"There were a lot of factors that made this a great fit for me."
Bills' Hangartner in the middle of things
Free agent signee adds needed stability to line
Published: July 26, 2009, 9:11 pm
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PITTSFORD — Since Kent Hull retired after the 1996 season, the center position has been pedestrian at best for the Buffalo Bills, which is why they made Geoff Hangartner a top priority signing during the offseason.
And since Hull finished his career, the Bills have experienced difficulty dealing with the likes of Vince Wilfork, Kris Jenkins, Jason Ferguson and other nose tackles in a division where every opposing team utilizes the 3-4.
"Our division is definitely a challenge when you play center because you have three of the best nose guards in the league," said Hangartner, who signed a four-year deal with the Bills in February. "You have guys who have played in Pro Bowls and who are definitely good at what they do so it's a challenge every week."
The Bills are counting on Hangartner to be an upgrade. Dusty Zeigler, Jerry Ostroski, Bill Conaty, Trey Teague, Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston all have seen time at center and none made anyone forget Hull, who played 11 seasons and earned three Pro Bowl appearances for the Bills.
Hangartner, drafted in the fifth round by Carolina in 2005, has started 27 of 54 games in his four-year career, playing in 51 consecutive games since near the end of his rookie season.
"A very, very smart guy and a very experienced player," said Bills coach Dick Jauron. "There's a lot of communication involved in offensive line play and he's a great communicator. He understands and recognizes defensive schemes so we're really happy to have him."
The Bills needed to become more stout at the position after Fowler and Preston, now with the Green Bay Packers, played there a year ago and nose tackles were often disruptive. Wilfork tied his season high with eight tackles against the Bills during Week 17, and in Week Nine Jenkins finished with five tackles and 1½ sacks against Buffalo. Yes, Terrell Owens brings an excitement and energy rarely seen from the Bills but when the free agency period began the team made it known quickly that it wanted Hangartner.
"That felt great," Hangartner said. "I had a lot of respect for this organization during their heyday. When I was a kid growing up, they were always in the Super Bowl. There were a lot of factors that made this a great fit for me and get up here and get signed."
A fundamentally sound lineman, Hangartner played mainly center, but has some experience at guard, which could be invaluable at some point because the Bills are breaking in two new guards in rookies Eric Wood and Andy Levitre.
"He can play guard, we've seen him do it, but we plan on him being our center," Jauron said.
In addition to versatility, the 6-foot-5, 301-pound Hangartner proved with the Panthers that he was a quality finisher in run and pass blocking. He also scored 47 out of 50 on the Wonderlic intelligence test before the 2005 draft, believed to be the highest score for any offensive lineman.
With Carolina, Hangartner helped clear the path for the No. 3 rushing attack in the league last season.
Bills offensive line coach Sean Kugler has been working with Hangartner on some 3-4 specific techniques.
"I've had good coaches in high school and good coaches in college and the NFL and I picked up things here and there from all those coaches," Hangartner said. "Coach Kugler is a great coach and he's got some new techniques that he has me working on and I think it's going to work out well."
Hangartner also has Western New York ties. His grandfather, Croft, lives in Rochester and despite growing up in New Braunfels, Texas — which is famous for the cold-spring rivers that run through the city — Hangartner liked the Bills growing up.
"I was a Houston Oilers fan back in the day. Then they moved away and broke my heart," he said. "I didn't switch over to the Dallas Cowboys and I couldn't root for a team from Tennessee so I was kind of an NFL fan and I remember all the great years the Bills had with Jim Kelly and all those guys going to the Super Bowl."
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