Revamped offensive line ready for big test
The Buffalo Bills believe they will get along just fine without Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.
We’ll find out if they’re right on Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks feature one of the best defenses in the NFL. The strength of the unit is a pass rush that finished fourth in the NFL with 45 sacks last season.
Seattle has 136 sacks over the last three years, including a league-high 50 during its 2005 Super Bowl campaign. Only San Diego has more sacks (149) since 2005.
“The pass rush from these guys is amazing,” said Bills right tackle Kirk Chambers. “They are among the leaders in sacks and turnovers. Boy, we’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s a great opportunity for us to see how we measure up.”
The focus will be primarily on Chambers and Langston Walker, who is replacing Peters at left tackle. The interest in their play is heightened by their matchup against the Seahawks’ two best pass rushers.
All-Pro defensive end Patrick Kerney led the NFC with 14z 1/3 1/2 ck 1/3 last season, while Pro Bowl outside linebacker Julian Peterson added 9z sacks. They also combined for nine forced fumbles.
Both Kerney and Peterson play on the strong (left) side in Seattle’s base 4-3 formation, but usually line up on opposite sides on passing downs so opponents can’t key on both of them.
“Personally I take it as another challenge to prove my critics wrong, especially when you’re going against a guy who not only has a name but the skills and credentials to back it up,” Walker said. “It’s special, but at the same time, it’s the same thing I’ve been doing since I was 15 years old — kick-set, hand placement, playing smart and laying all the cards out on the table.”
Making the Bills’ job tougher is the Seahawks have more than two guys who can get to the quarterback. Eleven different players recorded sacks last season. Defensive end Darryl Tapp tied a club record with four sacks in a game and had seven overall. Firstround draft pick Lawrence Jackson, who replaced Tapp in the starting lineup, is expected to be an impact player as well.
Seattle also blitzes linebackers (Leroy Hill is one of the best), cornerbacks and safeties, all with the goal of rattling the quarterback.
“They’ve got four or five good edge players on their team, and not only their credentials but their production year after year deems them extra attention,” Walker said. “But at the same time they go out there and tie their shoes up one lace at a time just like we do. Not taking anything away from those guys, but they still have a scheme to follow and they still have their limitations.”
The offensive line will get a lot of credit for any success the Bills have on Sunday. Conversely, questions about Peters’ absence will re-surface if running back Marshawn Lynch struggles and quarterback Trent Edwards spends much of the day on his back.
Still, Walker is comfortable with his new role and isn’t at all burdened by having to replace one of the best left tackles in the game.
“It doesn’t bother me. It is what it is,” he said. “Jason Peters’ situation is Jason Peters’ situation and even if he showed up tomorrow, I don’t think he would be able to play. And I’d still have to go out there, so it’s just the way it is.”
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CB Leodis McKelvin and wide receivers James Hardy had experienced the thrill of running on a football field for the first game of the season before. But the Bills’ top draft picks said there is nothing that compares to what they expect when enter Ralph Wilson Stadium for their first official NFL game.
“It will be exciting because this game actually counts,” Hardy said. “The preseason was one thing, but in the regular season people hit a little harder and the game is a little faster. I’m eager to get in that end zone, make a couple of catches, get some contact and see what the NFL is actually about.”
McKelvin is about to fulfill a dream that began when he was a little kid. He has thought about what it will feel like on Sunday, but he believes it will be better than what he imagined.
“I’m just ready to get the season started,” McKelvin said. “I can’t wait to get that first hit and just be able to go out and do what I love to do.”
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Sunday’s game is sold out. It’s the Bills’ ninth straight regular-season sellout and 53rd in the last 65 home games since 2000.
