Bills finally bench Fowler
The Buffalo Bills signed center Melvin Fowler to be a part of their offensive line for years to come. That was a wrong move as the Bills are going to stick with Duke Preston as their center for the game against the New York Jets.
Fowler hurt himself earlier this season, thus opening the door for Duke Preston. It looks as though Preston took full advantage of it as he is now the starting center for the Jets game.
Fowler has not been that good as he can be found usually in the backfield on running plays getting blown back by defenders. Preston just standing his ground has seemingly shown as a big upgrade as the Bills for the first time all season averaged over four yards a carry.
However, the Bills are still bad in their short yardage game. They could not get into the end zone when they were on the three yard line, and consistently cannot make third and one to go.
The solution to this problem? Simply put them on a diet. They are too big, as the Bills are the biggest offensive line in the league. They cannot get low enough to establish good run blocking technique.
The technique is simple to notice. The hands of the run blocker should be clutching the defenders shoulder pads in front of his arm pits. This is not holding, because he is not grasping out side of the defenders arms.
Also, the head of the run blocker should be in the numbers of the defender chest. This allows the run blocker to stand up the defender, thus getting him off balance, and easier to move.
Obviously, the Bills starting offensive line lacks this technique, or their running game will be better.