Published: May 21, 2009 10:04 pm      

BILLS: Butler’s smarts could help transition

ORCHARD PARK — Brad Butler is known for possessing a nasty disposition once he steps on a football field. While at the University of Virginia, Butler once drew a one-game suspension from his own coach for what was deemed a late chop block.

But get the pads off Butler and he’s one of the brightest, most engaging personalities in the Bills locker room. He graduated from UVA with a degree in American politics and after his rookie season in Western New York, Butler spent the summer interning for the late Jack Kemp’s political consulting company.

So the former fifth-round draft choice is smart enough to know if the Bills’ coaching braintrust believes he’s ready to become the team’s starting right tackle, he needs to be mentally committed to the switch.

“I told them, which is what I said before when they moved me to guard as a rookie, ‘Hey, if they want me to move to field goal kicker, then that’s what I’m willing to do,’ ” Butler joked during Wednesday’s organized team activities. “I believe in what Coach Jauron has to say. We haven’t made the playoffs since I’ve been here, and if they think the best way to make the playoffs is by me playing right tackle, then I’m willing to do it.”

Butler wasn’t the only member of the Bills offensive line who felt slightly out of place as the team finished its first week of OTAs, with sessions to resume on Tuesday. If the current depth chart holds true on opening day, all five starters will be at different positions than they finished last year.

Butler’s in better shape than most, though, since he played right tackle in college. He’s spent his time as a pro working at guard, starting 29 games there, but understands the challenges of both.

“The biggest challenge is more about athleticism and speed. When you’re inside, it’s more about power and strength,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to get used to that, but what’s great is that I’ve got (Chris) Kelsay to go against every day, and he practices hard, and ultimately the way I’ll make the conversion to tackle is by working hard in practice. And he’s going to expect that out of me every day, and I’m going to expect that of him.”

Shuffling Butler to right tackle might be the least of Jauron’s O-line worries. A pair of rookies, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre, are vying for playing time at guard and it’s possible one or both could start. Langston Walker played left tackle last season, but the team was eager to replace him with Pro Bowler Jason Peters after the latter’s contract holdout.

So although Butler is making a switch, the coaching staff seems confident he’ll transition smoothly.

“We know we’ll get everything he’s got and he just needs to get more and more work at the right tackle spot and polish his game up there,” Jauron said. “The steps are obviously different from inside, so he’s working on those daily.”

As for Butler, he’s got one ace up his sleeve. He feels comfortable running against a 3-4 defense since that’s what his Cavaliers ran against during college practices. The Bills play 10 teams who employ the 3-4 scheme this season.

“You always hear the word chemistry on the offensive line and I think it really comes down to communication. When you have new guys in there, you have to learn to communicate. Fortunately, the guys they drafted, and the guys they already have are big communicators,” Butler said.

“I think with Wood and Levitre here and the guys we brought in from free agency and Langston and I still here, we’re all able to talk and I think that’s how we’ll overcome the gap that we have to make up on experience.”

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.