Good left tackles are very hard to find. When you get one, you better do everything you can to hold on to him
Allen Wilson: Trade of Peters puts a big hole in Bills’ offense
Late last season, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. explained away another year out of the playoffs by saying his team didn’t have enough talent.
I hate to break this to you, Mr. Wilson, but you just said goodbye to your most talented player.
By now you know that the Bills traded left tackle Jason Peters to the Philadelphia Eagles. The move wasn’t done because they don’t think Peters can play. This was about money.
And that’s what I have a problem with.
Many of you may think Peters didn’t deserve the kind of money he was seeking, which was between $11 and $12 million per year. But that is the cost of trying to compete in the National Football League.
The Bills had no problem overpaying for left guard Derrick Dockery. They were very generous with right tackle Langston Walker. Neither is as accomplished at their positions as Peters is at his.
Good left tackles are like elite quarterbacks; they are very hard to find. When you get one, you better do everything you can to hold on to him.
I found it interesting that the Eagles, a perennial playoff contender, thought Peters was worth the big contract while the Bills, who haven’t sniffed the postseason in nine years, didn’t. I don’t get it.
What is even more curious is the fact that the Bills aren’t getting ripped by fans over this trade. Judging from e-mails I’ve read and chat rooms I’ve visited, a lot of people are OK with it. They are turned off by Peters’ contract demands and his long holdout last year. Others just don’t think his play warrants such a large pay increase.
While public opinion is on the Bills’ side, good sense isn’t.
I’ll be the first to admit that Peters didn’t come close to playing at the same level of the previous year. He had no one to blame but himself because of the holdout and missed opportunities in the offseason minicamps and training camp to learn a new offensive system.
But let’s also remember that the guy is still learning the position. He has had only two full seasons at left tackle. The Eagles are getting someone whose best football should still be ahead of him.
We all know that the Pro Bowl is often a popularity contest. But All-Pro is an honor you earn on the field. Peters was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2007. He showed that season how dominant a player he can be.
There are some who think the Bills are better off without Peters, as if they can just plug anyone in at left tackle and move on. That’s nonsense.
It looks like Walker will move from right tackle to the left side. The Bills are confident he can handle the job after the work he put in there last season when Peters was out. But even the Bills would have to admit that Walker is not in Peters’ class as far as the athleticism and set of skills both bring to the table.
By moving Walker to the left, the Bills would basically weaken both tackle positions. The question becomes who will be the right tackle?
Is it Kirk Chambers? All I’ve heard this offseason is how much the Bills like him as their left guard. Demetrius Bell? Please. The kid has talent, but is awfully raw. What about Jonathan Scott? He couldn’t even stick with the Detroit Lions.
Could Peters’ replacement come in the draft? It’s doubtful, unless Baylor’s Jason Smith, Virginia’s Eugene Monroe or Alabama’s Andre Smith shockingly falls to the Bills with the 11th overall pick. I guess trading up to get one of those guys is plausible, but they would have been better off keeping Peters because their rookie contracts would be just as large.
Mississippi’s Michael Oher and Arizona’s Eben Britton are other possibilities, but are they ready to step in at left tackle on Day One? No tackle the Bills draft is a proven commodity in the NFL. Peters is.
The Bills created some positive buzz this offseason by signing Terrell Owens. It was a bold move that showed they are going for it.
But why strengthen your offense only to turn around and weaken it.
In announcing the Peters deal, Eagles coach Andy Reid said success in the NFL is “derived from the strong play of the offensive and defensive lines.” It’s a philosophy shared by the best teams in the league.
The Bills have built and blown up their offensive line so much this decade it’s no wonder they haven’t participated in the playoffs since the Clinton administration.
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