It's Friday, which means it's time to go around the AFC East. First up this week is Brian G from Buffalo Rumblings:
Buffalo Rumblings: What price tag isn't insane these days? With some of the deals that were handed out, getting Dockery (the top free agent on the team's list this off-season) was pretty close to a bargain, considering that at least two other teams wanted Dockery. This signing has given me an unprecedented (at least in recent years) amount of optimism regarding our front line. This is especially true of the left side, where Jason Peters teams with Dockery to give us a formidable, athletic duo on JP Losman's blind side.
No, Terrance Pennington is not "the guy" at right tackle, considering we handed out a 5-year, $25 million deal to right tackle Langston Walker. Pennington will likely be our top backup at both positions; Walker is the sure-fire starter at right tackle. I'm excited about Walker, a player who I feel is a vastly underrated addition due to his run blocking prowess.
As a unit, the five likely starters (Peters, Dockery, Melvin Fowler, Duke Preston and Walker) have a lot of promise as run blockers. The run game, despite the loss of Willis McGahee, should actually be much improved thanks to the improvements made up front. Pass protection is a different issue altogether - while I'm not worried about Peters or Dockery in the slightest, Walker has proven to be a liability in pass protection (he gave up double-digit sacks last year in Oakland). The overall improvement - and confidence boost - up front should be the engine of an offense that could be far more explosive this coming season.
My take: There's no way $49 million over 7 years with $18.5 million in guarantees is "close to a bargain," especially for a guy like Dockery. It's almost a joke how much he and Leonard Davis made this offseason. Oh, and sorry I forgot about Langston Walker at RT. That's an additional $25 million to a lineman from the Raiders. Based on the play of their line last year, I'm sure he isn't terrible...lol.
As always, you can head on over to Buffalo Rumblings to see my response to his question.
Back later with more...