Eric Wood Needs To Stay Healthy

Dec. 2, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Trainers attend to Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood (70) on the field during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beats Jacksonville 34 to 18. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday we seen Kevin Kolb go down in a freak accident and hurt his knee. He was listed day to day and that will definitely hurt him in getting that valuable practice in working with his teammates to get the necessary reps and develop chemistry. Meanwhile EJ Manuel now sits at top the pecking order and will be the guy until Kolb can get back into the mix. No matter who the quarterback is the offensive line needs to play good and that is especially true for its leader Eric Wood. The question is can he stay healthy?

In 2009 the Bills had two first selections and with their 2nd (28th overall) they selected Wood out of Louisville. Coming out of college he was looked at very highly. A position at the time the Bills needed made it a great pick. A great stat that Wood had while in college was he only allowed two quarterback pressures and one sack on 884 passing plays. That’s remarkable if you ask me.

As he began his time with the Bills he started his first game at right guard. He then proceeded to continue his play and had some good games as the running game had some big days. That was all good to see but what wasn’t was the day he was put on injured reserve on November 24, 2009 with a leg injury. After that it seemed way to often hearing Eric Wood and the word hurt or injury. Torn MCL, torn ACL and broken leg are not things you want to hear from a guy you drafted as a potential very good offensive lineman. That is what the Bills have had dealt to them. In his time through the injuries he has moved to the center position.

Even from all these injuries the Bills offensive line has been pretty good over the past few years. Andy Levitre was also drafted in the same year as Wood. In his time with the Bills he was looked at as a very good guard and was paid that way when he moved on to the Titans. That said this team will have a new opening. Coach Marrone had said plenty of times already that he wasn’t happy how the competition for the open spot was going. Hopefully they can figure that out and this unit can progress into the season.

Now with Wood coming to play this year I think it’s very important that he stays healthy. We all know how he has been as a leader and no one would dispute that but staying healthy is a different story. Even though there are reports of a mutual interest in a new deal in place being a contract year I’m wondering what happens if he gets hurt again? Do the Bills still have interest or do they move on?