Willis McGahee (1 Viewer)

[Hugonel]

We have heard (from all sources I have read) nothing but:

1. The OL stinks, and

2. The QB situation is also a mess.

McGahee averaged 3.8 yards per carry in 2005. 1247 yards and 5 TDs.

Those are numbers that don't get anyone excited about him as even a #2 RB. Serviceable, yes, exciting, no.

As the situation really hasn't changed this year (except losing Moulds), can anyone alleviate my misgivings about ranking him higher than:

Chester Taylor

Willie Parker

Julius Jones (who would have exceeded the above numbers but for injury, though Barber is in the mix now)

Reggie Bush (yes, risk here is decent, we'll see if McAllister does anything tonight)

Corey Dillon (if healthy, I never recall seeing a rookie replace a starting, but aging, stud and Dillon missed time due to injury last year but now seems healthy)

I had written McGahee off, but his 61 yard scamper the other day, plus the offensive output v. Bengals has me second guessing myself.

What do you legitimately think the impact of #### Jauron has on his value?

I draft 12 and so I am faced with taking one of these other guys as my #2 but really wonder if McGahee should be passed up.

Insight would be great. Thanks.

 

[Disco Stu]

Unlike most of the other RBs listed McGahee has complete job security. That makes him a safe pick.

Last year was a struggle, but he still finished as the #13 RB.

 

[goonsquad]

I believe McGahee has no where to go but up and that he is being undervalued mostly due to people getting burned after overvaluing him last year. I see last year's numbers as his floor, and with a new coaching staff wanting to get him more involved in the passing game and most importantly giving him more of a focus at the goal line I think his TD #'s will go up.

Even his disappointing numbers last ranked him as RB 13. That's top tier RB2 in a 12 team league. I see no reason to think he won't better last years numbers making him a RB1 value at a RB2 price.

 

[Hugonel]

Disco,

Good points. However, I prefer to draft a guy that has the highest side, as long as the risk isn't severe.

I can certainly see Bush not putting up 1,200 yards, but the other guys seem to be on better teams with a good chance to outperform McGahee if he produces like last year.

I guess the question is, does anyone honestly think McGahee is likely to outproduce last year's effort. If so, why?

 

[joffer]

I guess the question is, does anyone honestly think McGahee is likely to outproduce last year's effort. If so, why?

yes, because1. His TD total was a bit of a statistical anomaly for someone with that # of carries.2. Even though i usually dismiss the "best shape of his life" crap you hear about players in the offseason, i like the fact that McGahee dropped some weight to be quicker3. I think his reception totals will go up slightly.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

1. It's the Bengals defense. Take it with a grain of salt.

2. You would expect some semblance of improvement from Losman at the QB position. Is he going to be Brady? No. But he shouldn't be '05 Losman, either.

3. If Price ends up the starter opposite Evans, there's more speed on the field than they had with Moulds. That could help open things up a bit. Moulds running lots of routes inside of 5-10 yards means more defenders closer to the line of scrimmage.

4. The stated gameplan includes Willis on the field for 3rd downs. That's a lot of opportunities he missed last season.

I'd expect RB13 to be a minimum for him as long as he's healthy. At the very least, if you draft him to be your RB2, you can afford to take a shot on a huge upside RB3, as Willis should be plug-and-play.

Edit: While everyone likes to throw around the "If you take out that one long run" crap when discussing RBs, Willis had NO long runs last year. That's not a product of his inability to do so. Expect a few of those to be added in this season, which will help somebody win a game or 2 on the FF side.

 

[Stashy]

Disco,Good points. However, I prefer to draft a guy that has the highest side, as long as the risk isn't severe.I can certainly see Bush not putting up 1,200 yards, but the other guys seem to be on better teams with a good chance to outperform McGahee if he produces like last year.I guess the question is, does anyone honestly think McGahee is likely to outproduce last year's effort. If so, why?

Some one who throws up after a 60 yard td is in no way the best shape of there life. I see him having a duplicate of ;ast year season. Until they get a steady QB it will remain the same.

 

[GroveDiesel]

1) I think that the O-line is actually better this season. Not a good O-line, but not cover your eyes bad either. Jason Peters is a stud at RT and Melvin Fowler is an upgrade at Center IMO.

2) The QB situation is better this year IMO with Losman at the helm if the Bills committ to him (and it seems they will). He gives them an actual downfield threat. And Jauron has said that the Bills absolutely will throw the ball downfield this year. Last year they threw dink and dunk passes all season and teams stacked the box against McGahee. This year the Bills have a QB that can launch the ball downfield and WRs that can easily run under it.

3) The Bills have already said that they're going to be a running oriented offense. Mularkey always said that they would be a running offense and then they threw the ball over and over and over again, especially in goaline situations. Jauron is a true ball running type of guy. The Bills will absolutely be running plenty this season.

4) McGahee is unquestionably the starting RB. He'll probably receive 75% of the carries for the Bills. You can easily pencil him in for 325+ carries as long as he stays healthy. There are VERY few RBs that you can do that for.

5) Last year the Bills were horrible at the goaline. Part of it was the O-line, a large part of it was terrible playcalling (sweeps, screens, end arounds), and part of it was Willis's extra weight kept him from getting a burst through the small holes he was getting. TDs are pretty difficult to predict, but I think that his TD numbers will increase fairly significantly.

All last preseason I thought that McGahee was overated. I didn't end up with him in any of my leagues because I had him ranked about 4-7 RB spots lower than everyone else. This season I think that he's underated. I think that he'll finish among the top 10 RBs fairly easily and has a legitimate shot at being a top 5 RB if the passing game can be even average.

 

[AB in DC]

2. You would expect some semblance of improvement from Losman at the QB position. Is he going to be Brady? No. But he shouldn't be '05 Losman, either.

And yet he might not even be as good as '05 Holcomb.

 

[Hugonel]

GroveDiesel,

Thanks. Outstanding commentary, particularly on the OL and Jauron. Barring someone confusing my leanings, I think I'll take him at #13.

Does anyone disagree that the OL could be better this year?

 

[Banger]

1) I think that the O-line is actually better this season. Not a good O-line, but not cover your eyes bad either. Jason Peters is a stud at RT and Melvin Fowler is an upgrade at Center IMO. 2) The QB situation is better this year IMO with Losman at the helm if the Bills committ to him (and it seems they will). He gives them an actual downfield threat. And Jauron has said that the Bills absolutely will throw the ball downfield this year. Last year they threw dink and dunk passes all season and teams stacked the box against McGahee. This year the Bills have a QB that can launch the ball downfield and WRs that can easily run under it. 3) The Bills have already said that they're going to be a running oriented offense. Mularkey always said that they would be a running offense and then they threw the ball over and over and over again, especially in goaline situations. Jauron is a true ball running type of guy. The Bills will absolutely be running plenty this season.4) McGahee is unquestionably the starting RB. He'll probably receive 75% of the carries for the Bills. You can easily pencil him in for 325+ carries as long as he stays healthy. There are VERY few RBs that you can do that for.5) Last year the Bills were horrible at the goaline. Part of it was the O-line, a large part of it was terrible playcalling (sweeps, screens, end arounds), and part of it was Willis's extra weight kept him from getting a burst through the small holes he was getting. TDs are pretty difficult to predict, but I think that his TD numbers will increase fairly significantly. All last preseason I thought that McGahee was overated. I didn't end up with him in any of my leagues because I had him ranked about 4-7 RB spots lower than everyone else. This season I think that he's underated. I think that he'll finish among the top 10 RBs fairly easily and has a legitimate shot at being a top 5 RB if the passing game can be even average.

agree completely.

 

[Banger]

GroveDiesel,Thanks. Outstanding commentary, particularly on the OL and Jauron. Barring someone confusing my leanings, I think I'll take him at #13.Does anyone disagree that the OL could be better this year?

they might be but they will still be awful.

 

[GoBills02]

1. OL is improved and faster to their blocks.

2. Losman as starter means defenses will have to respect the long pass, and not bring 14 in the box to cover Holcomb's 15 yard "bombs"

3. I expect at least 40 catches from Willis this year. Jauron has stated he needs the catch the ball more in this offense.

4. He was rumored to be seriously dehydrated and a touch of flu at the Cincy game.

5. Mike Mularkey is no longer calling the plays.

6. Mike Williams and Bennie Anderson are no longer trying to block.

 

[rascal]

Disco,

Good points. However, I prefer to draft a guy that has the highest side, as long as the risk isn't severe.

I can certainly see Bush not putting up 1,200 yards, but the other guys seem to be on better teams with a good chance to outperform McGahee if he produces like last year.

I guess the question is, does anyone honestly think McGahee is likely to outproduce last year's effort. If so, why?

Some one who throws up after a 60 yard td is in no way the best shape of there life . I see him having a duplicate of ;ast year season. Until they get a steady QB it will remain the same.

Is there any truth to this?

 

[softball]

1) I think that the O-line is actually better this season. Not a good O-line, but not cover your eyes bad either. Jason Peters is a stud at RT and Melvin Fowler is an upgrade at Center IMO. 2) The QB situation is better this year IMO with Losman at the helm if the Bills committ to him (and it seems they will). He gives them an actual downfield threat. And Jauron has said that the Bills absolutely will throw the ball downfield this year. Last year they threw dink and dunk passes all season and teams stacked the box against McGahee. This year the Bills have a QB that can launch the ball downfield and WRs that can easily run under it. 3) The Bills have already said that they're going to be a running oriented offense. Mularkey always said that they would be a running offense and then they threw the ball over and over and over again, especially in goaline situations. Jauron is a true ball running type of guy. The Bills will absolutely be running plenty this season.4) McGahee is unquestionably the starting RB. He'll probably receive 75% of the carries for the Bills. You can easily pencil him in for 325+ carries as long as he stays healthy. There are VERY few RBs that you can do that for.5) Last year the Bills were horrible at the goaline. Part of it was the O-line, a large part of it was terrible playcalling (sweeps, screens, end arounds), and part of it was Willis's extra weight kept him from getting a burst through the small holes he was getting. TDs are pretty difficult to predict, but I think that his TD numbers will increase fairly significantly. All last preseason I thought that McGahee was overated. I didn't end up with him in any of my leagues because I had him ranked about 4-7 RB spots lower than everyone else. This season I think that he's underated. I think that he'll finish among the top 10 RBs fairly easily and has a legitimate shot at being a top 5 RB if the passing game can be even average.

agree completely.

I like your post, however #3 is completely wrong:#### Jauron never ran the offense, or even dealt with the offense in Chicago. He left it up to John Schoop. He will again be leaving the offense up to his O.C. Steve Fairchild, who LOVES to throw the ball.So although Jauron as a former defensive player would seem to fit the mould of a run oriented guy, he isn't. And he will allow Fairchild to "do his thing" Fairchild is not only a Mike Martz protege' but he alos played for martz as a QB in college.Other than that, I think you nailed it. But there are too many RBs (about 12/13) ahead of Willis to select him higher than a #2 RB. IMHO

 

[GoBills02]

He threw up, but has been mentioned that he was seriously dehrdrated and he was quoted as saying he hadn't eaten anything that whole day.

Non issue IMO.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

2. You would expect some semblance of improvement from Losman at the QB position. Is he going to be Brady? No. But he shouldn't be '05 Losman, either.

And yet he might not even be as good as '05 Holcomb.

I doubt that. You're as good as the '05 Holcomb.

 

[The Mechanic]

1) I think that the O-line is actually better this season. Not a good O-line, but not cover your eyes bad either. Jason Peters is a stud at RT and Melvin Fowler is an upgrade at Center IMO. 2) The QB situation is better this year IMO with Losman at the helm if the Bills committ to him (and it seems they will). He gives them an actual downfield threat. And Jauron has said that the Bills absolutely will throw the ball downfield this year. Last year they threw dink and dunk passes all season and teams stacked the box against McGahee. This year the Bills have a QB that can launch the ball downfield and WRs that can easily run under it. 3) The Bills have already said that they're going to be a running oriented offense. Mularkey always said that they would be a running offense and then they threw the ball over and over and over again, especially in goaline situations. Jauron is a true ball running type of guy. The Bills will absolutely be running plenty this season.4) McGahee is unquestionably the starting RB. He'll probably receive 75% of the carries for the Bills. You can easily pencil him in for 325+ carries as long as he stays healthy. There are VERY few RBs that you can do that for.5) Last year the Bills were horrible at the goaline. Part of it was the O-line, a large part of it was terrible playcalling (sweeps, screens, end arounds), and part of it was Willis's extra weight kept him from getting a burst through the small holes he was getting. TDs are pretty difficult to predict, but I think that his TD numbers will increase fairly significantly. All last preseason I thought that McGahee was overated. I didn't end up with him in any of my leagues because I had him ranked about 4-7 RB spots lower than everyone else. This season I think that he's underated. I think that he'll finish among the top 10 RBs fairly easily and has a legitimate shot at being a top 5 RB if the passing game can be even average.

agree completely.

I like your post, however #3 is completely wrong:#### Jauron never ran the offense, or even dealt with the offense in Chicago. He left it up to John Schoop. He will again be leaving the offense up to his O.C. Steve Fairchild, who LOVES to throw the ball.So although Jauron as a former defensive player would seem to fit the mould of a run oriented guy, he isn't. And he will allow Fairchild to "do his thing" Fairchild is not only a Mike Martz protege' but he alos played for martz as a QB in college.Other than that, I think you nailed it. But there are too many RBs (about 12/13) ahead of Willis to select him higher than a #2 RB. IMHO

Evan's should do very well in this offence.

 

[redman]

He threw up, but has been mentioned that he was seriously dehrdrated and he was quoted as saying he hadn't eaten anything that whole day.Non issue IMO.

[TO]Obviously he was not in shape, just like McNabb in the Super Bowl.[/TO] I too like McGahee to moderately out-perform his draft position; I figure he'll end up around RB 8-10.

 

[MrJamela]

I'm drafting 13 out of 16 in a pretty heavy RB 1st Round league. My mock drafts keep coming up with him and possibly Westbrook being available at the 13 spot. Do I go with McGahee who seems pretty safe or take a stab at someone with better upside (ala Reggie Bush)?

It's just hard to grab someone as....dull...as McGahee with my first round pick and I'm pretty sure I want to take a chance at RB. They're going to be gone by the time my 3rd round rolls around.

Jaime

 

[Reagan]

Disco,Good points. However, I prefer to draft a guy that has the highest side, as long as the risk isn't severe.I can certainly see Bush not putting up 1,200 yards, but the other guys seem to be on better teams with a good chance to outperform McGahee if he produces like last year.I guess the question is, does anyone honestly think McGahee is likely to outproduce last year's effort. If so, why?

Some one who throws up after a 60 yard td is in no way the best shape of there life. I see him having a duplicate of ;ast year season. Until they get a steady QB it will remain the same.

Duplicate of last season would be #13 rated RB, which is RB2. Right where he's rated and people have discussed.....unless I'm missing your point. Not great, but solid.

 

[LHUCKS]

McGahee = Value

 

[Hugonel]

I'm drafting 13 out of 16 in a pretty heavy RB 1st Round league. My mock drafts keep coming up with him and possibly Westbrook being available at the 13 spot. Do I go with McGahee who seems pretty safe or take a stab at someone with better upside (ala Reggie Bush)?It's just hard to grab someone as....dull...as McGahee with my first round pick and I'm pretty sure I want to take a chance at RB. They're going to be gone by the time my 3rd round rolls around.Jaime

I was really tempted by Bush (and look foward to tonight's game) but how often do we hear about rookies replacing aging stud starters? Every year, that's how often and it RARELY happens. Tomlinson walked into a great spot with no serious competition, as did Cadillac, so those aren't good examples. I just needed to know there was a decent chance McGahee will outperform last year. If he does, he has a shot at maybe 1,400-1,600 total yards and 8-10 TDs. Bush might get that or exceed it, but the chance seems slimmer with McAllister there.It's been said you have a better chance of wrecking your draft in the first round than winning the championship in the first round. I will opt for McGahee. It' aggressive enough (if I am hoping for top 10 numbers) to not be a boring pick, but it has much less potential to destroy my team. Good luck.

 

[Winston Smith]

Can homers give me some more feedback on the O-Line? The most recent FBG article has their O-Line as possibly the worst in the NFL, and that doesn't seem to jive with some of the stuff I'm reading here about an improved line.

 

[Banger]

I'm drafting 13 out of 16 in a pretty heavy RB 1st Round league. My mock drafts keep coming up with him and possibly Westbrook being available at the 13 spot. Do I go with McGahee who seems pretty safe or take a stab at someone with better upside (ala Reggie Bush)?It's just hard to grab someone as....dull...as McGahee with my first round pick and I'm pretty sure I want to take a chance at RB. They're going to be gone by the time my 3rd round rolls around.Jaime

I was really tempted by Bush

aren't we all....

 

[David Yudkin]

Read his FBG Player Spotlight (not just the Message Board thread on the Spotlight).

IMO, McGahee if healthy will hit 350 touches again with a high level of certainty (meaning that there's no one else slated to eat into his work load). What other RBs have as good a chance to get that workload?

 

[LHUCKS]

Read his FBG Player Spotlight (not just the Message Board thread on the Spotlight).IMO, McGahee if healthy will hit 350 touches again with a high level of certainty (meaning that there's no one else slated to eat into his work load). What other RBs have as good a chance to get that workload?

Additionally, what people are forgetting is that sometimes ACL/MCL tears take a full two years to come back from at the RB position. McGahee could blow up this year regardless of the O-Line...he's that good.

 

[Banger]

Read his FBG Player Spotlight (not just the Message Board thread on the Spotlight).IMO, McGahee if healthy will hit 350 touches again with a high level of certainty (meaning that there's no one else slated to eat into his work load). What other RBs have as good a chance to get that workload?

Additionally, what people are forgetting is that sometimes ACL tears take a full two years to come back from at the RB position. McGahee could blow up this year regardless of the O-Line...he's that good.

see LT (although not quite as talented IMO).

 

[Liquid Tension]

We have heard (from all sources I have read) nothing but:1. The OL stinks, and2. The QB situation is also a mess.McGahee averaged 3.8 yards per carry in 2005. 1247 yards and 5 TDs.Those are numbers that don't get anyone excited about him as even a #2 RB. Serviceable, yes, exciting, no.As the situation really hasn't changed this year (except losing Moulds), can anyone alleviate my misgivings about ranking him higher than:Chester TaylorWillie ParkerJulius Jones (who would have exceeded the above numbers but for injury, though Barber is in the mix now)Reggie Bush (yes, risk here is decent, we'll see if McAllister does anything tonight)Corey Dillon (if healthy, I never recall seeing a rookie replace a starting, but aging, stud and Dillon missed time due to injury last year but now seems healthy) I had written McGahee off, but his 61 yard scamper the other day, plus the offensive output v. Bengals has me second guessing myself.What do you legitimately think the impact of #### Jauron has on his value?I draft 12 and so I am faced with taking one of these other guys as my #2 but really wonder if McGahee should be passed up.Insight would be great. Thanks.

1250 and 5 TD's is the floor for McGahee. He is in great shape and is as talented as any RB in the league. I assume you are talking redraft here so in assuming that I would say he is a stud that will see as many carries and touches that he can handle. They have also talked about getting him involved in the passing game. It is hard for a full time RB to get only 5 TD's even on a bad team. Just take his numbers and add 4 TD's and that is the minimum expectation in my eyes.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Can homers give me some more feedback on the O-Line? The most recent FBG article has their O-Line as possibly the worst in the NFL, and that doesn't seem to jive with some of the stuff I'm reading here about an improved line.

I think that it's difficult to say. The odds are pretty good that they'll be in the bottom half of lines. But I just don't see them being nearly as bad as last season. Mike Williams was a total turnstile at RT and RG last season. He was a total bust. He's being replaced by Jason Peters at RT who has looked dominant there. Peters will probably even be moved to LT next season. Maybe I'm just being a homer but I think that Peters will be one of the top 5-7 RTs in the game this year. Marvin Fowler has also been an upgrade at the Center position. Trey Teague just could not handle the larger DTs in the league. He was constantly getting pushed off of the ball. Fowler is doing a much better job so far. He's certainly no stud, but it's definitely an upgrade. Mike Gandy did an admirable job at LT last season. He's not great but he's not terrible either. He'll get beaten his fair share of times, but he is servicable. Tutan Reyes and Chris Villarial are the Guards and Reyes is a HUGE upgrade over Bennie Anderson. Bennie Anderson was absolutely terrible last season. Just embarassing really. Reyes has been holding his own fairly well so far. I think overall, the talent is much better this season on the O-line. They're much more mobile and more athletic. The biggest issue is an inexperience playing together. It takes time to come together as a unit. The good news is that they've all been communicating rather well with each other and the starters have been getting a lot of reps together as opposed to previous years where the coaching staff didn't decide on starters until very late in preseason. If nothing else, I expect the O-line to be much better at the end of the season than it will be at the beginning of the season. And from all reports, it's the pass blocking that needs improvement right now. The run blocking has been reported to be pretty good.

 

[mrspree15]

Highlights from the Bills Bengals game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVaDRm3PFoo

The cut he makes before he fumbles and the cut during the long run are making me believe his weight loss will lead to good things.

 

[Winston Smith]

Can homers give me some more feedback on the O-Line? The most recent FBG article has their O-Line as possibly the worst in the NFL, and that doesn't seem to jive with some of the stuff I'm reading here about an improved line.

I think that it's difficult to say. The odds are pretty good that they'll be in the bottom half of lines. But I just don't see them being nearly as bad as last season. Mike Williams was a total turnstile at RT and RG last season. He was a total bust. He's being replaced by Jason Peters at RT who has looked dominant there. Peters will probably even be moved to LT next season. Maybe I'm just being a homer but I think that Peters will be one of the top 5-7 RTs in the game this year. Marvin Fowler has also been an upgrade at the Center position. Trey Teague just could not handle the larger DTs in the league. He was constantly getting pushed off of the ball. Fowler is doing a much better job so far. He's certainly no stud, but it's definitely an upgrade. Mike Gandy did an admirable job at LT last season. He's not great but he's not terrible either. He'll get beaten his fair share of times, but he is servicable. Tutan Reyes and Chris Villarial are the Guards and Reyes is a HUGE upgrade over Bennie Anderson. Bennie Anderson was absolutely terrible last season. Just embarassing really. Reyes has been holding his own fairly well so far. I think overall, the talent is much better this season on the O-line. They're much more mobile and more athletic. The biggest issue is an inexperience playing together. It takes time to come together as a unit. The good news is that they've all been communicating rather well with each other and the starters have been getting a lot of reps together as opposed to previous years where the coaching staff didn't decide on starters until very late in preseason. If nothing else, I expect the O-line to be much better at the end of the season than it will be at the beginning of the season. And from all reports, it's the pass blocking that needs improvement right now. The run blocking has been reported to be pretty good.

This is why the Shark Pool rules. Great stuff.This, along with some other analysis, has bumped Willis to RB11 on my board.

 

[Muddy Rubicon]

I'm drafting 13 out of 16 in a pretty heavy RB 1st Round league. My mock drafts keep coming up with him and possibly Westbrook being available at the 13 spot. Do I go with McGahee who seems pretty safe or take a stab at someone with better upside (ala Reggie Bush)?It's just hard to grab someone as....dull...as McGahee with my first round pick and I'm pretty sure I want to take a chance at RB. They're going to be gone by the time my 3rd round rolls around.Jaime

I was really tempted by Bush

aren't we all....

 

[Banger]

Highlights from the Bills Bengals game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVaDRm3PFoo

The cut he makes before he fumbles and the cut during the long run are making me believe his weight loss will lead to good things.

I haven't seen the game yet but those couple clips were great. His cutback looked awesome on both those highlights. Looks to have that explosiveness/quickness that was missing last year.

 

[Z-Dog]

McGahee had nearly identical season in'04 and '05. He got a bit more work in '05, so he had 100 more yards on the ground, and his YPC was off by 5%, but he essentially accomplished the same things. The only difference was that he had 8 more TDs in '04 vs. '05. To the extent that TDs vary from year to year and are hard to predict, I'd say you split the difference between 13 and 5 and say that 1100-1200 yards and 9 TDs seems like a reasonable over/under for McGahee, with the potential for more if the offense improves. I think I like that more than I like Lamont Jordan.

 

[pantherclub]

I really love him this year. Will outproduce his adp for sure. I am debating taking him in the second or scoring one of the primo wideouts. Tough call. My selling point is his carries, as someone stated above his low td's is a glitch in the system. Look back two years on a bum knee playing in limited time and see how many td's he scored (too lazy to do it, but i know it is a lot)

 

[GroveDiesel]

Can homers give me some more feedback on the O-Line? The most recent FBG article has their O-Line as possibly the worst in the NFL, and that doesn't seem to jive with some of the stuff I'm reading here about an improved line.

I think that it's difficult to say. The odds are pretty good that they'll be in the bottom half of lines. But I just don't see them being nearly as bad as last season. Mike Williams was a total turnstile at RT and RG last season. He was a total bust. He's being replaced by Jason Peters at RT who has looked dominant there. Peters will probably even be moved to LT next season. Maybe I'm just being a homer but I think that Peters will be one of the top 5-7 RTs in the game this year. Marvin Fowler has also been an upgrade at the Center position. Trey Teague just could not handle the larger DTs in the league. He was constantly getting pushed off of the ball. Fowler is doing a much better job so far. He's certainly no stud, but it's definitely an upgrade. Mike Gandy did an admirable job at LT last season. He's not great but he's not terrible either. He'll get beaten his fair share of times, but he is servicable. Tutan Reyes and Chris Villarial are the Guards and Reyes is a HUGE upgrade over Bennie Anderson. Bennie Anderson was absolutely terrible last season. Just embarassing really. Reyes has been holding his own fairly well so far. I think overall, the talent is much better this season on the O-line. They're much more mobile and more athletic. The biggest issue is an inexperience playing together. It takes time to come together as a unit. The good news is that they've all been communicating rather well with each other and the starters have been getting a lot of reps together as opposed to previous years where the coaching staff didn't decide on starters until very late in preseason. If nothing else, I expect the O-line to be much better at the end of the season than it will be at the beginning of the season. And from all reports, it's the pass blocking that needs improvement right now. The run blocking has been reported to be pretty good.

This is why the Shark Pool rules. Great stuff.This, along with some other analysis, has bumped Willis to RB11 on my board.

And then you can all come back and lynch me when the line ends up sucking anyway and McGahee breaks a leg Week 3.

 

[einstein2u]

willis just got a bump in my book...move over lamont.....

picking 9th in a 10 man league...planning on ronnie/willis.....

 

[softball]

Injuries remove all culpability....

What is with that music? Was that being played as ESPN rolled the tape or was that your addition??

 

[mrspree15]

Injuries remove all culpability....What is with that music? Was that being played as ESPN rolled the tape or was that your addition??

not my video, sorry

 

[GoBills02]

Can homers give me some more feedback on the O-Line? The most recent FBG article has their O-Line as possibly the worst in the NFL, and that doesn't seem to jive with some of the stuff I'm reading here about an improved line.

I think that it's difficult to say. The odds are pretty good that they'll be in the bottom half of lines. But I just don't see them being nearly as bad as last season. Mike Williams was a total turnstile at RT and RG last season. He was a total bust. He's being replaced by Jason Peters at RT who has looked dominant there. Peters will probably even be moved to LT next season. Maybe I'm just being a homer but I think that Peters will be one of the top 5-7 RTs in the game this year. Marvin Fowler has also been an upgrade at the Center position. Trey Teague just could not handle the larger DTs in the league. He was constantly getting pushed off of the ball. Fowler is doing a much better job so far. He's certainly no stud, but it's definitely an upgrade. Mike Gandy did an admirable job at LT last season. He's not great but he's not terrible either. He'll get beaten his fair share of times, but he is servicable. Tutan Reyes and Chris Villarial are the Guards and Reyes is a HUGE upgrade over Bennie Anderson. Bennie Anderson was absolutely terrible last season. Just embarassing really. Reyes has been holding his own fairly well so far. I think overall, the talent is much better this season on the O-line. They're much more mobile and more athletic. The biggest issue is an inexperience playing together. It takes time to come together as a unit. The good news is that they've all been communicating rather well with each other and the starters have been getting a lot of reps together as opposed to previous years where the coaching staff didn't decide on starters until very late in preseason. If nothing else, I expect the O-line to be much better at the end of the season than it will be at the beginning of the season. And from all reports, it's the pass blocking that needs improvement right now. The run blocking has been reported to be pretty good.

This is why the Shark Pool rules. Great stuff.This, along with some other analysis, has bumped Willis to RB11 on my board.

Not to mention how Mularkey would pull Willis out on most 3rd down situations and goal line situations to put in Shaud Williams. Jauron has said he will not do that.Also, Mularkey wouldn't let Willis try to use his speed in hitting runs outside. Willis has the weight and strength to go inside, but imo, his uts and speed are almost all the way back, and will hit bigger runs to the outside this year.

 

[boonesfarm4me]

Willis dropped to me #19th overall in a 10 man redraft. I am not too thrilled about it but he will get touches and is a good #2 RB paired with LT2

 

[GoBills02]

I'd be really thrilled. He will see more red zone action this year.

Plus, he has been wearing the old #2 in practice.