Commentary
Bills’ braintrust drafts some deep thinkers
Published: May 03, 2009, 12:30 am
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What I like about the Bills’ draft: It might have been two or three years late but they finally addressed the importance of their offensive line, not just with size but with players who have a reputation for going all out all the time, playing in a bad mood and possessing the most underrated quality for linemen—intelligence.
It always helps when the play chosen in the huddle calls for a run in an eastward direction and none of the linemen heads west. Intelligence is often paired with determination, which comes in handy when a team is confronted by third-and-goal on the 2-yard line. Evaluating information at the line of scrimmage has not been a hallmark of Buffalo lines in the last few years.
Eric Wood, the Louisville center selected by the Bills in the first round, was named to the Big East’s all-academic team for the last two seasons. He was a starter all four seasons and named to the freshman All-America team. By the time he became an upperclassman he was his team’s acknowledged leader.
On the field, second-round selection Paul Levitre, the Oregon State tackle, has a similar take-on-all-comers reputation. He played tackle for the Beavers but most NFL teams rated him the top guard prospect in the draft. Like Wood, he also deserves the description “student- athlete.” He graduated early with a double major in finance and sociology.
The Bills’ fourth-round pick, Shawn Nelson of Southern Mississippi, has the potential to become their most valuable tight end since Pete Metzelaars, recently named to the franchise’s Golden Jubilee team. With Terrell Owens and Lee Evans expected to attract extraordinary attention from enemy coverage, opportunities for the tight end to convert a lot of third downs into first downs loom large. Nelson has a college track record of doing just that.
What I don’t like about the Bills’ draft:
They are counting on too many position switches, including ones expected by three of their first four picks, Wood, Levitre and defensive back Jairus Byrd of Oregon. They also plan to switch Oklahoma safety Nic Harris, their fifth-round selection. All four are considered possible starters. Sometime position switches work but more often they don’t.
Wood will switch from center to left guard. At least there is a happy precedent for the Bills. In 1980, All-America center Jim Ritcher, the Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s best collegiate lineman, was the No. 1 pick. Converted to guard, Ritcher was just elected to the 50-year team. In Levitre’s case, the switch of college tackles to guard is a common occurrence these days.
But moving Byrd from cornerback to free safety and Harris to linebacker sounds as if it might be dicey. In 1967, the first common draft between the NFL and the American Football League was supposed to be a bonanza for most teams since they would not have any competition in signing their picks. It was a disaster for Buffalo. The reason was that the Bills planned to change the positions of all of their first four picks. None of the switches worked.
But the Bills also have a history of creating a championship defense by switching the positions of seven players. That began in 1962, when Lou Saban, who had an uncommon eye for talent and where it could be used most effectively, became the head coach.
Saban converted two tight ends and a college guard to create a linebacking corps that played together for 54 straight games. He converted another college tight end, Tom Sestak, to tackle where he became the best defensive lineman in the league. In 1964 Sestak had 14.5 sacks. Most defensive tackles don’t have that many sacks in their careers. Saban also converted two former Cardinals offensive linemen, Ron McDole and Tom Day, to defensive ends. Then he drafted George Saimes, Michigan State’s All-America running back, converting him to free safety, where he was voted to the AFL’s all-time team.
In 1964, the Buffalo defense started a string of 17 consecutive games without allowing a rushing touchdown. The string carried over into 1965. The team allowed only four the entire season. That sort of success never happened on such a scale in pro football before nor has it since.
Larry Felser, former News columnist, appears in Sunday’s editions.
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