Eddie said:
Mike, don't count on Fabini. I work with tons of Jets fans and they're laughing at us. The word from them is, "You guys are happy now, but wait until he has 4 false starts in the first quarter of the first game ..."
Eddie, Fabini was no Orlando Pace. But he was more than servicable...he was not, over his career, the penalty machine your buddies are making him out to be.
He never excelled with terrific agility or enormous strength, but he held his own. Luckily, a player like Fabini doesn't lose it overnight, because his game was built on tenacity and common sense. At this stage of his career, he is what every team needs..a reliable swing tackle.
I sure understand your fears, and even share them. All the impact in the world won't matter if the line is a sieve again...if 'immobile' Bledsoe can't be bought time, and JJ/Marion sans holes. Even TO is not going to make a difference if dumb penalties and inconsistency once again define the line play. In fact, there is a fairly substantial blocking game downgrade in TO over Key, and any 2nd te over Dan.
I also think our draft MIGHT be a bit affected by recently being bitten by those 'finesse' tackle and brute-but-no-technique guard picks. Just as Millen lacked the stones to take Leinart, the Jacobs, and to some extent Peterman pick could be scare-off factors.
But even more deadly than being scared off is a mass attack of over-reaching.
As long as we stay consistent to what reasonably looks like adherence to a value board, I suppose the FO merits the benefit of the doubt..that they felt the line could best be upgraded this year via free agency.
Frankly, the biggest line issue we have, imo, may be the coaching of it. I am more worried about Sparano's fair haired status with Bill and ability to develop players than whether we stack the draft with lineman. Parcells, btw, has saturated drafts in the past with one position...could be the FO just didn't see the value in this particular draft class.
Anyway, Flo coming back, Rivera a full year off his back injury, a more seasoned Al/Dre/Rob, and the presence of "False Start"
is at least minor consolation.