King Thinks Cutting Faneca Was a Mistake
Peter King thinks dropping Alan Faneca by the Jets for this season was a mistake and one from which the Cardinals are reaping the benefit.
4. I think Alan Faneca, installed as the starting left guard in Arizona, will be determined to prove the Jets made a mistake in dumping him. Ken Whisenhunt’s thrilled with Faneca in early work and thinks he’ll be the calming influence a young line needs — as well as the voice of experience Matt Leinart can use.
I look back at Mark Sanchez and his first year and know what the team is doing with Ducasse. Playing Sanchez from the outset was a “ripping off of the Band-Aid” for the team, but he pushed through some rough patches and showed some promise at the end of the season that makes him appear almost a ‘Sophmore and a Half’ heading into this season.
I wouldn’t disagree from the outset of this season that Faneca might be the better man, but the question is for how long would Faneca’s absence affect this team. Faneca upped his game at the end of the season/postseason, but it was a long stretch of the middle of the season where he had some tough games. I’d say by mid-season the tradeoff will be negligible, but for now, it’s clear that Faneca is the known commodity and thus the reason that King comes to his conclusion.
I do think that the tradeoff of money (just over $2 million) to cut Faneca that the team made seemed odd to me, but it’s clear the team wanted to move on and Faneca was standing in the way of allowing the Jets to make a move that they thought made their line better in 2010.
The bottom line is whether by December 2010 whether this line will be better than a line with Alan Faneca, or a line with Ducasse having played eight games.
27 Responses to King Thinks Cutting Faneca Was a Mistake
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Pdubbs says:
It’s just another negative comment being made toward the Jets.
Ducasse is HUGE and shows alot of potential. OUr team is young at almost every position on offense and rather then address this problem next year… they did it this year. I think the Jets made a smart decision might not have been the popular one.
I think having Ducasse sandwiched between Brick and Mangold is going to be a very good spot for him.
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Bent says: Does anyone else feel better about this move now that King has criticized it?
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Yeah, and Wisenhunt knows Faneca from his Pittsburgh days, he’s not exactly going to drag a player he’s coached for years already, and now has back on his team, through the mud.
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juunit says:
I kind of agree to be honest. We had the best offensive line last season, there really wasn’t much reason to break it up. I would’ve kept him one more year while Ducasse could get some play time to garner experience. It’s very possible that it will all be fine and Ducasse will play well. It just seems like a big risk, a kind of radical move, for a conservative team. It isn’t really in line with the way they play on the field.
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reality jet fan says:
I dont understand why vlad is thiught of so highly he played at umass? I s he supposed to be a cant miss?
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Phil T. says:
I choke at the thought of defending King, but he did not exactly say in that column that releasing Faneca was a mistake. He only stated that Faneca would be determined to prove it was a mistake of cutting him. That’s not earth shattering journalism since of course he wants to prove he’s still a good player. But a semi-lofty nugget from Favre’s stalker.
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EastSide says:
I think a huge issue for Ryan, Schottenheimer and Callahan was what they would do if Faneca’s play in pass protection began to slip mid-season. Benching a veteran coming off of a Probowl season looks much worse than cutting him during the preseason.
Also, throwing a second team rookie (Ducasse) or a second year with no starts (Slauson) into the mix mid-season would be disastrous.
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Bent says:
“…he did not exactly say in that column that releasing Faneca was a mistake.”
Well, that goes without saying because he never exactly says anything. Pretty much everything he ever says is enveloped by disclaimers and uncertainties.
“I suppose that I think that A might be better than B this year, although come to think of it that will depend on C and I don’t think I’m entirely sure that D won’t cause E to perhaps maybe influence C. Will that happen? We’ll probably just have to wait and see.”
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SuperT says:
I honestly believe that pass protection will be more of an issue this year than last. How can it not with Cotchery, Edwards, Holmes, and Keller. Can’t exactly see the Jets being the true ground and pound team with that kind of receiving talent at their disposal.
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Dave says:
The reality is Faneca is at best an average player, and he was when the Jets signed him. They really just benefited from his grit and leadership at a time where the team was lacking both on the offensive line. To be fair he was still a good pulling guard, but there’s nothing he’s going to do to make the Jets feel sorry. He’s average and been on the decline since his last days in Pitt. Any guilt the Jets will feel would come from Ducasse not being ready, not anything Faneca proves himself.
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rollercoaster says:
If the $2 million we saved went to our Core Four, I wouldn’t be too upset.
Unless Vlad gives up 9 sacks….
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The Ed(itor) says:
Faneca was a key part of the top OLine in the NFL. To cut him and only save $2.25 million just shows that many of JETS moves were money related. Having no firm replacement for Faneca is abasically a stupid move by the JETS. Cutting Thomas Jones is another example of the JETS (Woody) being cheap. I don’t believe that LT and Knight are better than TJ and Leon.
And I am insulted by the idea that is the fans fault that the JETS are skimping by not buying Woody’s stupid PSL licenses. Woody didn’t need to build a new stadium. The sole reason was to make him more money. Dig deeper into your fortune Woody!!! -
Andrew Weiss says:
1. Do we know if the Jets got a credit based on Faneca’s salary with Arizona? There was some talk about this but I wasn’t sure if we ever found out the answer.
2. What I think I think is that King’s thinking in the off-season about a player who was cut for money AND because his performance had declined, in spite of a great O-line coach and considering that his performance should have looked great since he plays with four other Pro Bowl players on the line AND they never ran left AND they had Slauson and loved Ducasse, then it was a good move. Wait a minute, did I say good move? I meant not good move. Is this the off-season? Are we coming up on 2010? What year is this? How old am I?
3. I think of King’s columns as bird cage liner, if they were in print. Maybe virtual bird cage liner. Is there anything lower than virtual bird cage liner?
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BubbyBrister/shovelpass says:
Aaaaannndddd…the Ed(itor) is back in full-throttle!
…as though he never left.
:-)
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Sorry, but if you think the Jets should’ve kept Thomas Jones, then you have no clue what you’re talking about. He only got all the yards because he was given the ball so often. How many times did you see Jones push the pile, or make a strong second effort? Just about never.
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mole57 says:
Bent,
And typical King, two months later would say: “Not to toot my own horn, but way back I did say that E would influence C.” -
Bent says:
Andrew: re number 1, I don’t think they do get a credit, which makes it even more apparent that the move was performance related.
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SackDance99 says:
The Cards alienated Deuce Lutui by bringing in Whisenhut’s binkie, Faneca. If this happened on the Jets, everyone would be screaming about how Deuce was dissed and run out of town in favor of an over-the-hill Faneca.
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Harvlis says:
Phil T,
You summed it up — “that’s not earth shattering journalism”.
While I hate the uncertainty of breaking up a highly rated unit, if Faneca was a weak spot in the passing game, then it made sense to let him move on. I still think we should pick up a veteran back-up, just in case Slauson and Ducasse can’t handle the assignment. I have a feeling that Slauson will step right in at LG and Ducasse will be groomed to take Woody’s spot at RT.
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James in TN says:
What about Moore moving to the Left guard and either Slauson or Ducasse going to the right guard spot? I would rather have experience there as opposed to hoping for the best.
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Not every player on your line needs to be a star. Ducasse is huge and will be a problem for anyone to get through or around. Also, he will be in between a bunch of vets who are all very good at what they do.
-I hate this “Learning under him” garbage…. Ducasse can’t learn from anyone else ? It needs to be Faneca ??? no.
The team got that much younger on a an aging line. Good move.
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Bent says:
James – as a converted DT, Moore has never played on the left side, so I can’t see it. I also think he would struggle with the more demanding pass protection responsibilities on that side.
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Pump the brakes, Petey.
I have full faith in Callahan. If he felt that this was a move that he could handle, which I’m sure was the case, than I am fine with it. Faneca was our least productive lineman. With the Zone If Ducasse can handle it, which I think he can, Callahan will have him game-ready by opening day. The kid is a huge snow plow that Greene will get to run behind for years. He’s also insulated by two Pro-Bowl lineman, both being part of the elite at their position. All is well.
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Bent,
Very funny and true about PK’s logic (or lack thereof).Was it a fumble? I don’t know for sure. Could have been. But I do know one thing, this coffee flavored water is dreadful.
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g. JETson says:
I surprised he didn’t mention that we let Faneca go because Woddy’s wife couldn’t afford a new Baby seal skin jacket due to the fact that we can’t sell PSL’s.
King’s source is the Arizona coach. What is tha Arizona coach going to say “we screwed up, Faneca is looking awful?”