Bills' Walker reserved about position swap
Tackle largely silent about shift to left side
Langston Walker is a smart guy.
So it's no surprise he's taking a low-key approach to stepping into the high-profile job as the new left tackle of the Buffalo Bills.
"I'm a team player," Walker said as the Bills began spring practices this week. "They asked me to do it early and I'm doing it, no arguments. End of story, really."
Is he embracing the challenge? It would be a good idea, he is told.
"I have to," he said. "Like you just said, I better. There's no secondary draft, and I don't know how many left tackles are out there in free agency, but I highly doubt that we'll pick somebody else up. So I'm what you've got."
Is he confident he can do the job?
"I'm not worried," Walker said. "I've done it before and I'll do it again. I'll do it [as long as] they continue to ask me to."
If Walker seems a bit guarded — OK, very guarded — it's easy to understand why.
Walker, who spent the past two seasons playing right tackle, knows he is stepping into the big shoes of a two-time Pro Bowler, Jason Peters. He knows he is protecting the blind side of quarterback Trent Edwards.
Walker is not going to say anything that will call extra attention to himself. He's not going to make any bold proclamations.
He's not going to come remotely close to getting on some opponent's bulletin board.
The Bills' management, conversely, gave a loud endorsement of Walker's ability April 17 when they traded Peters to the Philadelphia Eagles. You don't deal a Pro Bowler at one of the most important positions on the field unless you think you have a good alternative. They gave Walker another big vote of confidence April 25 when they passed on two chances to take a left tackle in the first round of the NFL draft — with the 11th and 28th overall picks.
Conclusion: The Bills are completely sold on Walker.
"Langston is intelligent, so the mental aspect I don't think will be a transition for him," said Bills offensive line coach Sean Kugler. "Langston is an accomplished pass blocker at both right and left tackle. It's just the repetition with his feet. Everything's a switch. But he's done it before. So we're confident. He was successful when he did it."
The 6-foot-8, 366-pound Walker has done a good job on the right side for the Bills the past two years. He also has started four games at left tackle in place of Peters, and the Bills have gone 3-1 in those starts.
Right tackle has been widely viewed as his natural position since he entered the league as a second-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2002.
But the Bills think he's just as good a fit on the left side because he's better at pass protection than run blocking. It's not always easy for a man 6-8 to get low enough to use good leverage in run blocking. But Walker is so massive and has such long arms, that if he gets a decent glove on the opposing defensive end, it's a long cab ride around his edge to get to the quarterback.
"Sure I think he's suited for left," Kugler said. "He is a talented pass protector. He knows he has to improve on some things in the run game. We expect both tackles to be equally adept at both."
The Bills think Walker will be better prepared for this season than last year, when he spent training camp working on both the left and right sides while Peters held out in a contract dispute. Walker played all of last year's season opener at left tackle and part of the second game on the left.
"We're going to move you to left but when Jason comes back we're moving you back to right — that's hard," Kugler said. "You think when's he coming back, "How long am I going to be there? Do I pour everything into it because it's only temporary?' This year he knows he is the left tackle, so he can put all his focus on it."
Walker said he was surprised that Peters was traded. He received a phone call from Kugler and a text message from Edwards right after the trade was announced. Both essentially were votes of confidence.
"I'm going to be challenged, I know that," Walker said. "But that's what I get paid for. I think I'm ready for it, and we'll see."
That's about as bold a statement as you're going to get from Walker for the time being.
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