BUFFALO — The player most critical to the start of this Buffalo Bills season – perhaps the entire season – doesn't throw passes, won't rush for a single yard and isn't going to make any tackles.
But Langston Walker is going to find himself in the spotlight beginning on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks as the Bills begin their drive toward what they hope will be their first playoff appearance since the 1999 season.
Walker has been thrust this summer into what's considered the most critical role in the NFL short of playing quarterback: the left tackle.
Left tackles do more than block. They are the protectors of the quarterback's blind side and they typically line up against the most ferocious pass rushers.
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A year ago, that all-important job was manned by Jason Peters, who was the Bills' only starting Pro Bowl player. But Peters hasn't been seen since he walked out of the Bills' locker room at the end of last season and soon demanded that Buffalo renegotiate his five-year contract, which has three years remaining.
So when Peters was a no-show at both off-season workouts and training camp, the Bills' coaching staff nominated Walker, last season's right tackle, to take his place.
Moving from right tackle to left may sound simple. But the controlled chaos of playing offensive line is far more technical and complicated than most people imagine.
“It's a big difference between the left and the right side,” Walker said. “Not only with the guys that you go against, but just switching things around in your head. I'm getting my sea legs, if you want to say it. It doesn't bother me.”
Left tackle isn't completely new to Walker. He played the position in college and during his first few NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders. But there are no shortcuts to adjusting to the specific set of skills it takes to play the position effectively.
“It's like an outfielder in baseball being asked to go from right field to left field,” said Walker, who is 6 foot 6 and 366 pounds. “A third baseman being asked to play second. A first baseman being asked to play catcher. It's the same pitch and catch. Different footwork. Different responsibilities. Different glove.
“It's practice and repetition. It's like anything else. Baseball players take batting practice for a reason. So do offensive linemen. [Playing left tackle] is still in my blood.”
To understand the significance of left tackle in the NFL, consider that in the draft in April, seven of the 31 first-round picks were left tackles. And in recent years, left tackle has become the NFL's second best paid position on the field behind only quarterbacks.
Which is why the Bills' standoff with Peters is a huge gamble by chief operating officer Russ Brandon, who has reportedly had little or no contact with the player since the end of last season. Holding a player to a contract signed in good faith may be an admirable management style. But it will be hard to defend if Walker can't do the job well enough to protect second-year quarterback Trent Edwards, who has a history or injuries.
“It is what it is,” Walker said. “He's not here.”
There were signs early this summer that Buffalo was digging in for a long fight. During off-season training in June, the Bills gave Walker some reps at left tackle. By the fifth day of training camp, he was moved there permanently, ahead of Peters's backup a season ago, Kirk Chambers, who was moved to right tackle to sub for Walker.
“[During June] we talked and we felt as a staff that [Walker] probably was our best left tackle without Jason,” head coach Dick Jauron said. “We didn't want to move him totally at that point. We did it sparingly [in off-season workouts]. But once we got to training camp and Jason wasn't joining us we said we better make this move with the thought in mind that it would be permanent. So [Walker] took almost all of his snaps over there, occasionally on the right side. He's done a really nice job, a very unselfish job. I like that group of guys and I have a lot of faith in them.”
A year ago, offensive line was a definite strength for the Bills, who allowed just 26 sacks, the fewest single-season total for Buffalo since the statistic was introduced in 1982.
Entering the season with two new left and right tackles is the biggest question mark for the Bills, who will open against a Seattle team that had the fourth largest sack total in the NFL last season.
“We've been together since the fifth day or training camp,” offensive co-ordinator Turk Schonert said. “We have been together that whole time, so I feel good about it, our communication, the way we are working together, our combination blocks and so forth. I am confident this week. I know we have got a tough task, [the Seahawks] have a great pass rush, so they have a tall task in front of them. They are looking forward to it and we are not going to back down.”
