Whaley: Offensive line a 'loss' in otherwise winning offseason for Bills

[SpikedLemonade]

Whaley: Offensive line a 'loss' in otherwise winning offseason for Bills


PHOENIX – The Buffalo Bills have been able to put check marks on multiple glaring needs this offseason: running back (LeSean McCoy), tight end (Charles Clay), veteran quarterback (Matt Cassel), fullback (Jerome Felton), wide receiver (Percy Harvin), and the retention of edge rusher Jerry Hughes.

There is, however, one glaring omission: Offensive guard.

The signing of Richie Incognito might very well fill a hole at guard, but he has been out of football for more than a year and he did not exactly qualify as a highly coveted free agent. The fact is, the Bills were the only team that wanted him since he was reinstated in February, 2014, from a suspension related to a bullying incident with the Miami Dolphins that put his playing career on hold during the 2013 season.

The Bills clearly wanted to add more help at the position when the NFL’s free-agency/trading period began on March 10, and they took two big swings … and had two big misses. The first was an attempt to acquire Bryan Bulaga, but he chose to re-sign with the Green Bay Packers. The second was an attempt to trade for Jhari Evans of the New Orleans Saints, but they instead chose to move Ben Grubbs to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“To put it bluntly, everybody’s celebrating our victories, but we’ve had some losses in this free agency” period “and it happened to be on the offensive line,” General Manager Doug Whaley said Tuesday during the NFL meeting here. “We had targeted two guys and we just couldn’t get them. Unfortunately for us, it looks like we didn’t try, but we did try and just weren’t successful.”....



http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/03...son-for-bills/



Sounds familiar.

[YardRat]

Yeah, no ****. Considering the combination of youth and dearth of talent, having only two guys targeted doesn't exactly qualify as 'due diligence'.

[OpIv37]

Doug Whaley agrees with me.... Just sayin'

[stuckincincy]

Whaley: Offensive line a 'loss' in otherwise winning offseason for Bills


PHOENIX – The Buffalo Bills have been able to put check marks on multiple glaring needs this offseason: running back (LeSean McCoy), tight end (Charles Clay), veteran quarterback (Matt Cassel), fullback (Jerome Felton), wide receiver (Percy Harvin), and the retention of edge rusher Jerry Hughes.


Thud...
There is, however, one glaring omission: Offensive guard.

The signing of Richie Incognito might very well fill a hole at guard, but he has been out of football for more than a year and he did not exactly qualify as a highly coveted free agent. The fact is, the Bills were the only team that wanted him since he was reinstated in February, 2014, from a suspension related to a bullying incident with the Miami Dolphins that put his playing career on hold during the 2013 season.

The Bills clearly wanted to add more help at the position when the NFL’s free-agency/trading period began on March 10, and they took two big swings … and had two big misses. The first was an attempt to acquire Bryan Bulaga, but he chose to re-sign with the Green Bay Packers. The second was an attempt to trade for Jhari Evans of the New Orleans Saints, but they instead chose to move Ben Grubbs to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“To put it bluntly, everybody’s celebrating our victories, but we’ve had some losses in this free agency” period “and it happened to be on the offensive line,” General Manager Doug Whaley said Tuesday during the NFL meeting here. “We had targeted two guys and we just couldn’t get them. Unfortunately for us, it looks like we didn’t try, but we did try and just weren’t successful.”....



http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/03...son-for-bills/



Sounds familiar.

Thud...

[Mace]

Roman and Kromer sure better be worth something and I guess we'll see.

[Jaybird]

Moves can still be made. I think we need to add a guard in the draft, but a vet is a must as well. Knowing the aggressive nature of Whaley, in sure he's still working the wire.

[ICRockets]

Doug Whaley agrees with me.... Just sayin'

Which should make you feel better about our chances of actually upgrading, but I'm sure it doesn't.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Doug Whaley agrees with me.... Just sayin'

I think most people on this board agree that our O-line is in need of an upgrade. The difference in opinion lies in how much someone thinks it will affect our season. I don't know what your expectations are for this coming season, but I would bet that Whaley thinks we'll be more successful than you think we'll be. Just guessing though.

[Goobylal]

Hardly a loss and it's more than just adding players. Getting rid of that fraud HC and his lousy OC will do wonders alone. Then you add Incognito to solidify the LG spot and also help Glenn and Wood, re-insert Urbik at RG (instead of LG where he played last year), and look for Henderson and Kujo to compete at RT, getting help from Clay and Felton if need be. Not to mention the major infusion of talent in the form of McCoy and Harvin. And Cassel has shown that he can put together some decent seasons, if EJ can't progress.

Now that doesn't mean they can't improve the OL further, and there are still options out there if they free up some money. And there's also the draft.

[OpIv37]

Which should make you feel better about our chances of actually upgrading, but I'm sure it doesn't.

What chances for upgrading?

The best FA's are long gone. Even if they weren't- or if someone else were to become available, we only have a little over $5 mil in cap available, and roughly $3 mil of that has to be reserved for rookies

The draft? We have 6 picks with no first rounder and only 3 picks in the first 5 rounds. And that means the same people who failed to fix the OL in the last draft will be attempting to fix the OL in this draft.

[ICRockets]

What chances for upgrading?

The best FA's are long gone. Even if they weren't- or if someone else were to become available, we only have a little over $5 mil in cap available, and roughly $3 mil of that has to be reserved for rookies

The draft? We have 6 picks with no first rounder and only 3 picks in the first 5 rounds. And that means the same people who failed to fix the OL in the last draft will be attempting to fix the OL in this draft.

Cool story, tell us more after you jump off a bridge because it's all so hopeless.

[BuffaloRedleg]

At least he's honest.

He recognizes there is a problem, so that's positive.

[feldspar]

Doug Whaley agrees with me.... Just sayin'

Couple of geniuses the two of you are.

Time to mail it in again, right pal?

[Herd bull]

At least he's honest.

He recognizes there is a problem, so that's positive.

I agree, and they also tried, and he is honest about it. We'll have to hope the boys we drafted last year step up.

[Topas]

Yeah, no ****. Considering the combination of youth and dearth of talent, having only two guys targeted doesn't exactly qualify as 'due diligence'.

I am not sure I agree. I like targeting a few guys that can help and that you re confident him. Just signing any guard that is a FA and that the press thinks that can still play does not help IMO.

[Strongman]

I wonder why they didn't target Iupati? Seems kind of odd unless Roman didn't want him.

[Night Train]

There's this thingy called the draft, which I targeted all along as the way to upgrade the OL.

With only 2-3 options out there in FA and 32 teams, the odds were slim..especially when many targets already wished to stay with their team or had no interest in playing for the Bills.

Concern is legit but the draft was always the avenue for the OL and I expect 2-3 picks there.

Then the coaching kicks in.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

I think most people on this board agree that our O-line is in need of an upgrade. The difference in opinion lies in how much someone thinks it will affect our season. I don't know what your expectations are for this coming season, but I would bet that Whaley thinks we'll be more successful than you think we'll be. Just guessing though.

based on some of the ridiculous posts i've been reading lately, (including the post that said our O line is fine while showing the numbers indicating its precipitous decline over the last 3 years) I would disagree that most people on this board think that our o line is in need of an upgrade. Some, not most.

[YardRat]

I am not sure I agree. I like targeting a few guys that can help and that you re confident him. Just signing any guard that is a FA and that the press thinks that can still play does not help IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think they should sign any warm body just 'because', but if the pro personnel department has players ranked in a manner that indicates there were only two guys available that would constitute an upgrade over what we currently have then I have serious questions about their perception.

[DraftBoy]

Credit for trying, I guess?

At least we know they went after some big names to try and fill holes. Clearly RT and both OG spots are positions they don't feel as though they filled quite yet.