or two.

[BuffaloRedleg]

I always wonder what it would be like to be forced to be a starter in the league and be absolutely horrible like Colin Brown. That must be utterly humiliating.

Unless your name is Aaron Maybin and you have absolutely no self awareness as to how terrible you are.

[Jan Reimers]

Running left sucks. Man I miss Levitre.
Yeah, but Levitre was just an average player who didn't deserve the money, according to many. Now I think we're seeing he was much better than average, virtually never injured, and worth every penny of the huge amount of wasted cap space we created by letting him walk.

[better days]

I'd buy that if we used that money to pay or extend someone else. But we are $19 million under the cap. As usual, Ralph just stuffed it in his mattress.

That cap money can be carried over into next year. We will see what happens with it then.

[JCBills]

Yeah, but Levitre was just an average player who didn't deserve the money, according to many. Now I think we're seeing he was much better than average, virtually never injured, and worth every penny of the huge amount of wasted cap space we created by letting him walk.

He was by far one of the best in the league over the last 2 seasons.

[Ed]

I understand letting Levitre walk for that kind of money. They can roll it into next year and use it on extensions and free agency where they need it more than at LG. I would have liked to see the Bills at least re-sign Rinehart though. He was solid and I don't think he signed for that much.

Maybe the Bills can still make a move. I thought they did a good job of picking up both Urbik and Pears during the season a few years ago, and both became decent starters.

[Saratoga Slim]

I'd buy that if we used that money to pay or extend someone else. But we are $19 million under the cap. As usual, Ralph just stuffed it in his mattress.

Once again, the Bills' operating profit was far less than the cap. It doesn't matter what the spending cap is, if you don't make enough to pay it.

[kishoph]

As bad as Brown has done (grade wise) the line has been doing a good job, there is no team that has allowed fewer negative plays (including sacks) than the Bills, they are also the #4 ranked rushing team (yds/G) and 2nd ranked offensive line according to NFL.com. As bad as Brown is grading out, he hasn't been a big liability, he hasn't allowed a sack and has only 1 penalty, a false start. I'm not saying he's doing a good job, but his grade makes it seem like he's doing a lot worse than he really is, of course a lot of that has to do with being between Wood and Glenn, which is also a big reason why we don't have to spend $8 Million on a guard (Levitre).

[YardRat]

I'd buy that if we used that money to pay or extend someone else. But we are $19 million under the cap. As usual, Ralph just stuffed it in his mattress.

Eric Wood called...he disagrees with your assessment.