2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle:Langston Walker/ Jason Peters Left Guard:DerrickDockery Center: Melvin Fowler Right Guard: Brad Butler Right Tackle: Kirk Chambers / Langston Walker
2007 Injuries:
T Jason Peters: Week 17
2007 Statistics:
LEFT END
LEFT TACKLE
MID/GUARD
RIGHT TACKLE
RIGHT END
Passing
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
Sacks
Rank
2.8
29
3.9
23
4.02
19
4.65
6
3.48
26
26
11
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 offense was once again disappointing in 2007 but this time the
offensive line was not the problem. The last time the Bills had given up less than 35
sacks was in 1999 when Doug Flutie was the starting quarterback. This year, the line only
gave up 26 and allowed the running backs to run for a league average 4.0 yards per carry.
Unfortunately, the play of quarterbacks J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards was sub par and the
Bills won less than half of their games for a third consecutive season.
At left tackle, the Bills have
one of the best in the NFL in Jason Peters. Peters was signed in 2004 by the Bills as an
undrafted free agent and after spending a season as a blocking tight end, made the switch
to right tackle for the 2005 season. He made the switch to the left side in the middle of
the 2006 season and has done an excellent job ever since. Peters is strong and big at
6’4” and 340 lbs and is also extremely smart. He has adjusted very quickly to
the tackle position and will continue to improve as he gains experience. He has great work
ethic and is surprisingly athletic for his size. Peters only gave up six sacks and was
named to the Pro Bowl team but was unable to play because of an injury he suffered late in
the season. Overall, Peters is an excellent pass protecting lineman but his run blocking
is only above average for a starting left tackle. On the right side, the Bills have
another very big tackle in Langston Walker. Walker was signed as an unrestricted free
agent from Oakland and is one of the biggest in the league at 6’8” and 365 lbs.
He obviously lacks athleticism because of his size but managed to improve as a pass
blocking lineman although he often received help from the tight end or running back. Walker
is much better at run blocking than pass protecting but still has a lot of room for
improvement. He is strong so will be very good at blocking when the run is behind him but
he lacks the athleticism and technique to seal the corner or block to the outside. Kirk
Chambers is the backup on the left side and had a very difficult game when he replaced
Peters in week 17. Chambers lacks athleticism to stay with speedy defensive ends and will
need tight end help if he is required to play. The Bills also added Demetrius Bell in the
seventh round of the draft but he is still very raw and has a lot to learn before he can
play in the NFL.
The Bills signed Derrick
Dockery to a seven-year deal worth 49 million dollars in the 2007 off-season to be the
team’s starting left guard. Dockery spent the first four seasons of his career with
the Redskins without missing a single game. He certainly did not disappoint and is one of
the reasons why the Bills line was so good at pass protecting in 2007. Dockery is another
big lineman at 6’6” and 330 lbs whose strength allows him to avoid being pushed
into the backfield. He however struggles when asked to pull to the outside because of his
lack of athleticism. He also seems to lack aggressiveness in run blocking and is one of
the reasons why the Bills ranked near the bottom of the league when running to the left.
Similar to Peters, Dockery is an excellent pass protecting lineman but remains average at
best in run blocking. On the other side is Brad Butler, a 6’7” and 315 lbs fifth
round pick who played tackle at Virginia but adjusted very well to the guard position in
his first season as a starter. He has great work ethic and should continue to improve as
he gains experience at his new position. Butler is excellent when he stays in his position
but similar to Dockery, he will struggle if asked to pull to the outside. Butler earned
the starting job in camp last season when he beat out Duke Preston and Jason Whittle, the
two backup guards. Preston is a former fourth round pick who was the favorite to win the
starting job at right guard but struggled in camp and in limited action in 2007. He also
has the ability to play center which may be a better position for him but either way he is
not someone the Bills want to count on for an extended period of time. Jason Whittle is a
veteran at 33 years old and missed most of the season after suffering an injury in week 3.
He is a capable backup but lacks strength and will get pushed into the backfield too
often.
The center position was the
weak link on the offensive line for the Bills in 2007 and unfortunately it will be the
case once again this season. Melvin Fowler will return as starter for a third consecutive
season after the Bills failed to address the situation in the off-season. He has decent
size at 6’3” and 310 lbs but lacks strength to create holes in the running game
and is average in pass protection. Fowler is also a liability in short yardage situations
which was a problem all season long for the Bills in 2007.
2008 Outlook:
The Bills will be returning all five starters on the offensive line in 2008. The line had
a few troubles early in the season but it built chemistry later on and was very good in
pass protection. The Bills only gave up 13 sacks in the last 11 games of the season after
giving up 13 in the first five games. As a result, the passing game also improved and the
team averaged 181 passing yards as opposed to only 128 in the first five games. The
problem with the Bills line is that there is very little depth and the offense will be in
even more trouble if Dockery, Peters or Walker go down with an injury. Overall the Bills
offensive line is excellent in pass protection and slightly below average in run blocking
but could improve with better schemes since all the linemen have the size to be dominant
in run blocking.
Updates:
August 4, 2008 - LT Jason Peters is holding out and the Bills say they will not
renegotiate until he reports to camp. This issue will probably be resolved by the
beginning of the season but if it is not it will make the already weak passing game even
weaker. This should not be too much of a concern for Lynch since the Bills still carried
the ball 30 times for 138 yards against the Eagles last year when Peters was absent. The
problem however is that this line already has very little depth and would have even less
if Peters sits out and Kirk Chambers starts.
August 20, 2008 - The Bills are
apparently happy with the way Langston Walker has played at LT in
replacement of Jason Peters and are still unwilling to negotiate with him.
