“With the twenty-eighth pick in the two thousand and nine NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select…Eric Wood?”

From the start, the Bills planned to move the natural center to right guard, which made sense. Not only had the team signed Geoff Hangartner to play center, they did not want to overload the rookie. He is known for intelligence, but reading defenses and making the offensive line calls right away would be too much. It was obvious, however, that he was expected to contribute from the beginning. Shortly after he signed and participated in training camp, he was practically handed the job of starting right guard, and it was not undeserved.

Despite the fan base’s displeasure that Buffalo’s front office had ignored the left tackle position in the draft, the young center from Louisville seemed to be a fan favorite. With a nasty streak that belied his boyish curls, the rookie was a bright spot on the offensive line during preseason. Despite the numerous discussions over Langston Walker’s inability to move well, Andy Levitre’s poor play in his first game, and Brad Butler’s tendency to move backward rapidly, Wood still got a lot of credit for his strong performances.

Fans were able to truly appreciate the new offensive line, rookies and all, when they showed their true strength to start the 2009 NFL season: their mobility. Wood emerged as a big, tough kid who could really move. The Bills’ running game successfully stretched the field against the Patriots and Buccaneers with multiple sweeps and screens. Fred Jackson’s excellent cutbacks into wide-open running lanes made the line look very good. Despite being a rookie in a base no-huddle offense, Wood was not called for a single penalty, and did not allow a sack in the first two weeks.

Unfortunately, that all changed against the New Orleans Saints. Commentators often refer to a particular play involving a big hit on a new player as a “welcome to the NFL” moment. That phrase perfectly describes the entire game for our shuffled offensive line, Wood first and foremost. By no means was the new right guard solely at fault, but he stood out by making multiple mistakes at particularly important times. Those mistakes allowed sacks, brought back key plays, and helped give Brian Moorman the chance to earn his paycheck. Here’s a list of his most crucial blunders against the Saints:

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♦ Early in the second quarter the Bills were in New Orleans territory at the 40. Facing a second and four, Xavier Omon scampered five yards for a first down. The play was called back on a Wood holding penalty and two plays later the Bills punted.

♦ With 3:35 left in the second quarter and the Bills facing a second and 13 from their own 22, Wood was burned inside by Charles Grant, who sacked Edwards for a 12-yard loss to end any potential scoring drive.

♦ With 50 seconds left in the half and Buffalo at the Saints 49, New Orleans blitzed up the middle and neither Geoff Hangartner nor the guards Wood or Andy Levitre were able to pick it up. Edwards ended up intentionally grounding the ball and in effect killing that drive.

♦ On the Bills first possession of the fourth quarter, they faced a third and four from their own 19. Wood failed to pick up a stunt by Remi Ayodele, resulting in another Edwards sack. To make matters worse Wood was called for tripping, though the Saints refused the penalty.

♦ After the Saints went up 17-7 with less than ten minutes remaining the Bills got the ball on their own 19. Edwards hit Josh Reed with a 16 yard pass for a first down. The play was called back by penalty because Wood was three yards past the line of scrimmage when Edwards threw the ball.

♦ With 3:05 remaining in the game, Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis ran over Geoff Hangarter. Wood completely whiffed on the block and Edwards was sacked yet again.

♦ In the final two minutes on a third and 10 play, Saints cornerback Randall Gay blitzed. He flew by Wood, who missed the block, which could’ve been holding, and Edwards threw the ball away from the end zone.

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The evidence speaks for itself. Even the talented players at Buffalo’s offensive skill positions could not overcome these numerous blunders. Wood certainly wasn’t the only limiting factor in this offense, but blame could certainly be put on his shoulders for several drives ending in punts.

That list of errors in one game is pretty depressing for a first-round pick. It must be considered in context, however. Eric Wood wasn’t alone; the entire offensive line played poorly against the Saints. Edwards rarely had a clean pocket or a decent shotgun snap to his hands. The running lanes were not nearly as prevalent as the prior two games.

Extending the context to the previous two games and preseason would result in the conclusion that this was unusual for Eric Wood. While the total of three regular season games by itself is not much of a sample size, it would appear that the rookie was simply going through some growing pains. He has shown quite a bit of promise already, and this kind of performance should really only be a concern if it becomes a habit.

With the bookends of the offensive line succumbing to injuries at an alarming rate, our offensive guards need to begin playing like five-year veterans in the guise of rookies. They saw a lot of new pressures and defensive formations this past Sunday. The real question for them – with some talented 3-4 defenses and nose tackles approaching quickly – is can they adjust to what they saw and learn to effectively counteract the pressure?

Since many people see the drafting of Wood as the primary acquisition in the trade of All-Pro Jason Peters, his job comes with enormously high expectations. Wood is a talented and savvy player, and I believe he has the ability to meet those expectations. Growing pains can certainly be expected and tolerated, as long as he is indeed growing and not just playing painfully. Wood is a very good offensive guard who doesn’t normally have mental and physical lapses. Every player has bad games; what matters is how they respond. By all indications, Wood should respond with a lot of bark as well as bite.