Back when the NFL Network’s Total Access program was airing the “State of the Franchise” series in early March, Marshall Faulk came out and said that the Buffalo Bills needed to bolster a "struggling" offensive line, especially at the left tackle position.
These remarks irritated Buffalo Fans as rich Eisen reported. This "State of the Franchise" series was right after a season where the Bills had spent a ton of money on the OL, an OL which also included a Pro-Bowl LT in Jason Peters.
Faulk “mis-spoke”, I believe was his response to all of the negative press he received and had to answer for a couple of nights later on the air. I was one of the irate fans, writing about how foolish this guy was in making statements as he did. My Bleacher Report article was actually quoted and shown on the screen on the following Friday night, when Eisen asked Faulk to respond to the Bills' fans.
Well, maybe I need to retract my article that I wrote immediately after Faulk made his ridiculous comments.
Reason?
The Bills have no Pro-Bowl LT in attendance for any of the voluntary OTAs, and now he's a no-show for the MANDATORY mini-camp.
Result: The Buffalo Bills need to shore up their struggling offensive line, especially at LT! Just who will the Bills approach to attempt to fill the LT void? Who is Trent Edwards going to trust his blind side to?
I have very mixed feelings about the whole situation. I’m very aware of the abilities of one Jason Peters, and I believe the man should be paid. On the other hand, you have a player who signed a five-year extension contract a couple years ago, and still has three years remaining on said contract.
I also know that he is one of the lowest-paid OL on this team, which in all reality, just isn’t right. I'm also being aware that a player’s contract isn’t guaranteed, so I can see how he feels that he’s not being treated fairly. I’m also of the school that a player should honor his contract as well.
The Buffalo Bills have several other key personnel that they need to renegotiate/extend contracts to, without Jason Peters being in this equation. I think the Bills should add a clause to his current contract that allows for several incentives for Jason to achieve this season, in order to make more money.
Things like the number of games played in the 2008 season, sack totals less than (x), selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl, etc...instead of renegotiating a totally new contract now with three years remaining on his early-on extension by the Bills.
Extend Lee Evans now, and re-tool Jason’s contract in the next offseason, after he proves again that he’s worthy of a healthy raise. I’m fine with that scenario, and I would love for Jason Peters to be a Buffalo Bill for his entire career.
Jason knows that he was an undrafted free agent TE from Arkansas when the Buffalo Bills took a chance on him. Otherwise, Jason may not have an NFL career to speak of at all, much less enough of one to be a holdout.
The Bills saw the obvious talent and athleticism in Peters, so much so that they switched his position twice. They then extended his contract early on to keep him in a Bills uniform for years to come.
Jason knows that the Bills made big strides in bolstering the offensive line last year, and he saw the improvements as the season went on. With an entire season under their belts now, the OL should only gel more this season. Jason also knows that if the Bills are to be a sleeper in their division, and have a legit shot at ending the franchise’s longest playoff drought, he needs to be there now, for the team.
So, was Marshall Faulk a genius? He correctly predicted that the Buffalo Bills needed to add a stud LT. As of today, it appears that he was accurate in that lone statement.
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3 months ago
Good article, even though it was extremely hard to get past the headline!
3 months ago
Yeah, I was reading an article about the Bills, and then after reading it, I thought, "When did I click on an article about the Bills?" Then I saw the title again. Granted, I skimmed a little, but it was a good article.
Peters was always an interesting guy to me, coming out as a super blocking tight end who weighed 320. Then he played very well, and I was disappointed the Jets didn't take a chance on him.
3 months ago
Good article man! Keep it up!
3 months ago
Good article, but I think this is too much panic. Eventually, Peters will have to show up, since they are fining him everyday that he doesn't show. The bottom line is that Russ Brandon needs to get off his rear and rework this contract. Something must be wrong if LAngston Walker is making more money that an All-Pro Offensive tackle.
from 3 months ago
Jason lucked out financially from DJ cancelling today's MANDATORY mini camp. Maybe they can work something out very shortly! This wasn't meant to sound as a panic. Jason is a decent guy, wants to get paid, and I honestly don't think the Bills will be w/o him for Training Camp.
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