Faine deal is enormous

There had to be a good reason why the Bucs were able to agree to terms with Saints center Jeff Faine so quickly after midnight.

They opened the bank vault for him.

Faine is expected to sign a six-year, $37.5-million deal with $15-million in guaranteed money. He could earn as much as $20-million in the first three years.

Comments

[aaron]

what in the world? this is a center, not a wr or a cb. we could have stayed with danbeunning and been just fine and spent the money else where, like lance briggs or asante...

[Tony]

He will be a great center, he's only 26 and a great pass blocker...buenning is a Guard!! He would have to make a transition to center, oh that sounds like fun...we now have a solid o-line (wow what a thought!)

[Tony]

Asante is going to Philly, at a king's ransom...He performed extremely well on the best team in the NFL (who didn't play good last year for the Patriots?)- not a good investment.

Sounds like you're in awe with big names, that's worked out great for the Redskins, huh?

[Tuck]

I love the signing. Center was the weakpoint on the Buc's O-Line last year. Buenning couldn't beat out Wade, (who is now a free agent) and likely would be a downgrade at Center.

Sears and Joseph are two talented, tough, young Guards. Adding Faine between them could make the Bucs strong at the point of attack for many years to come.

[Ace]

i like it. we need to get serious with our line. i wish we'd have more interest in faneca though

[Mike]

Aaron, obviously Coach Gruden and Bruce Allen didn't think so. He had a year to learn the position and he probably will compete in camp but the coaches ultimately didn't have faith that he will be a starter. I am absolutely thrilled with this signing! Watch how much time that Garcia will have in the pocket next year and you will know why we paid this guy.

[Ty Guy]

Nice Tony, you're right on, the same people that will complain about this are probably going to be the same people that always whine, and rightfully so, that Jeff Garcia ends up on his back too much.

[Mike]

Aaron, obviously Coach Gruden and Bruce Allen didn't think so. He had a year to learn the position and he probably will compete in camp but the coaches ultimately didn't have faith that he will be a starter. I am absolutely thrilled with this signing! Watch how much time that Garcia will have in the pocket next year and you will know why we paid this guy.

[Ty Guy]

Nice Tony, you're right on, the same people that will complain about this are probably going to be the same people that always whine, and rightfully so, that Jeff Garcia ends up on his back too much.

[Ty Guy]

Dang it, two posts, again.

[Stephen Holder]

Folks, I'll say it again: if you're going to open the wallet, do it at a position where it's most needed. Remember, the draft is flush with WRs and RBs. That's where they'll address those needs in addition to perhaps a couple second tier free agents. Center needed to be addressed, and free agency was going to be the best solution to the problem.

[keith]

i've said this before but it bears repeating:

league average at skill positions and a dominant O-line = playoffs, every single time.

[Mike]

Stephen thanks for being on your game today! Roy just can't keep up with you!

[Matt]

The Bucs overpaid, it's as simple as that. Faine's never been to a probowl, he was cut loose by Cleveland 2 years ago (after spending 3 years there) and has now been let go by New Orleans. That isn't exactly the resume of someone who is now the highest paid at his position. It's not my money, so I guess I don't care, but I see this signing hurting the Bucs in years to come. Oh wait, didn't the Bucs just raise ticket prices AGAIN? I guess it is my money!!!

[Dylan Todd]

Mike, your comment about the Bucs overpaying misses the point. One thing Gruden and Allen have been good at is assessing talent that didn't thrive in other systems and giving them a chance to resurrect their careers. This will be a very good move that will not only help Garcia stay on his feet, but allow the run game to finally fire on all cylinders. And when you consider the TE acquisition today, I think we might just be seeing the beginning of what turns the Bucs' offense into something really awesome to see.

[Mike]

Dylan Todd that would be Matt's opinion, not mine. I love the signing! Let the sexy signings go to other teams. allen is going after needs for this team.

[skp]

a better center would've been good for at least 2 more wins last year - shaun rogers and the jags DTs both manhandled wade, and given the margin in those 2 games a couple more seconds in the pocket were the difference between winning and losing.

love the signing, the biggest investment on offense needs to be the line, that's how teams sustain dominant offenses regardless of turnover at the skill positions. now let's get some pass rush and a wideout!

[Mike]

Matt I think Faine was a pro bowl alternate this past year.

[Str8BucIn]

Faine is a good fit and we needed to upgrade the center position. We've seen this guy twice a year so I'm sure that Gruden and Allen saw what they needed to see here. To get the best center on the market we didn't overpay. He's young our line is young and we can now expect a line that can grow together and be great.

[Jon]

If we have top 10 talent all across the OL (and except LT we have the potential for that) then average to good talent at the skill positions will make for a top 10 Offense. Great skill players + bottom 10 OL = crappy offense.

Now we need an LT for the future, a young, decent, mobile QB (maybe the guy from Delaware in the first) and a young speedy WR (Berrian?).

[Jon]

Also, with a 116 million dollar cap, I don't think 6 mil at center is too much.

[Jon]

Actually, the cap charge is probably less than 6 mil in the early years. It probably breaks down to about 3.3 mil each year for the bonus and salaries that start low - sub 1 mil the first year to probably 4-6 mil in salary at the back end. The back end cap numbers will probably rise accordingly so we're getting the C for about 4.5-5.5 Mil in cap space the first two to three years.

[Jon]

One last post. Gruden said awhile back that if you have a bad OL there are only 2 or 3 good QBs in the league. If you have a good OL there are 25 good QBs.

I agree with that statement 100%.

[JACK]

THE NFC GOES THRU NEW YORK TO GET TO THE NEXT LOMBARDI TROPHY. THAT MEANS CAN YOUR O-LINE DEFEND AGAINST THEIR D-LINE. GRUDEN KNOWS THAT. SO DOES GARCIA. LOOK FOR AN UPGRADE ON THE LEFT SIDE TOO. THEY NEED AN INJURY-FREE
LEFT TACKLE. MAYBE A FIRST DAY PICK IN APRIL.

[JACK]

THE NFC GOES THRU NEW YORK TO GET TO THE NEXT LOMBARDI TROPHY. THAT MEANS CAN YOUR O-LINE DEFEND AGAINST THEIR D-LINE. GRUDEN KNOWS THAT. SO DOES GARCIA. LOOK FOR AN UPGRADE ON THE LEFT SIDE TOO. THEY NEED AN INJURY-FREE
LEFT TACKLE. MAYBE A FIRST DAY PICK IN APRIL. HOW ABOUT TRADING UP TO GRAB JAKE LONG? DREAM ABOUT THAT O-LINE!

[kurt]

Anybody who thinks that Faine isn't very good, isn't very astute at determining talent. Look at the Saints numbers compared to ours (Sacks) and you'll see that our weakness (C) was our achilles heel. Faine will fix that and add a dimension in the run game which Sears started to display last year (pulling off tackle!!!) Look for Graham to have 1200-1500 yards rushing this year. I said it first.

[Ben]

Matt; you should do your homework. Faine was a first round pick out of Notre Dame. FYI he is also a local kid, out of Seminole High in Pinellas County.

He was replaced by All Pro LeCharles Bentley in Cleveland. Young centers need time to learn the more complex offensive blocking schemes, but even now the scouts call him an eventual Pro Bowler. Get real! Should we waste $11 million on washed up DE's with bumb shoulders, or go after a young center to anchor an even younger offensive line? It all starts on the line, so it was the right move. We had one of the best O lines in Bucs history and with Faine, two returning former rookies and two guys entering their third year...thats a hell of a nice group to build with