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2009 Offensive Line Analysis - Buffalo Bills

2009 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Langston Walker
Left Guard: Andy Levitre
Center: Geoff Hangartner
Right Guard: Eric Wood
Right Tackle: Brad Butler

2008 Injuries:
G Brad Butler: Weeks 8 to 10
T Jason Peters: Weeks 1, 16, 17

2008 Statistics:

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Buffalo Bills had their second best offensive performance in six years last season but unfortunately for them that only meant they ranked 23rd in the NFL in points scored and 25th in yards of offense. They ranked 14th in yards per carry with 4.2 but there seemed to be communication problems along the line for the entire season which led to Edwards and Losman being sacked 38 times.

After trading Jason Peters to the Eagles in the off-season, the Bills will hand over the starting left tackle position to Langston Walker. He was signed as an unrestricted free agent from Oakland in 2006 and has not missed a start since joining the Bills. He is one of the biggest in the league at 6’8” and 365 lbs so he obviously doesn’t have great athleticism but he managed to improve as a pass blocking lineman in the past year. He allowed only 3.0 sacks last season which ranked him eighth amongst right tackles and was not responsible for any of the sacks allowed by the Bills in the final 11 games of the season. Walker is much better at run blocking than he is in pass protection but still has a lot of room for improvement in both. He is strong so he will be very good at blocking when the run is behind him but he needs to improve his technique when blocking to the outside or attempting to seal the corner. Starting on the right side will be Brad Butler who will be making the move from right guard. Butler started 30 games at right tackle at Virginia but it is still a big adjustment for anyone moving from guard to tackle in the NFL. Nonetheless, Butler is known to be a very hard worker and a perfectionist so he should be ready to go when the season begins. He has a big frame at 6’7” and 315 lbs and has improved his lower body strength tremendously since being drafted in 2006 in order to become a better player. He will never be an elite tackle but he has the skills and work ethic to be a solid starter in the NFL for a number of years. 30-year old career backup Kirk Chambers and 2008 seventh round pick Demetrius Bell add depth at the tackle position.

The Bills also took the decision to release left guard Derrick Dockery in the off-season and had to add some offensive linemen on draft day. First, they selected Eric Wood out of Louiville with the first round pick they received from the Eagles and then added Andy Levitre out of Oregon State in the second round. Wood who started 49 consecutive games in college at center will make the move to right guard for the Bills. He is not particularly big at 6’4” and 310 lbs or particularly athletic but he is an extremely hard worker who will play to the whistle on every play. He is also very smart and will study as much game film as he has to in order to perform better on game day. With an NFL training staff helping him and his great work ethic, there is no doubt that Wood will be ready to start at right guard on opening day. Starting on the opposite side is a similar sized lineman, 6’3” and 305 lbs Andy Levitre. Levitre started the final 35 games of his college career at the two tackle positions but will be a much better fit at guard in the NFL. He does not have quick enough feet to play tackle in the NFL but has good technique to play inside. He will need to get a little stronger but he too should adjust to the NFL pretty quickly. The Bills signed eighth-year veteran Seth McKinney from the Browns to be the top backup at guard and center.

Starting at center for the Bills will be 27-year old Geoff Hangartner who started 27 games over the past three seasons for the Panthers. He was a fifth round pick in 2005 who gained a lot of experience in the past few years because of injuries to various linemen in Carolina. Similar to the two guards around him, he does not have great physical abilities but he is a very hard worker and will rarely make mistakes. Hangartner was not a good fit for the power running attack in Carolina because of his size but he definitely has enough talent to be a regular starter in the NFL. He will be a big upgrade over Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston and will provide much needed consistency at the center position.

2009 Outlook:
The Bills changed their offensive line completely this off-season and this group of five could surprise many in 2009. All five of these linemen are hard workers and are smart players so there is no doubt that this team will be better in pass protection. Last season the Bills allowed 38 sacks and although the line probably had more talent than this year, a large number of the sacks allowed were due to miscommunication and missed assignments. These linemen may get beat a little more often at one on one but the group as a whole will make very few mistakes. It will be very interesting however to see how this group will perform in run blocking because the three interior linemen are not known for opening holes in the running game, but then again last year's group wasn't either. As we discussed in our article “Don’t Underestimate Change – A Look Back at Our 2008 Offensive Line Rankings”, some of the best offensive lines last season were ones that changed their line completely and brought in new young players, the Bills did just that. Overall, the running game will probably be right around the league average as it was last year but the big improvement will be in pass protection where we wouldn’t be surprised to see the number of sacks cut down to 20 or 25.

See all of our 2009 Offensive Line Analysis Articles