A recent piece on ESPN.com points out that the Buffalo Bills have the heaviest offensive line in the NFL — and it’s not even that close. Averaging out at 325 pounds/player, the Bills are heavier on average along their protective front by at least five more pounds than the next team on the list.
BuffaLowDown
The question now is whether or not that matters.
Yes, the Bills have a huge line, but that hasn’t exactly worked for them to this point. As you can see, the next team on the list is the Raiders. That bodes even worse for having a hulking line of protectors out there.
That said, the Bills ran the ball more than any team in the league. What better way to make holes for the running game than with impossibly huge guys?
If this fearsome five-some can steamroll holes in the opposing front seven on a consistent basis, then it won’t matter if they’re a little slow on pass protection. The defense will be gassed and second year quarterback EJ Manuel can do his thing in the pocket.
If that doesn’t work out though, the Bills could have a long year of hoping Manuel has enough time to get the ball to their new, shiny playmaker, Sammy Watkins.
While it’s easy to dismiss the perennial failure that is Buffalo Bills football and their huge offensive line, it’s also worth noting that the six lightest offensive lines in the league are all occupied by non-playoff teams.
Somewhere in the middle lies that sweet spot between size and athleticism.
Perhaps Buffalo is hoping they’ve found a new way to approach that conundrum.