Mcneil question

Bills4life7 · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 278 Location: Buffalo, NY

Bills are in desperate need of tackle depth have some questions before I do my mock. Couldn't find a thread on him so sorry if I'm asking a question that's been answered.any info would be great, left or right tackle play, run or pass blocker, injury prone, how we he take being a backup if outplayed by our young guys, etc. thanks guys it would help a lot.
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ADOPT A BILL 2011
Dwan edwards 8 gms, 34 tack, 1.5 sacks, 1 pd
Naaman Roosevelt 5 gms 9 rec 154 yards 17.1td yds/rec 1 td

JammerHammer21 · Joined: 27 Dec 2009 Posts: 18045 Location: Anywhere

No, he's not injury prone. Laughing

McNeill is pretty much a pure LT who isn't very good with speed rushers or run blocking. He's a great guy, but he's just broken down so much.
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lakeroy · Joined: 03 Apr 2011 Posts: 332

He used to be a really good LT, but he's been mediocre at best the past few years(in both run and pass blocking) and he's a pretty big injury risk as well now.

The LBC · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 15512 Location: Long Beach, CA

Simply put, he had one elite year and 2 or so seasons of above average play and has otherwise been the definition of "average" - neither great nor a liability at the left tackle position.

The main issue is that he has spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spine as you get closer to the base) which isn't something that's going to improve (rather only likely degrade with further wear and tear) and cannot be surgically repaired. That one elite season he had was actually his rookie year, with two broken hands to boot, but it was also before he really packed on pro-size bulk which, I believe, is what really started causing him to feel the strain in his lower back more having to carry that extra weight.

The spinal issues are now, more recently, being seen to affect his neck and that's just dangerous and was too much of a liability for us to move forward with at the annual price we were paying for him. I'll be shocked if the guy actually plays a full season again as a pro - the question for teams will really be how much can they get out of him before he ultimately will need to be replaced that season. He's a fair option for a team looking to groom an LT who may have the technical refinement down but really needs that pro level strength and conditioning program to be able to compete. Now, we've always run a pure power/man blocking scheme, so the jury's out on how he would take to a zone-blocking scheme and if that could extend his viability, but I wouldn't be counting on the guy as a long-term starter.
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Boltstrikes · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 5105 Location: LA MIRADA, CA

I agree completely. He was good his rookie year and since then he has been in a steady decline. You have to blame that on his condition. It isn't an injury it's a life long medical condition. There isn't a cure and he will get worse I wish he was ready to retire but the guy is a solid warrior and wants to keep going.
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