The case against Jeff Faine

[venis2k1]

People have pinpointed the center position as the weak link along or offensive front. I would agree with this to an extent. I will say that our interior pass protection this year was well above average, however we were unable to generate a push on 3rd and short. Also, our inside run game seemed to suffer all year.

I can tell you this, an expensive FA in Jeff Faine isnt the answer. Earlier in the season, when Jeff Faine missed time with an injury, Jonathan Goodwin won a lot of Saints fans over. He played much stronger than Faine, who is stuck with the label "finesse center." Faine's great, don't get me wrong, but who doesn't love a good mauler? Faine is leaving NO cause Goodwin is a much better run blocker

at 290 lbs Faine is not a road grader type that will knock around big DTs that i think this team needs. Commiting 25+ Million dollars to a guy like this seems insane before we give Jason Peters a long term deal.

[gr8slayer]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

We need a better run blocker at Center and I agree with the Peters comment.

[venis2k1]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

Lets see what Duke Prestons got.

[gr8slayer]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

Lets see what Duke Prestons got.

Merz is the answer.

[YardRat]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

I don't think Faine is even on the team's radar.

[gr8slayer]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

I don't think Faine is even on the team's radar.

Agreed.

[TigerJ]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

Merz is the answer.

It's entirely possible. The Bills' coaching staff certainly has a better handle on that than we do, and they're certainly not going to say anything to us about it.

[gr8slayer]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

It's entirely possible. The Bills' coaching staff certainly has a better handle on that than we do, and they're certainly not going to say anything to us about it.

His specialty is run blocking and he is just pure power. As long as we aren't pulling the Center or something he's what we need for a power running game up the middle.

[jamze132]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

I don't see the need to shell out another $20 mil for another lineman. We need to develop our own. We have Merz and he needs to be given a chance. Could he actually be worse than Fowler? I doubt it.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

Lets see what Duke Prestons got.

We've seen what ol' Duke has got at OG and it ain't much! When he has played he has gotten pushed off the line by DTs more than Fowler has.

I hate to say this to everyone who wants the Bills to get rid of Melvin Fowler and replace him with, well, just about anyone under the sun (or so it seems): unless Fowler gets injured, the odds are at least 90% that he will be the Bills' starting center on Opening Day.

OK, I can hear all of the groans already...but, here is why I believe that this will be the case:

The Bills have had absolutely NO continuity on their offensive line since Tom Donahoe arrived in town (if not before). However, if you listen to or read what just about any offensive line coach around the NFL has to say, they all will list "continuity" as being one of the most important elements to a good offensive line.

Sure, you can win if you have personnel changes on the offensive line or you have 2-3 studs on your O-line locked up that you can put replacement parts around from time to time--if you have a top-flight QB who can feel pressure, slide away from it, get rid of the ball quickly and knows where to go with it all of the time, but you can probably list all of those QBs on one hand and we all know their names (even C.Palmer, who a lot of people would put on that list, struggled some this year when Cincy had to replace Steinbach).

But, as the NY Giants proved, you can also win with a pretty much "no-name" offensive line with players who have played together for some time (yes, I know that D.Diehl replaced L.Pettigout at LT is season, but Diehl and R.Seubert, who moved in at LG next to him, had played together before, going back to when they first broke in when J.McNally was the Giants O-line coach). I doubt that anyone would list a single NY Giant offensive lineman as being in the Top 3 at his position, yet, as a unit, the Giants' offensive line was pretty good last season--but, then again, they have all been playing and practicing with one another for about 3-4 years now.

And, a lack of continuity can have a negative impact on even an excellent offensive line that has to replace a couple of starters--as KC and Denver showed over the last two seasons.

From everything that the Bills coaches have said about the offensive line, I very strongly believe that they want to establish some continuity on the Bills' offensive line--that that has been and still is one of their goals on offense.

Because Butler missed virtually all of the preseason, the Bills offensive line had all of one week of practice together going into last season--and that obviously impacted their play early on in the season. From that point on, the starting unit managed to play most of 15 games together before Peters missed the final game of the season. That is the sum total of their experience of playing together.

I do not believe that the Bills' coaches feel that that is enough time for their starting offensive line to work together in order for the unit to be effective. As a result, I believe that they will be very reluctant to replace anyone on the offensive line going into next season, unless there is an injury or one of the reserves so clearly outplays a starter in training camp that they have no choice but to replace that starter. While I won't rule out the possibility that this last eventuality could happen, I make the odds on it happening at no more than 10% and probably less.

If they are healthy, Peters, Dockery and Walker are virtual 100% locks to make the starting lineup. While Butler still needs to continue to develop and get better and could perhaps be pushed for the starting job, everything that I've read leads me to believe that the Bills' coaching staff likes him a lot, which leads me to conclude that there is only a very small chance that they will replace him in the starting lineup. Which leaves Fowler.

Again, for all of his weaknesses, the Bills like Fowler. With the needs that they have to fill elsewhere on the team and the money that they already have invested in the offensive line, I seriously doubt that the Bills will spend big money to bring in a free agent to replace him--anyone who seriously thinks that they will hasn't been paying attention to how the team operates and is likely to continue to operate. Which means that the only way that Fowler is likely to be replaced is from within.

Now, the Bills could draft a center to replace Fowler--and they actually may do that in the middle rounds--but, given the fact that offensive linemen usually take time to develop and the fact that there is no center in this draft class who is even close to being ready to step into a NFL starting lineup (did you see those guys getting pushed around by the DTs at the Senior Bowl?--UGH!), there is virtually no chance that the Bills will go into this season with a rookie starting at center. Which leaves Aaron Merz and Duke Preston as the only real potential challengers to Fowler.

Of course it is possible the Duke Preston could perhaps make a huge leap in his development this offseason that would make it possible for him to challenge Fowler for the starting center job in the OTAs and training camp, but, based on what he has shown thus far in his time with the Bills, the odds are far greater that he will be cut than that he will be anything more than a backup for the Bills this season. I hate to say it, but, for a man as big as he is, I've seen Preston getting pushed around by DTs more often than Fowler, who is considerably smaller. The Bills have given Preston all kinds of opportunities--opportunities that back-up offensive linemen around the league would do anything to get--to show that he belongs in their starting lineup on the offensive line and he has done nothing to show that he deserves to be anything more than a backup. If the Bills thought that he could be their starting center, I doubt that they would have brought in Fowler in the first place--and I think that there is very little chance that he will replace Fowler, even with a good training camp.

Which leaves Merz. From what I have seen, I like Merz. I think that, if the Bills do replace Fowler anytime soon, Merz has the potential to be his replacement. But, given the fact that Merz missed all of last season with a fairly serious shoulder injury, I seriously doubt that Merz will be fully ready to challenge Fowler for the starting center job or that the Bills' coaches will be inclined to have their starting QB, entering the season with all of nine starts last year under his belt, go into the season working with a center that he has barely worked with before. Again, while it is possible that Merz, if he is fully recovered and mentally ready to go, could beat out Fowler for the starting center job by seriously out-playing him in the offseason, training camp, practices and the preseason, even if he does seriously out-play Fowler, I think the odds are still pretty slim that the Bills' coaching staff would be willing to start Merz this season (next season might be a very different story). As I have said, at most, I would give Merz only a 10% chance of convincing the Bills' coaching staff to start him over Fowler at center.

Now, if the offensive line stays healthy this season and they still have trouble running the ball, all bets are off--especially if it is Fowler who struggles. If that turns out to be the case, I can see the Bills' coaching staff being willing to make a move at center, knowing that the rest of the offensive line has established a rapport and some continuity in playing together. But, because everything that they have said and done leads me to believe that they see continuity as being critical to establish on the offensive line, I simply cannot see them making a personnel move at center going into this up-coming season unless they absolutely have to.

Sorry, folks, but that's just the way that I see it.

[colin]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

we can draft a new G or C to complete our O line, even in the late rounds.

we have 1 tackle who IMO is the best, a very good RT, and a stud LG.

all we need is to have one other above average player in the middle and we will have a true top 5 line next season. least of our worries along with RB

[HHURRICANE]

Re: The case against Jeff Faine

Lets see what Duke Prestons got.

This is a joke, right?