Bills Hope Meredith Can Stop The Bleeding
Posted on October 15, 2009 by Patrick Moran
When the Buffalo Bills embarked on their 2009 campaign some six weeks ago, they did so with Brad Butler starting at right tackle. Butler had previously started 29 games in the NFL, but all came at right guard. Concern lingered about his lack of experience.
About a month later, at least in the eyes of the Bills organization, Butler’s experience would rival Brett Favre.
There will be yet another switcheroo in the Bills offensive line this week when they travel to East Rutherford to take on the New York Jets. It’ll be the fourth different line combination the Bills have started just six games into the season. This time, with Jonathan Scott injured and Kirk Chambers completely ineffective, Jamon Meredith will get his first NFL start at right tackle. Coincidentally, his first snap Sunday will also be the first of his career.
Meredith may bring athleticism and potential to the unit, but he certainly doesn’t bring experience. By comparison, left tackle counterpart Demetrius Bell, that of the four games of experience variety is a grizzled veteran.
It’s likely to late for the Bills to find a free agent tackle at this point even if they wanted to. Quietly this week a smorgasbord of tackles looking for employment went off the market. Damion McIntosh signed with Seattle. Mark Tauscher finally resigned with Green Bay and as we all know by now, former Bill Langston Walker found a gig with Oakland. Even Levi Jones moved a step closer to a job with a try out in Detroit. The run on tackles this week coupled with Jon Runyan remaining a free agent tells you all you need to know about his surgically repaired knee; he’s very likely done.
The most recent stomach punch to a much maligned and woefully inexperienced line came last Sunday when Scott left the game against Cleveland with a sprained ankle. He’s been unable to practice all week and though listed as day to day could be out for a week or longer.
Chambers, who the Bills’ brain trust concluded had more usefulness to the team than Walker, has been so futile even the ultra conservative Dick Jauron can’t expose him any longer.
Insert Meredith. The 2009 fifth-round draft pick of South Carolina by the Green Bay Packers failed to make their roster, despite an offensive line littered with injuries and inconsistency that rivaled the Bills. He was put on waivers and later assigned to their practice squad. When Butler went down for the season early with a knee injury, the Bills put in a claim for him. Green Bay, despite being paper thin at the tackle position decided Meredith wasn’t NFL-ready and let him walk rather than promote him to their active roster.
While Scott is by no means a proven NFL tackle, the Bills felt comfortable with him in the lineup. So while the splat of injuries to Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Buggs dominated the headlines this week, the Bills worst nightmare came true via Scott’s ankle.
It’s now baptism under fire for Meredith as his debuts against an aggressive Jets defense still seething over their lackluster performance this past Monday night at Miami.
Jason Peters was a former practice squad player who evolved into a Pro Bowl tackle for the Bills. For whatever reason the organization thinks they can now churn out squad players into NFL tackles like an assembly line . Bell is hardly ready to be a starter in this league, let alone Meredith. When Bell isn’t leading the entire league in penalties he’s struggled to get a body on any defender. Sadly, he unexpectedly becomes the more polished of the Bills starting tackles.
It’s nearly unfair to expect much of Meredith this Sunday. Then again, it’s not like the rest of the offensive line has set the bar high to begin with. If he manages to play an all around good game, it would be the first any member of the unit has in about a month.
To help simplify things , the Bills plan on dumping the no -huddle offense they’ve tried over the first five games. Although the Bills have not announced they have dropped it, Pro Football Talk first reported it and multiple sources tell us Buffalo will go to a traditional huddle on Sunday. This became more apparent Thursday when the Bills removed the media from practice when the Bills were running offensive plays.
New York is near the bottom of the league (31 to be exact) in sacks, but they also blitz more than any team. The Bills are the second-most sacked team in the NFL. The Jets also play a 3-4 defense, something the Bills have struggled tremendously against in recent years. Nose tackle Kris Jenkins is practically foaming at the mouth for a shot at the Bills.
That’s bad news for Trent Edwards. Whispers have blossomed into rumblings voicing displeasure over Edwards’ recent bad play. Some have called for his benching in favor of backup Ryan Fitzpatrick. With an overmatched offensive line on the road against an irate defense looking to redeem themselves, Edwards’ fate very well may not come down to any coach’s decision.
