[positional grouping] Bills Offensive Line

[Hedge]

 

 

[Ann]

 

https://twitter.com/Cody_Ford74/status/1405691435790315520

[Ann]

 

For those that cannot see the twitter images:

 

 

 

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/Marcel_LJ/status/1413877436153044998

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/PFF_Bills/status/1415797513194516484

 

 

Offensive Tackle Rankings: The 32 best OTs entering the 2021 NFL season
 

21. DION DAWKINS, BUFFALO BILLS

Dawkins is the model of consistency when it comes to protecting the quarterback. His career-low pass-blocking grade sits at 76.2 (2018), while his career-high is 79.2 (2020). His run blocking has been shakier, but he was more impactful in that facet in 2020 than in the two seasons prior to that. Dawkins earned a 75.1 run-blocking grade last year, which was more than 10 grading points better than his 2018 and 2019 marks and closer to his 2017 rookie campaign number.
 

28. DARYL WILLIAMS, BUFFALO BILLS

After an injury-plagued, up-and-down five-year stint with Carolina to begin his NFL career, Williams joined the Bills prior to the 2020 season to be their starting right tackle. Not only did he play in all 19 games, but he also played at an extremely high level. His 80.0 pass-blocking grade ranked fourth among right tackles. If Williams can stay healthy and piece together another season like that in 2021, I suspect he will shoot up this list. 

[Ann]

PFF ranks Bills offensive line 14th

 

 

The Bills finished 10th in our final 2020 rankings, and they’ve done a great job of rebuilding the trenches over the past few years.

The tackle tandem of Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams is one of the league’s best; they finished 14th and 22nd, respectively, in overall grade last season. Dawkins has been incredibly consistent in his four NFL seasons, especially in pass protection, where he’s graded between 76.0 and 79.2 every year. Williams returns via free agency after playing well on a shrewd one-year deal. He’s bounced around the offensive line during his six-year career, but his two best seasons came in 2017 and 2020 — both of which he played right tackle from start to finish.

On the interior, center Mitch Morse has graded at 67.3 and 63.3 in his two years as a starter in Buffalo, and much like the rest of his career, he’s done his best work in pass protection. Bills guards earned a mere 60.7 grade as a unit last year, an area where the team must improve in 2020. Jon Feliciano returns as the starting right guard after posting the highest run-blocking grade on the team (76.1) but also the lowest pass-blocking grade (46.4). He’s been a league-average starter over the past two years and could be pushed by Ike Boettger, Forrest Lamp and Jamil Douglas.

Cody Ford is expected to start at left guard, and it’s a pivotal year for the 2019 second-rounder. He recorded just 50.3 and 53.8 grades in his first two seasons, so the Bills are hoping the common third-year breakout comes to fruition in 2021.

The Bills also did a fine job of adding depth, including two monster draft picks in Tommy Doyle and Spencer Brown. Both tackle prospects are at least 6-foot-8, serving as solid developmental options behind the starting duo of Dawkins and Williams.

Once again, the Bills have a solid offensive line unit and they continue to attack the position with volume. Their depth is strong, whcih should help them handle any injuries that pop up throughout the season.

[Ann]

mmorse61

As the years progress in this league, you realize that this game doesn’t owe you anything. Every opportunity to play a snap in a game, or even practice, is a privilege. I used to hate when people would say this… but now it seems like I am the old timer trying to pass on sage advice that I often don’t follow myself. Year 7 is almost underway, let’s have some fun and a whole lot of friendship!
#friendship #buffalo #year7 #oldnuts
 

IG post
 

https://twitter.com/BradleyGelber/status/1417923563898736642

[Ann]

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/JuliannePelusi/status/1421228791620415495

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/SalSports/status/1422913215210704903 

[Arm of Harm]

Some thoughts on the offensive line:

 

1) Overall I thought they did better at pass protection than run blocking.

 

2) Feliciano bucked that trend: he had a significantly higher score for run blocking than pass protection.

 

3) During the postseason it didn't seem as though the offensive line did a particularly good job at either run blocking or pass protection. At least not with any consistency.

 

4) Interior of the OL was significantly inferior to the two tackle spots.

 

5. The downgrade in OL play from the regular season to the postseason is one of the reasons why the Bills were blowing teams out in the regular season, only to squeak out wins against the Colts and Ravens before getting destroyed by KC. I realize that to some the Ravens game might not seem like a squeaked out win, but bear in mind that had the pick 6 been an incomplete pass, that's a 10 point swing. If it's a completed pass, that's a 14 point swing. It was a very even game except for that one play.

[Alaska Darin]

8 hours ago, Arm of Harm said:

I realize that to some the Ravens game might not seem like a squeaked out win, but bear in mind that had the pick 6 been an incomplete pass, that's a 10 point swing. If it's a completed pass, that's a 14 point swing. It was a very even game except for that one play.

The wind was a bigger factor in that game than the offensive line play.

[TakeYouToTasker 2.0]

9 hours ago, Arm of Harm said:

Some thoughts on the offensive line:

 

I realize that to some the Ravens game might not seem like a squeaked out win, but bear in mind that had the pick 6 been an incomplete pass, that's a 10 point swing. If it's a completed pass, that's a 14 point swing. It was a very even game except for that one play.

You could say that about almost every game. There’s a reason it’s “a game of inches”.

[Arm of Harm]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:57 PM, Alaska Darin said:

The wind was a bigger factor in that game than the offensive line play.

 

When it's windy you want to be able to run the ball. How well do you think the line run blocked in the Ravens game?

[Ann]

Ummmm
 

 

[Ann]

Dion Dawkins was hospitalized for 4 days. He was vaccinated. He was in the 2 week window after the second shot.
 

 

[Ann]

 

https://twitter.com/haprusak/status/1438973368745791488

[Fansince88]

5 hours ago, Ann said:

 

https://twitter.com/haprusak/status/1438973368745791488

You could definitely tell

[Ann]

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/Peter_Bukowski/status/1440725585026699270

[Ann]

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/JonScottTV/status/1449141325736120325

[Nanker]

God I love this team and the players with whom they’ve built it.